Yes, God is Real

Romans 1:18-25

St. John’s United Church of Christ
Greeley, Colorado
April 27, 2025
Rev. Juvenal Cervantes

Today we begin a new series of sermons on questions about God. The church is a safe place to ask questions. Many of us have doubts and questions, about faith, about God. We’re curious and we want to consider alternate perspectives. Doubt is necessity for a robust faith.

The scriptures encourage us to have an inquisitive mind. Matthew 6:6 reminds us, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

The baseline question is, “Is God real?” There are times when we feel desperate, anxious, confused, and we wonder, “Does God exist?”

As followers of Christ, we quickly recall what God’s word tell us about our Creator, and then we request of God: help my unbelief.

Can we bring evidence about the God of the Bible? Yes. Theologians talk about “general revelation” and “specific revelation.” General revelation tells us that God reveals to us through creation. It is like a funnel; the larger circle represents what we know about God as we observe all that is around us, then the smaller circle represents Christ.

There is different opinion on the percentage of people who are agnostics, some say 3%, 5% and other literature suggests 12%. Young people are exploring life and they begin to de-construct their faith and they have questions and they wonder about faith.

Hebrews 11:6 states, “It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him” (The Message). Soren Kierkegard talks about faith as a “leap into the dark.”

We know God exists because of rational thought, we see evidence of God all around us, and we have historical facts that tells us that God is real.

In Romans 1:16-25 we learn three words that give us a glimpse of the reality of God: We know that God is real because of Righteousness, revelation, and redemption.

Looking at the context of this passage we know that Paul is writing to a colony of believers. Romans is described by students of the Bible as he most important theological document.

There are classical arguments for the existence of God including theological; there is order and design. Then there are the cosmological arguments; we look at the heavens and we can get see God as the Almighty who made all things. There are also the ontological arguments that bring the idea of function and being.

I. We know God is real because of righteousness

Paul talks about the moral argument for God’s existence.

Romans 1:18-20

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So, they are without excuse.

God is righteous; there is perfect and He is right.

We live in an era of new atheists. These are individuals who have written extensively against God and now they are changing their tune. Atheist authors including Justin Brighty who wrote “The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God,” and Richard Dawkins, “The Rise of the New Atheism” and “The God Delusion.”

These atheists now describe themselves as “cultural Christians” and “Christian atheists.” Their premise: Everything that is right and good in the world comes from Christianity; it is better than the alternative.

They believe in God metaphysically, allegorically, and categorically. They say the themes of creation, the fall, redemption and restoration are a good framework to understanding life. Additionally, the idea of enemy love, the sacrifice of Jesus, is appealing and makes sense to them.

“The wraith of God” indicates that God is perfect and righteous and he is disgusted, not with people, but with sin.

Righteousness means that there is right and wrong in the universe. Our world, my friends, is messed up, sin has brought about brokenness into our world.

We reconcile, “if there is love, there is ultimate love; there is good and bad and ultimate good has to be behind that.”

Someone said that an atheist is like one who has a boomerang and then buys a new boomerang. The boomerang is thrown out into the unknown and we say, “There is not God!” Then the boomerang comes back, a baby is born and we say, “Oh, my God what is this, why am I feeling this way, how incredible.”

Then we sent out the boomerang and again we say, “There is not God!” Then it comes back, we see an amazing sunset and we say how beautiful, there is order and design.

Consider the eclipse. Scientists tell us that the moon is 400 times smaller than the sun and the sun is 400 times farther away than the moon. The moon and the sun overlap incredibly perfect.

II. We know God is real because of revelation

Romans 1:21-22

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

God stepped into our world in the person of Jesus Christ to make all things right. We are given the opportunity to choose Christ. True love is chosen love.

Romans 1:24-25

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

The rebellious spirit in the human heart rejects the Creator. God sent His son to us and people choose differently.

Paul was explicit about all things pointing to Christ as our only hope:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Romans 1:16

III. We know God is real because of redemption

Hebrews 1:1-3

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

We know that God exists because of cause and effect. It is an Aristotelian argument: if there is order, there is a designer, there is ultimate intelligence. Jesus is the perfect theology in the flesh.

Therefore, Peter uttered:

8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9

And Hebrews highlight:

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Hebrews 1:3

We know Christ as Creator, savior, our example, and importantly, our substitute, the one who makes all things right.

The prophets talked about the coming messiah and Christ is born to us.

As we experience Jesus, our ultimate witness is his love for ourselves and for others.

John reveals, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:8

Yes, God is real. His righteousness, revelation, and redemption give testimony of who He is and what he can do in our lives. This is the word of the Lord.