To Believe or Not to Believe

By Robert LeGrant Mabie Sr.

To Believe or Not to Believe is written with the hope that those who read it will be blessed in some way. Whether they be a Christian or non-Christian, that they will have questions answered or confirmations to their faith.

For those of you who are believers, my prayer for you is that it strengthens your commitment to Jesus Christ.

For those of you who are seeking truth, my prayer for you is that it gives you reason to believe in the existence of God and that you will commit your life to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life. Time is of the essence, don't put it off until another time. What is between the covers of this book is my commitment to help you to believe.

In His Service,

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781641404280

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To Believe or Not to Believe

Robert LeGrant Mabie Sr.

Copyright © 2018 Robert LeGrant Mabie Sr.

All rights reserved

First Edition

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc

New York, NY

First originally published by Christian Faith Publishing, Inc 2018

ISBN 978-1-64140-427-3 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64140-428-0 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

To my three Amigos and their wives, true brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ: Armando and Jean Lopez, Bill and Madeline Morris, Joe and Judy Imhof.

Without these three men of God, I would not have been able to accomplish the things that I have over the last forty plus years when life was difficult and faith not as strong as it should be at times.

One of them, Armando, has since gone on to be with the Lord. I know the Lord has a special place for him to dwell until we will all be together once again.

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I want to acknowledge the three in one—God the Father, Jesus Christ the only begotten Son, and the Holy Spirit—without them, there would be no purpose in writing this book.

Always to my wife Jodi for her prayers, patience, support, and encouragement in the writing of this book.

To Gail Long for taking the time to do a first eyes on look at my grammar, spelling, and other things.

To Rick Rhinehart for his time to read the rough draft and to do the Foreword.

To my mother, who will be ninety-eight years young the day after Christmas this year, for her confidence and encouragement in me putting this book together.

Foreword

To Believe or Not to Believe is a must read book for all who question the claims of both Christ and Christianity. As an avid reader and teacher of the Bible for over three decades, I strongly recommend this book. Bob’s book is an easy and enlightening read for those interested in Christian apologetics.

Rick Rhinehart

Part I

1

Does God Exist?

This question is ageless. It has been asked throughout the history of mankind. Many others have written books referring to this question, and now it’s my attempt at it. To say it would be my biggest challenge to pen a book of this nature and content is an understatement. It was not going to be an easy task by any means. It is my hope that after you have read it, you will come to the conclusion that to believe is the right choice. I’m not naive and acknowledge the fact that it may be a controversial writing to many of you. But just maybe you’ll find some answers to questions you may have had for a very long time.

I’m sure that you’re in agreement with me that our world is beginning to spiral out of control. It is this country, the United States of America, I’m speaking about. It’s getting to the point that even here, there is nothing positive hitting the headlines. Eighty percent of what is being reported has a negative slant to it. We can’t even go twenty-four hours without there being some sort of major crisis happening just in this country. Now if you will multiply that by all the other countries around the globe, you have to admit that it’s almost out of control. Without a doubt, we are living in crazy mixed up times today, and the tension is almost beyond the ability to handle from a human standpoint. And sadly, it does not seem as though it will be getting any better in the immediate future. Especially if we continue in the direction and path we are presently going.

So rather than waste any more time, let’s get to it and address this question: Does God exist? This is a question I’ve heard all too often, and it seems to me it is being asked more today than ever before due to world circumstances. Wouldn’t it make our lives so much easier if someone could just provide some kind of physical evidence that would be foolproof, of course, that God does really exist? But, of course, that would be just too simple, and I would not be writing this book. Perhaps the proof has already been given to us, and many of us have just ignored it. So let’s address this question as a question.

Question: Does God exist? Is there evidence for the existence of God?

Answer: The existence of God cannot be proved or disproved. The Bible says that we must accept by faith the fact that God exists: And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Heb. 11:6). If God so desired, He could simply appear and prove to the whole world that He exists. But if He did that, there would be no need for faith. Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’ (John 20:29).

That does not mean, however, that there is no evidence of God’s existence. The Bible states, The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world (Ps. 19:1–4). Looking at the stars, understanding the vastness of the universe, observing the wonders of nature, seeing the beauty of a sunset—all of these things point to a Creator God. If these were not enough, there is also evidence of God in our own hearts. Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us, He has also set eternity in the hearts of men. Deep within us is the recognition that there is something beyond this life and someone beyond this world. We can deny this knowledge intellectually, but God’s presence in us and all around us is still obvious. Despite this, the Bible warns that some will still deny God’s existence: The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’ (Ps. 14:1). Since the vast majority of people throughout history, in all cultures, in all civilizations, and on all continents believe in the existence of some kind of God, there must be something (or someone) causing this belief.

In addition to the biblical arguments for God’s existence, there are logical arguments. First, there is the ontological argument. The most popular form of the ontological argument uses the concept of God to prove God’s existence. It begins with the definition of God as a being than which no greater can be conceived. It is then argued that to exist is greater than to not exist, and therefore the greatest conceivable being must exist. If God did not exist, then God would not be the greatest conceivable being, and that would contradict the very definition of God.

A second argument is the teleological argument. The teleological argument states that since the universe displays such an amazing design, there must have been a divine Designer. For example, if the Earth were significantly closer or farther away from the sun, it would not be capable of supporting much of the life it currently does. If the elements in our atmosphere were even a few percentage points different, nearly every living thing on earth would die. The odds of a single protein molecule forming by chance is 1 in 10 to the power of 243 (that is a 1 followed by 243 zeroes). A single cell is comprised of millions of protein molecules.

A third logical argument for God’s existence is called the cosmological argument. Every effect must have a cause. This universe and everything in it is an effect. There must be something that caused everything to come into existence. That un-caused cause is God.

A fourth argument is known as the moral argument. Every culture throughout history has had some form of law. Everyone has a sense of right and wrong. Murder, lying, stealing, and immorality are almost universally rejected. Where did this sense of right and wrong come from if not from a holy God?

Despite all of this, the Bible tells us that people will reject the clear and undeniable knowledge of God and believe a lie instead. Romans 1:25 declares, They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised, Amen. The Bible also proclaims that people are without excuse for not believing in God: For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse (Rom. 1:20).

People claim to reject God’s existence because it is not scientific or because there is no proof. The true reason is that once they admit that there is a God, they also must realize that they are responsible to God and in need of forgiveness from Him (Rom. 3:23, 6:23). If God exists, then we are accountable to Him for our actions. If God does not exist, then we can do whatever we want without having to worry about God judging us. That is why many of those who deny the existence of God cling strongly to the theory of naturalistic evolution—it gives them an alternative to believing in a Creator God. God exists and ultimately everyone knows that He exists. The very fact that some attempt so aggressively to disprove His existence is in fact an argument for His existence.

How do we know God exists? As Christians, we know God exists because we speak to Him every day. We do not audibly hear Him speaking to us, but we sense His presence, we feel His leading, we know His love, we desire His grace. Things have occurred in our lives that have no possible explanation other than God. God has so miraculously saved us and changed our lives that we cannot help but acknowledge what is already obvious. In the end, God’s existence must be accepted by faith (Heb. 11:6). Faith in God is not a blind leap into the dark; it is a safe step into a well-lit room where the vast majority of people are already standing. (www.gotquestions.org, n.d.)

Here are a few more thoughts on this subject of the existence of God I would like to mention. The first is that I believe there are many of you out there who are still on the fence regarding His existence. What I mean by saying that is this: You can be a believer in God, but still deep inside of you, there is that reluctance to commit your life to Jesus as Lord and Savior fully because you think that you’ll have to give up everything, especially all the things that you currently love and want to continue being part of. The second is that there are others of you who are the total nonbelievers who just don’t want anything to do with God. Technically, my friends, you both are presently in the same boat. The only difference between you is that one has acquired a little God knowledge and the other could care less basically about anything except oneself.

Success is the goal that drives most individuals today. It monopolizes their time. How can I get from point A to point B faster than my coworker? What’s the secret ingredient for my success, because I’m not getting promoted as fast as I think I should be? I have it all worked out. I’m going to be a millionaire before I’m thirty-five. Why not call it for what it is greed. If that is what is motivating you, then you are correct you don’t have time for God. But you’re wrong because He is always the one with the real patience and He always has time for you.

We’ve been talking about the existence of God, and it brought to mind something that I would do as a lad with my two older cousins. Every Saturday morning at around 9:30 a.m., they would stop and pick me up, and the three of us would walk across the bridge from New Jersey to Pennsylvania and go to the movie theater known to us kids as The Ranch House. We would be there until about 3:00 p.m. They would show three cowboy movies, five cartoons, and a serial movie with a new chapter every week.

Sometimes, they would show a short film called Ripley’s Believe It or Not. This Mr. Ripley would travel all over the world to film things that were extraordinary. I believe many years later, it became a TV show of the same name. There is an old saying that Seeing is believing. Evidently, that doesn’t apply to the One who created the extraordinary beauty we see in the blossoming trees and flowers in the spring time or how the leaves turn all those beautiful colors in the fall. Where I come from, people come from all over just to see what they call The Turning of the Foliage.

The point I’m trying to make here is this, if you can just look around you, at some point and time in your life, you will see God’s handy work and then tell me there just isn’t a God who exists.

I want to expand somewhat on the teleological argument with additional facts that you will find very interesting as well as extraordinary.

To begin with, we will start with the planet where you and I currently reside. It is perfect in size believe it or not. So when you scientifically look at some simple facts, you will find that its size and corresponding gravity holds a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases that in reality only extend about fifty miles above the surface of earth. The fact of the matter is if our planet were any smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible. If it were any larger, our atmosphere would contain free hydrogen. This is the only planet with an atmosphere of the proper mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal, and human life.

While we are looking at scientific fact, I must include this one as well. Our planet is located perfectly in its distance from the sun. As the article stated previously, if there were the slightest deviation in the earth’s position to the sun, life here on this planet would be impossible. Why? Considering the temperature swings we encounter, anywhere from minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit (perhaps lower in the North, South Poles, and Alaska) to plus 120 degrees Fahrenheit or higher in some deserts.

If we were any closer, we would all burn up, any further and we would all freeze.

Our planet earth remains this perfect distance from the sun while rotating on its axis, allowing the entire surface to be warmed and cooled properly every day. And in addition to this, we must consider our moon. Another heavenly body, which is also the perfect size and distance (approximately 239,000 miles) from earth.

As a young man of twenty-eight years of age, I was able to experience a historical event take place when we as a nation on July 20, 1969, landed a man on the surface of our moon. It certainly was a big accomplishment back then. But, as usual the sceptics began making comments that it was a hoax, a faked landing, and that it never really happened.

The importance of the moon to us goes far beyond just visiting it. With the gravitational pull from the moon, it creates important ocean tides and movement so there is no stagnation of the waters. And it is amazing also that these massive oceans are held back from spilling over across the continents.

And speaking of water, just how important is it to us? There are many facts that pertain to water.

First, it is colorless, has no odor or taste, and no living thing such as plants, animals or even we human beings can survive without it. All the things I just mentioned consist mostly of water including us. Our human body consists of about two-thirds water. I think we can agree that the characteristics of water are quite unique in the process of maintaining life.

Second, there is a wide margin between its boiling point and freezing point. It will freeze at 32 degrees Fahrenheit and boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. That is a difference of 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

Third, water is a universal solvent, meaning that various kinds of chemicals, minerals, and nutrients can be carried throughout the smallest blood vessels that our bodies have. However, water is also chemically neutral. It doesn’t affect the makeup of the substances it carries. It enables food, medicines, and minerals to be absorbed and used by the body.

Fourth, water has still another unique fact that involves surface tension. Water in plants flows upward, and it does defy gravity that allows the life-giving water and nutrients go to the top of our tallest trees.

If you have what they call a green thumb and love flowers and other type plants, you probably noticed there are times before you water them they may look a little droopy, almost as if they were dying. But give them a drink of water and in a very short period of time, they perk right up and are looking good and healthy again. I can vouch for