⁶ … for he who comes to God must believe that He is …

Faith that pleases God involves two truths. The first is simply a belief in the existence of God. This seems like a no-brainer. One must first believe He exists before one can come to Him. I think of the many so-called “new atheists” today who spend considerable amounts of time trying to disprove the existence of God. One wonders whether their efforts are not-so-thinly veiled efforts to justify their refusal to come to God. If He doesn’t exist, then they would be off the hook, morally speaking. The Scripture tells us, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” In other words, the existence of God should be obvious.

In fact, Romans tells us, “… that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Rom 1:19–20). One Jewish atheist I met said, “I believe in the non-existence of God.” Despite his honesty in admitting that the idea of the non-existence of God was a tenant of faith, he still falls under the admonition of the Word of God.

Interestingly, the Bible doesn’t try to prove that God exists, but takes it for granted. The Scriptures begin with, “In the beginning, God …” (Gen 1:1). The real issue is that, “… even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened” (Rom 1:21). Thus, unbelief in God is the reflection of the foolishness of human hearts turned away from God.

Therefore, the first step of a faith that pleases God is to turn away from the foolish notion that God does not exist. Just as when Nebuchadnezzer “raised my eyes to heaven and my reason returned to me” (Dan 4:34), acknowledging God’s existence is the first step to spiritual sanity, thus aligning ourselves properly with the God who created us. For until we acknowledge Him, we cannot honor Him or show gratitude to Him (acknowledging that, “He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

Once a person believes in God, then it is a matter of seeking Him. He is more than a cold, distant creator of deistic understanding who some view as existing but consider to be irrelevant to human endeavors. That is not a faith that pleases God.

Lord, I am so thankful that You do exist; I base my eternal destiny and my life here and now on this truth which You have revealed through Your creation.