God

Question: Do the names "God", "Lord," and "Lord God" all mean the same person - God?

Yes, in the Old Testament they do. They are different names of the Deity that stand for different conceptions of Him. For example, the name "God" is the more general name of the Deity. The name "LORD", printed in small capitals and the equivalent of "Jehovah," is the name of God used when referring to Him as the covenant God of Israel. The name "Lord" is generally used of Jesus in the New Testament.

There is a school of critics who want us to think that the use of these different names of the Deity indicates a different authorship of the different portions of Scripture where the names are used. This, for a long time, was the favorite argument of the destructive critics. For example, they tried to prove that the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) was a patchwork of portions written by different men, but this argument has been thoroughly discredited.

The names of God are very carefully used in the Bible and make an interesting and profitable study.

Question: How would you prove the existence of God to an inquirer?

It would depend somewhat upon the inquirer. If he was an earnest seeker after truth, I would pursue one line of reasoning. If he was a mere trifler, I would pursue another.

In general, I would ask a person what he did believe. I would ask him specifically, "Do you believe there is an absolute difference between right and wrong?" In 999 cases out of 1,000, he would answer, "Yes." Then I would say to him, "The way to get more spiritual light is to live up to the light you have; the way to get more truth is to live up to the truth you have. You say you believe there is an absolute difference between right and wrong. Will you live up to that? Will you commit yourself to following this belief wherever it leads you?

Very likely, he would try to dodge the question, but I would hold him to it. If he finally said, "No," then I would say to him, "The trouble with you is not in regard to what you do not believe, but, in fact, it is that you do not live up to what you do believe." He would see this and be silenced.

If he said that he would commit himself to following it wherever it led him, I would next say, "Do you know for certain that there is not a God?" Of course, he would answer, "No." Then I would ask, "Do you know for certain that God does not answer prayer?" Very likely, he would answer, "I do not know for certain that He does not answer prayer, but I do not believe He does." I would answer, "I know that He does, but that will not do you any good. I will show you how to put this thing to the test. The scientific method is this: when you find a possible clue to knowledge, you follow it out to see what there is in it. Now here is a possible clue to knowledge. Will you adopt the scientific method and follow it out to see what there is in it? Will you pray this prayer, "O God, if there is any God, show me if Jesus Christ is Your Son or no, and if You show me that He is, I promise to accept Him as my Saviour and confess Him as such before the world"?

Very likely, here he would try to dodge again, but I would hold him to it. If he would not agree to this, I would show him that he is not an honest seeker after truth. If he agreed to do it, I would take him another step. I would have him turn to John 20:31, "These are written [the words contained in the gospel of John] that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." Then I would say, "Now, here John presents the evidence that Jesus is the Son of God. Will you take the evidence and read it? Will you read the gospel of John? Very likely, he would reply, "I have read it already." I would answer, "Yes, but I want you to read it in a new way. Read it slowly and thoughtfully, paying attention to what you read. I do not ask you to believe it; I do not ask you to try to believe it. I simply ask you to read it honestly, with a willingness to believe it if it is the truth. Each time, before you read, offer this prayer: "O God, if there is any God, show me what truth there is in these verses I am about to read. I promise to commit myself to whatever You show me to be true."

If he refused to do this, I would show him he was not an honest seeker after the truth, that his unbelief was not his misfortune but his fault. if you agreed to do it, I would go over the three things he had agreed to do, and then say to him, "When you get through the gospel of John, will you report to me the result?" If I did not do this, he very likely would go away and not do what he had promised. I have never had anyone report to me that he had actually done the things I had asked him to do who did not arrive at faith in God, as well as in Jesus Christ as His Son and the Bible as His Word. I have tried this method with all kinds and conditions of men.

[The second part follows with # 2]

~R. A. Torrey~