Existence of God

Ultimate Perfection

Perhaps the most simple and intuitive argument for the existence of God is the common human desire for ultimate perfection. Why is it that every human desires perfection? That is, we desire perfect truth, love, justice, beauty, and joy. This is because God created us with these desires.

First of all, we desire perfect truth. From birth, every child seems to want to know why something is the way it is. This thirst for knowledge is not simply at a pragmatic level such as “How can I get more food?” or “How can I keep safe?” like a cat or dog, but children want to know something just for the sake of knowing. Also, we seem to have a sense of knowing when an answer is incomplete or false in some way. We desire a complete explanation and will not be satisfied otherwise. This is why we developed math and science. We had a desire to explain things even though they don’t have an immediate or direct effect on our lives. However, no matter how long and hard hard we try, we will not be able to come up with a sufficient explaination of everything about everything to satisfy our desires. This is because our world is restricted intelligible. Only an unrestricted intelligible source of complete intelligibility can satisfy this desire, and God is that source.

Secondly, we desire perfect love. This is why we seek mates. However, no person is capable of unconditional love. So when our mate falls short of our expectation of unconditional love, we become irritated and frustrated. Finding a mate is only a surrogate for our desire for love, it will never be enough to fulfill it. Our desire for this kind of perfect love can only be fulfilled with God.

Thirdly, we desire perfect justice. This is why most societies have developed legal systems. We are constantly striving for the greater good and perfect order. We also have a sense of what perfect justice is like. How many times do children use the phrase “That’s not fair!?” When something falls short of our sense of perfect justice, we feel violated. Again, our desire can never be fulfilled in our finite unjust world, without God.

The fourth thing we desire is perfect beauty. This can be beauty in any form such as a sunset over the ocean, the snowy Alps, a lush forest below a blue sky, a romatic poem, or watching a piano prodigy, or your favorite artist perform live, or someone winning American Idol, or your favorite football team winning the Superbowl, and of course meeting a beautiful woman. When we experience these things, although only for a brief moment, we feel fulfilled, and some even cry. Why? It is not because we are experiencing some random sensation that evolved over billions of years by chance. No, it is because we are experiencing God Himself.

The last thing we desire is perfect joy. This is the idea of being happy and satisfied with your life. Everyone wants to be healthy, have a good job, get married, own a home, have kids, and have their kids grow up to do the same. People believe that if they obtain these things, then they will be fulfilled and happy. However, what they really desire is perfect truth, love, justice, and beauty. I’m not saying that owning a home is bad, but it will fall short of your expectations. Instead we should seek God, which is the only source of perfect joy.

God created us with all of these desires so that we would seek Him. We expect to find perfect truth, love, justice, beauty, and joy, but everything in this world falls short. God is the only being that can fulfill these expectations. Without Him, we will never be happy.

Conlcusion

I hope this article has given you some great arguments for the existence of God. Remember that God created us to show His power and glory. For more on the nature of God and His plan, check out my other articles.

References

Davies, Paul. The Accidental Universe. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1982.

Spitzer, Robert J. New Proofs For The Existence of God. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 2010.

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