Q. How do we know there is a God?
A. The light of nature in man and the works of God plainly declare that there is a God, but His Word and Spirit alone effectually reveal Him unto us for our salvation.
Commentary
This answer affirms the twofold way in which God makes Himself known: first, through general revelation, which leaves humanity without excuse for denying His existence and honoring Him as He ought to be honored. The light of nature refers to the innate sense of God’s existence and moral law etched on every man's conscience, while the works of God encompass the vast creation, from the ordered heavens to the intricate design of life, all proclaiming His eternal power and divine nature so clearly that suppressing this truth is willful rebellion. This general knowledge convicts the unbeliever and provides a foundation for accountability, yet it remains insufficient for salvation, offering no remedy for sin or pathway to reconciliation.
Only God’s special revelation through His Word and Spirit effectually reveals Him unto man for salvation. The Scriptures alone provide the full, saving knowledge of God as He truly is: the triune God of grace who redeems sinners through Christ. While creation displays God’s power and wisdom, the Bible unveils His mercy, holiness, and redemptive plan, culminating in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit must illuminate the heart, opening blind eyes and enabling faith. Without this divine work, even the clearest general revelation remains darkened by sin; but when the Spirit applies the Word, the soul comes to know God not merely as Creator but as Father, Savior, and Comforter.
The distinction between general and special revelation guards against both rationalism, which trusts in unaided reason, and mysticism, which seeks God apart from Scripture. It humbles human pride by showing that true knowledge of God for salvation is a gift of grace, not an achievement of intellect or observation. While all mankind already knows enough to condemn them, only the preached Word accompanied by the Spirit can bring them to saving faith.
Scripture Proofs
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge” (Psalm 19:1-2).
“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” (Romans 1:18-20).
“For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:21-24).
“But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him’— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).
“And how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15).
2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689
1.1: The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience, although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; yet they are not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and His will which is necessary unto salvation. Therefore it pleased the Lord at sundry times and in diversified manners to reveal Himself, and to declare (that) His will unto His church; and afterward for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan, and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which makes the Holy Scriptures to be most necessary, those former ways of God's revealing His will unto His people being now completed.