Is the existence of the God of the Bible logically valid?
The logical validity of the biblical God will be determined by the exploration of the different qualities He is shown to possess within the bible. These qualities will then be compared and contrasted to determine whether or not the qualities are compatible with one another.
The first bible verses to be explored are the story following the event of the Israelites, recently brought out of Egypt, created a false idol from their gold to worship while Moses was atop Mount Sinai.
10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”
11 But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people.13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” 14 Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.
Exodus 32:10-14 (New International Version)
In verse 14 of the scripture God is clearly shown to have changed his mind about destroying the Israelites based on Moses’ arguments.
The second piece of scripture is found in Isaiah.
9 Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. 10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’
Isaiah 46:9-10 (New International Version)
This scripture shows that God knows all things, including the past, present and the future. When applying this knowledge to the previously discovered quality of God in which he was capable of changing his mind in accordance to what Moses told Him, it becomes apparent that God already knew what Moses was going to tell him before Moses said it. This shows that God did not change his mind because of what Moses told him, because he would have already taken into account what Moses was going to say before he made the decision in the first place. Because of God’s knowledge of the future, he would also know that he was going to change his decision, which means that he knowingly said he was going to do something without any intention of carrying out his threat, this is deceit.
At this point, we are able to conclude that God is able to know the future entirely and that He lies.
19God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
Numbers 23:9 (New International Version)
This scripture states that a Quality of God is that He may not lie, and another is that He may not change His mind.
Taking into account the previous three pieces of scripture we can determine that God is able to know the future entirely, that He lies, and that He cannot lie.
Two of these qualities of the biblical God are mutually exclusive and thus not compatible, thus the existence of God as described in the Bible is not logically valid.
