As teenagers head back to school, they will no doubt be exposed to various ideologies concerning the existence of God. From secular classrooms to social media feeds, they are constantly bombarded with a loud cultural narrative asking: Does God really exist? Is God a figment of our imagination? Or is God something in between? When these questions inevitably follow them home, it can catch parents off guard. It is easy to view a teenager’s sudden skepticism as a sign of rebellion, but more often than not, it is simply a sign of maturity. They are transitioning from an inherited childhood faith to a deeply personal adult worldview. They want to know whether what they have been taught can withstand the intellectual rigors of the modern world.
If you have a teenager who is struggling with the answers to those questions, let me assure you that there are many factors that point to the existence of God. Believing in a Creator does not require our children to shut off their brains; in fact, the deeper we look at the universe and human nature, the more we find a compelling rational foundation for faith. To help your teen navigate this terrain, consider two common arguments that Christians use to defend the existence of God.
- The “First Cause” Argument:
There are those who believe that the universe came into being around 13 billion years ago during the “Big Bang.”
But what caused the “Big Bang?” Did the universe come from nothing?
Some may say, “Well, before the Big Bang, there was ________.” The Christian may then ask “But where did the _______ come from?”
And so on, the Christian continues to trace back the beginning of the universe to the “first cause.”
Through this exercise, the Christian will seek to show that everyone, in fact, must believe in an eternal first cause. The Christian simply chooses to believe in an eternal God.
- The “Moral Law” Argument
There are those who say that objective morality makes no sense in a naturalistic world.
If we are all simply the products of chemical and evolutionary processes, then there can be no such thing as objective “right” and “wrong.”
Christians innately understand that there is an objective standard of morality that supersedes our own self-interests.
It’s for this reason that:
- Teachers jump in front of bullets during school shootings.
- Soldiers are willing to die to defend their country.
- Firefighters run into burning buildings.
- People, for the most part, don’t steal from one another. And those that do are scrutinized with shame and hunted down for punishment.
Where does this sense of right and wrong come from? The Christian would say that it comes from humankind being made in the image of God.
Genesis 1:26 states, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”
Some may say that a sense of morality is nothing more than “herd instinct.” But this isn’t a satisfactory answer. As C.S. Lewis explains in his famous example, if you hear a man crying for help, you will feel two desires:
- One desire to help (due to your herd instinct)
- One desire to run (due to your instinct for self-preservation)
C.S. Lewis explains, “But you will find inside you, in addition to these two impulses, a third thing which tells you that you ought to follow the impulse to help, and suppress the impulse to run away.”
This “ought to” impulse is what we refer to as the “Moral Law,” and it cannot be explained apart from the existence of God.
Equipping your teenager with the “First Cause” and “Moral Law” arguments gives them a sturdy intellectual anchor when their faith is tested. It shows them that Christianity is not a blind, irrational leap into the dark, but a reasonable response to the design of the universe and the reality of human conscience.
However, as you share these truths with your teenager, remember that educating them about God is a marathon, not a sprint. You do not need to have an immediate, flawless answer for every complex question they throw your way. In fact, saying, “That’s a great question, I don’t entirely know the answer, but let’s look into it together,” can be incredibly powerful. It models humility.
By combining solid, logical evidence with a home environment built on unconditional love and patience, you provide the best possible soil for your teenager to develop a deep, resilient, and lifelong trust in God.
For extra support, get your teenager involved in CrossRoads Youth Ministry. They meet on Sundays at 10:15 AM and Wednesdays at 6 PM in the gym.
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