I recently listened to a debate between atheist, Victor Stenger, and Christian, William Lane Craig. In this debate Stenger proposed that he could prove the non-existence of God based on internal contradictions in His attributes.
It is at times like this that a Christian braces himself for something that might cause him real trouble (although it has to be said that it is most unlikely that a new challenge is going to be raised at this stage in history). However, when Stenger produced his argument it led to me rejoicing in the greatness of our God!
His challenge was this, God is presented as being righteous and merciful, but He can't be, because if He's righteous then He treats people as they deserve, but if He's merciful He treats people better than they deserve, so He can't be righteous and merciful. This is a great argument that neatly and completely eliminates all gods of all other religions and exalts the glory of Triune God of Scripture!
Stenger probably didn't realise that the Bible does actually face this issue and deal with this subject of how God can be both righteous and merciful - Paul goes into quite a bit of detail on it in Romans 3 v 21-31. These two attributes would be in contradiction were it not for the sacrificial death of Christ at Calvary. In the death of Christ we see that God has received payment for sin, but the sinner can go free because Christ paid it. Paul says the Gospel doesn't set aside the law - it establishes it - the penalty is paid in full.
Victor Stenger has provided a wonderful (Scriptural) argument showing why the gods of all other religions are false. The God of Scripture is "a just God and a Saviour" and there is none beside Him (Isaiah 45 v 21); He is "just and having salvation" (Zechariah 9 v 9); He is "just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" (Romans 3 v 26). Truly God makes the wrath of man to praise Him (Psalm 76 v 10).
