What Kind of Proof Do You Need?

“Prove to me that God exists.” I've heard that too many times, and I get why people ask this. It’s not always a hostile question. Sometimes it comes from curiosity, sometimes from pain, and sometimes from genuine searching. But there’s something important to notice behind that question—something and it has to do with the verb "prove", or the noun "proof".

When someone asks for proof of God, it is common to notice that they're usually asking for that proof to come on their terms. They want evidence that fits within the framework they already have. Be it scientific, observable, ontological, logical—it always needs to meet their standards. In that situation, often they won’t accept anything outside of those boundaries.

Here's an illustration about how that can prove to be an hard soil to labour on.

Imagine someone tells me, “Those two people over there—they’re in love.” I reply, “Prove it.” So they say, “Well, they’re holding hands. They look at each other with affection. They listen to each other.” I retort, “That’s not proof. That could be anything. Maybe they’re acting. Maybe it’s fake.” You see the issue? We’re not disagreeing about what we see—we’re disagreeing about what counts as proof. We’re standing on different ground.

Something similar happens in the "Does God exist?" discussions. That's why I usually have declined to get to much into them in these latter days.

My preference instead is to point to Who He is. To underscore that fact that, through faith in Christ, the fingerprints of God are everywhere. In the Scriptures, in the beauty of creation, in the miracle of forgiveness, in the resurrection of Jesus. For the believer, these things aren’t just “possible explanations”—they’re living proof of God’s love and presence. But they don’t usually come with lab results or a TED Talk. They come through the Word, through faith, through the heart awakened by the Spirit.

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Faith isn’t blind, or a leap into the dark. It’s eyes wide open to a reality that isn’t always visible under a microscope. It’s ears perked to a voice that doesn’t always come from a loudspeaker.

So the real question isn’t just “Is there proof of God?” The deeper question is, “What kind of proof is needed?” The Word is the proof we need, in faith. It is not that God asks us to leave our brains behind. But He also doesn’t limit Himself to the categories we invent. The proof of God's love is clear in the cross and the empty tomb. It’s in the grace that forgives. It’s in the peace that surpasses understanding. 

This is God giving us proof of His love. In His own terms.