Podcast Summary: "Proof of God’s Existence"

Podcast: Ultimately with R.C. Sproul
Host: Ligonier Ministries
Episode Date: October 24, 2025

Overview

This episode of "Ultimately with R.C. Sproul" explores a foundational question of faith: How can we know that God exists? Sproul discusses philosophical and commonsense arguments for God’s existence, blending high-level philosophical reasoning with simple, everyday observations to illustrate his point. The presentation is both intellectually stimulating and accessible, emphasizing that profound truths about God's existence are not only for scholars but are also plain to the average person.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Necessity of God’s Existence

• Sproul opens with the central claim that something must have the "power of existence in and of itself, eternally," otherwise, nothing could possibly exist.
  • Quote: "Something has the power of existence in and of itself, eternally, or the simplest child can understand. Nothing could possibly exist." [00:00]

2. Philosophical Debate Among Experts

• He recounts a late-night radio talk show featuring an atheist philosopher, a Roman Catholic Jesuit theologian, and a Protestant theologian debating philosophical arguments for the existence of God (ontological, cosmological, etc.).
  • This illustrates how the question of God’s existence is often approached through sophisticated and technical debate by scholars.

3. Wisdom in Simplicity

• Sproul notes a memorable intervention by a caller to the show, a woman with "obviously uneducated and unsophisticated" speech, who protests:
  • Quote: "I don't know what's wrong with Yin's people. Why don't you just go outside and open your eyes? You know? She was saying, it's clear, it's manifest. How can you miss it?" [00:31]
• Her comment underscores Sproul’s point: the existence of God is glaringly obvious in everyday reality, detectable without lofty philosophical argumentation.

4. The Shoe Analogy: Concrete Evidence

• When asked if he can prove the existence of God, Sproul famously responds with a personal illustration:
  • He takes off his shoe and says:
    • Quote: "Look at that. That proves conclusively, compellingly, demonstratively the eternal existence of almighty God." [01:11]
  • He insists this isn't just probable evidence, but certainty.
    • Quote: "No, I'm giving certainty. So why? I said, if it exists, if you see a shoe here, if there's anything here that's a shoe, then something exists, necessarily." [01:20]

5. The Impossibility of Absolute Nothingness

• Sproul explains that if there ever was a time when absolutely nothing existed, nothing could ever exist now.
  • Quote: "Because if there was ever a time when there was nothing, this is a manifest impossibility. And if anything exists, something has to have the power of being in it. What could be more simple?" [01:38]

6. Accessibility of the Argument

• Concluding, Sproul emphasizes that even children can grasp this concept; sophisticated arguments aren’t necessary to perceive the self-evident existence of God.
  • Quote: "You don't even need the heavens to declare that. Just look at your shoe." [02:02]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On simplicity:
  "The simplest child can understand, nothing could possibly exist now, because if there was ever a time when there was nothing, this is a manifest impossibility." [01:34]
• On demonstration:
  "Look at your shoe. That proves conclusively, compellingly, demonstratively the eternal existence of almighty God." [01:11]

Timestamps & Segment Guide

• 00:00 — Introduction to the necessity of something self-existent
• 00:15 — Philosophers and theologians debating God’s existence
• 00:31 — Caller’s commonsense perspective: “Just open your eyes”
• 01:11 — Sproul’s shoe analogy as proof
• 01:34 — The impossibility of existence from nothing
• 02:02 — Simplicity and accessibility of the proof

Tone & Style

Sproul blends thoughtful philosophical reasoning with a down-to-earth, occasionally humorous style. The episode is engaging for both the philosophical novice and the seasoned theologian, with a focus on clarity, certainty, and the undeniability of existence itself as evidence for God.

Final Thoughts

"Proof of God’s Existence" distills complex philosophical ideas into a form accessible to everyone—reminding listeners that the most profound truths are both "manifest" in creation and plain to see for all who are willing to look.