In a time of global upheaval, and while so many people are anxious and afraid for themselves and for their families, surely this would be a time for God to make himself known, if he really exists?
This is an interesting question, but it presupposes that someone who asks it is looking for God in the right way. Indeed, there are many who ask exactly this question but are not looking for God at all. It would be the same as a person saying, I do not believe in COVID-19 because I cannot see it. When we ask a question about the reality of some event, or phenomena, we have to be sure that we are willing to consider the appropriate evidence in the appropriate manner.
Many things have to be taken as true on the evidence which others present, and not from our own direct experience. Many things have to be taken as true by considering the right evidence in the right way. How do I know, for instance, that the world is a sphere and is not a flat plate? For much of the history of the world, the evidence pointed to the world being flat, or to the world being at the centre of the solar system. It was not that there was no evidence that the world was a sphere, and that the Sun was at the centre of the solar system. Rather, it was that the evidence was constructed to make sense of the belief that the world was flat, and that the earth was at the centre of the solar system.
From a Christian perspective, the issue is not that God has not revealed himself, but that those who say they cannot see God are looking in the wrong way at the evidence and with the wrong presuppositions. In Deuteronomy 4:29 we read, “Seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.” This reflects the sense that God, who is not a material subject, that can be discovered and examined under a microscope or through a telescope, must be sought in a particular way. This requires a personal commitment to find the personal God, the God who is personal and has created mankind for a relationship with him.
Even in a secular sense we understand this. I could say that I don’t know a particular public figure. I vaguely know that they exist, and I might even have seen them in a crowd somewhere. But we would understand that to know that person demands a personal relationship. His wife knows him. His friends know him. Many of those who work closely with him, know him. But really, I only know about him, I don’t know him at all.
If I doubt that Corona virus exists, I need to examine the evidence in a particular way, especially through a microscope. If I doubt that the rings of Saturn exist, I need to examine the evidence in a particular way, especially through a telescope. If I doubt that the Deep-Sea Angle-fish exists, then I need to examine the evidence, and perhaps take a trip in a submersible to the bottom of the ocean. If I want to really know what a celebrity or politician or public figure is like, then I need to enter into a personal relationship with them, or at least spend time with them, interview them, ask them questions directly.
How does this relate to God and our knowledge of him? It is that if we are looking in the wrong way, and with the wrong expectations then we will not find him. He is not a material subject, so he cannot be found by the microscope or the telescope. That does not mean he is not real. If I examine a politician through a microscope or a telescope it will tell me nothing about the person himself, even though that person is real and exists. It will only tell me things about the outside of the person, but I will learn nothing about who he really is.
God is a divine being, personal and engaged with the universe he had called into being in his love. But he is not a part or component of the universe and so he cannot be studied as if he was. Science is not the right tool to discover God. Just as a microscope is not the right way to understand a political figure. Indeed God is so far beyond being a material object of study, and so much closer to being a purely relational being, that as the Bible states clearly, he is known only when we seek to find him with all of the energy of our own heart and soul, recognising that this is what makes sense and gives order to the evidence of God’s presence which Christians believe is all around us.
This means that God is clearly manifest to those who seek him in a personal manner, but he is hidden from those who either do not seek him at all, or do not believe in his existence, or seek him with only a materialistic perspective, because this causes all of the evidence to be read in the wrong way, or prevents the evidence from being considered appropriately at all.
What is this evidence?
In the first place, the created order itself manifests the presence of God. The Bible says, in Psalm 8:3, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him.” The one who has encountered God sees his presence in the wonder of the creation. Both in the smallest mechanisms of the biological realm, and in the largest structures of the astronomical realm. From a Christian perspective this is not a matter of reading God into the universe, but of finding the right way of looking at the world. The order which is present is not explained by random chance, nor are the exact relations of important physical constants, which are the necessary preconditions for the universe to exist at all and support life. There is already evidence for the presence of God in his own creation for those who have developed or adopted the necessary manner of considering the evidence. The Bible speaks of this, saying, in Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” The evidence is there, so that no one can say there is none, but it must be viewed with a heart and soul that is seeking God.
I have already written about the evidence for God found in the natural world in this presentation,
But in the second place, there is an innate consciousness of God, which is shared by all of mankind, and which can be enhanced or degraded by our own actions, thoughts and attitudes. There is a strong evidence in the fact that the vast majority of humans throughout history, and in the present, do not reject the existence of a metaphysical reality, and insist that there is more to life than the material, that which can be measured by science.
This does not mean that science is to be discounted, but it is limited in its scope. It is the study of the material world, and God is not part of the material world. There are many aspects of human life which are metaphysical and are beyond the measurement of science. This does not mean they are not real. Science can say nothing about beauty, good and love. Indeed, a materialistic view has to insist that there is no such thing as beauty, no such thing as good, and no such thing as love. Yet most humans believe absolutely in beauty, good and love.
In the scientific community most of science has nothing to say about God at all and is a matter of measurement, and classification, and testing of hypotheses. The majority of those engaged in science in a variety of ways, even in the West, still either believe in God in some way, or are willing to consider the existence of God, and outside of the West, the scientific community is even more strongly willing to engage in science while also believing in there being something more to life than science can measure.
For most people, the ordinary experience of the metaphysical, and the experience of the conscience, as an internal compass pointing towards God, is a reality. When someone makes a moral judgement, this almost always requires a metaphysical judgement, it means taking into account something more than the material, and this universal experience is strong evidence that there is more than the material. Once again, such a view can be ignored, or interpreted in another way, though without a solid basis. But with the right orientation towards the evidence this is an expression of the reality of God and his activity in relationship with every life.
I have already written about the fact that there is more to life than the material in this article.
In the third place, God has himself entered his world and has become the man Jesus Christ while remaining God. The Bible says of this, in Hebrews 1:1-2, “God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds.” If God has entered the universe, to make God known, and to unite our human experience with the divine life, then we cannot say that God has not made any effort to make himself present to us.
We can say that we do not believe that Jesus is God, but this is different to saying that God has not shown himself. It means that we do not accept the evidence. But this indicates that the problem is within us and not with God. If we do not accept that God has shown himself as the man Jesus, and if we will not accept that he shows his presence in the created order, and if we will not accept that the universal sense of the metaphysical is an expression of our Godlikeness, then we will not accept any evidence. Indeed, we could imagine that signs in the sky would be reinterpreted as lightening, or an atmospheric aurora, and the voice of God would be reinterpreted as thunder or a distant explosion.
What more could God do, for those who are seeking him, than to appear among us a man. And if we are not seeking, then no evidence is enough.
I have already written about the power of the evidence of Jesus himself in this article.
And so, in the fourth place, the Gospels, and the Bible as a whole, are strong evidence of the reality of God’s actions among mankind. The Bible says of this things which are written in the Gospels, in John 20:31, “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” It is not enough to dismiss the Bible, and especially the Gospels, if we are seeking to find God. And if we are not seeking to find God then we will not easily find him whatever we do.
The Gospels and the whole Bible is the record of God’s dealing with mankind, and indeed God become a man like us, while remaining God. They are primary evidence for the encounter with God who is with us. This is the name that God gives us for himself, Emmanuel, which means God with us and God in us.
If we read the Bible through the prism of a secular, materialistic hostility to any idea of God then it is unlikely we will understand its contents, because we will approach the evidence in the wrong way and with the wrong presuppositions. It would be like a scientist reading poetry and insisting that it means nothing, when in fact, understood in the right way, it can communicate things that science cannot understand or represent. A scientific reading of poetry would not be appropriate and would produce the wrong results. Likewise, Scripture is not exhausted by a scientific reading, and it requires a genuine openness to encountering something else within the text.
I have written about the trustworthiness of the Gospels in this article,
The world is filled with those who believe they have encountered God. It is not the experience of a few. For these billions of people, the evidence is found in the created order, in the innate sense of the metaphysical and in the conscience, in the person of Jesus Christ who claims to be God himself, and in the Scriptures which record the dealings of God with mankind.
But for these billions of Christians this evidence does not stand alone but is reinforced by each one having a personal encounter with God, so that he becomes the most real thing in their life. Is everyone of these confused and deceived? Perhaps? Though not as likely as that the billions of those who believe that there is more to life than the material have experienced more than the material. But the evidence of changed lives, of courage in the face of adversity, of love in the face of hate, of self-denial in a world of self-indulgence, all of these personal experiences suggest that something more is at work.
It is not that God is absent. It is that those who say he has not made himself known are not looking the evidence or are not looking for God with the right tools, and with the appropriate aspect of our humanity. The Bible says, in Hebrews 11:6, “He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” This is a truth. We are unlikely to discover anything if we do not believe that there is anything to be discovered. We don’t have to be convinced of everything that others say, but every explorer, every pilgrim, every traveller, sets off with some sense that there is something ahead of them, even if the object of their journey is still unclear.
Now would be a good time for God to reveal himself. Of course. We need God at this time. But what if he has already revealed himself, overwhelmingly, perfectly, completely, and billions have found and experienced him. In such a case the problem is within us and our looking, and not in God and in his revealing.
Father Peter Farrington
In a time of global upheaval, and while so many people are anxious and afraid for themselves and for their families, surely this would be a time for God to make himself known, if he really exists?
This is an interesting question, but it presupposes that someone who asks it is looking for God in the right way. Indeed, there are many who ask exactly this question but are not looking for God at all. It would be the same as a person saying, I do not believe in COVID-19 because I cannot see it. When we ask a question about the reality of some event, or phenomena, we have to be sure that we are willing to consider the appropriate evidence in the appropriate manner.
Many things have to be taken as true on the evidence which others present, and not from our own direct experience. Many things have to be taken as true by considering the right evidence in the right way. How do I know, for instance, that the world is a sphere and is not a flat plate? For much of the history of the world, the evidence pointed to the world being flat, or to the world being at the centre of the solar system. It was not that there was no evidence that the world was a sphere, and that the Sun was at the centre of the solar system. Rather, it was that the evidence was constructed to make sense of the belief that the world was flat, and that the earth was at the centre of the solar system.
From a Christian perspective, the issue is not that God has not revealed himself, but that those who say they cannot see God are looking in the wrong way at the evidence and with the wrong presuppositions. In Deuteronomy 4:29 we read, “Seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.” This reflects the sense that God, who is not a material subject, that can be discovered and examined under a microscope or through a telescope, must be sought in a particular way. This requires a personal commitment to find the personal God, the God who is personal and has created mankind for a relationship with him.
Even in a secular sense we understand this. I could say that I don’t know a particular public figure. I vaguely know that they exist, and I might even have seen them in a crowd somewhere. But we would understand that to know that person demands a personal relationship. His wife knows him. His friends know him. Many of those who work closely with him, know him. But really, I only know about him, I don’t know him at all.
If I doubt that Corona virus exists, I need to examine the evidence in a particular way, especially through a microscope. If I doubt that the rings of Saturn exist, I need to examine the evidence in a particular way, especially through a telescope. If I doubt that the Deep-Sea Angle-fish exists, then I need to examine the evidence, and perhaps take a trip in a submersible to the bottom of the ocean. If I want to really know what a celebrity or politician or public figure is like, then I need to enter into a personal relationship with them, or at least spend time with them, interview them, ask them questions directly.
How does this relate to God and our knowledge of him? It is that if we are looking in the wrong way, and with the wrong expectations then we will not find him. He is not a material subject, so he cannot be found by the microscope or the telescope. That does not mean he is not real. If I examine a politician through a microscope or a telescope it will tell me nothing about the person himself, even though that person is real and exists. It will only tell me things about the outside of the person, but I will learn nothing about who he really is.
God is a divine being, personal and engaged with the universe he had called into being in his love. But he is not a part or component of the universe and so he cannot be studied as if he was. Science is not the right tool to discover God. Just as a microscope is not the right way to understand a political figure. Indeed God is so far beyond being a material object of study, and so much closer to being a purely relational being, that as the Bible states clearly, he is known only when we seek to find him with all of the energy of our own heart and soul, recognising that this is what makes sense and gives order to the evidence of God’s presence which Christians believe is all around us.
This means that God is clearly manifest to those who seek him in a personal manner, but he is hidden from those who either do not seek him at all, or do not believe in his existence, or seek him with only a materialistic perspective, because this causes all of the evidence to be read in the wrong way, or prevents the evidence from being considered appropriately at all.
What is this evidence?
In the first place, the created order itself manifests the presence of God. The Bible says, in Psalm 8:3, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him.” The one who has encountered God sees his presence in the wonder of the creation. Both in the smallest mechanisms of the biological realm, and in the largest structures of the astronomical realm. From a Christian perspective this is not a matter of reading God into the universe, but of finding the right way of looking at the world. The order which is present is not explained by random chance, nor are the exact relations of important physical constants, which are the necessary preconditions for the universe to exist at all and support life. There is already evidence for the presence of God in his own creation for those who have developed or adopted the necessary manner of considering the evidence. The Bible speaks of this, saying, in Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” The evidence is there, so that no one can say there is none, but it must be viewed with a heart and soul that is seeking God.
I have already written about the evidence for God found in the natural world in this presentation,
But in the second place, there is an innate consciousness of God, which is shared by all of mankind, and which can be enhanced or degraded by our own actions, thoughts and attitudes. There is a strong evidence in the fact that the vast majority of humans throughout history, and in the present, do not reject the existence of a metaphysical reality, and insist that there is more to life than the material, that which can be measured by science.
This does not mean that science is to be discounted, but it is limited in its scope. It is the study of the material world, and God is not part of the material world. There are many aspects of human life which are metaphysical and are beyond the measurement of science. This does not mean they are not real. Science can say nothing about beauty, good and love. Indeed, a materialistic view has to insist that there is no such thing as beauty, no such thing as good, and no such thing as love. Yet most humans believe absolutely in beauty, good and love.
In the scientific community most of science has nothing to say about God at all and is a matter of measurement, and classification, and testing of hypotheses. The majority of those engaged in science in a variety of ways, even in the West, still either believe in God in some way, or are willing to consider the existence of God, and outside of the West, the scientific community is even more strongly willing to engage in science while also believing in there being something more to life than science can measure.
For most people, the ordinary experience of the metaphysical, and the experience of the conscience, as an internal compass pointing towards God, is a reality. When someone makes a moral judgement, this almost always requires a metaphysical judgement, it means taking into account something more than the material, and this universal experience is strong evidence that there is more than the material. Once again, such a view can be ignored, or interpreted in another way, though without a solid basis. But with the right orientation towards the evidence this is an expression of the reality of God and his activity in relationship with every life.
I have already written about the fact that there is more to life than the material in this article.
In the third place, God has himself entered his world and has become the man Jesus Christ while remaining God. The Bible says of this, in Hebrews 1:1-2, “God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds.” If God has entered the universe, to make God known, and to unite our human experience with the divine life, then we cannot say that God has not made any effort to make himself present to us.
We can say that we do not believe that Jesus is God, but this is different to saying that God has not shown himself. It means that we do not accept the evidence. But this indicates that the problem is within us and not with God. If we do not accept that God has shown himself as the man Jesus, and if we will not accept that he shows his presence in the created order, and if we will not accept that the universal sense of the metaphysical is an expression of our Godlikeness, then we will not accept any evidence. Indeed, we could imagine that signs in the sky would be reinterpreted as lightening, or an atmospheric aurora, and the voice of God would be reinterpreted as thunder or a distant explosion.
What more could God do, for those who are seeking him, than to appear among us a man. And if we are not seeking, then no evidence is enough.
I have already written about the power of the evidence of Jesus himself in this article.
And so, in the fourth place, the Gospels, and the Bible as a whole, are strong evidence of the reality of God’s actions among mankind. The Bible says of this things which are written in the Gospels, in John 20:31, “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” It is not enough to dismiss the Bible, and especially the Gospels, if we are seeking to find God. And if we are not seeking to find God then we will not easily find him whatever we do.
The Gospels and the whole Bible is the record of God’s dealing with mankind, and indeed God become a man like us, while remaining God. They are primary evidence for the encounter with God who is with us. This is the name that God gives us for himself, Emmanuel, which means God with us and God in us.
If we read the Bible through the prism of a secular, materialistic hostility to any idea of God then it is unlikely we will understand its contents, because we will approach the evidence in the wrong way and with the wrong presuppositions. It would be like a scientist reading poetry and insisting that it means nothing, when in fact, understood in the right way, it can communicate things that science cannot understand or represent. A scientific reading of poetry would not be appropriate and would produce the wrong results. Likewise, Scripture is not exhausted by a scientific reading, and it requires a genuine openness to encountering something else within the text.
I have written about the trustworthiness of the Gospels in this article,
The world is filled with those who believe they have encountered God. It is not the experience of a few. For these billions of people, the evidence is found in the created order, in the innate sense of the metaphysical and in the conscience, in the person of Jesus Christ who claims to be God himself, and in the Scriptures which record the dealings of God with mankind.
But for these billions of Christians this evidence does not stand alone but is reinforced by each one having a personal encounter with God, so that he becomes the most real thing in their life. Is everyone of these confused and deceived? Perhaps? Though not as likely as that the billions of those who believe that there is more to life than the material have experienced more than the material. But the evidence of changed lives, of courage in the face of adversity, of love in the face of hate, of self-denial in a world of self-indulgence, all of these personal experiences suggest that something more is at work.
It is not that God is absent. It is that those who say he has not made himself known are not looking the evidence or are not looking for God with the right tools, and with the appropriate aspect of our humanity. The Bible says, in Hebrews 11:6, “He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” This is a truth. We are unlikely to discover anything if we do not believe that there is anything to be discovered. We don’t have to be convinced of everything that others say, but every explorer, every pilgrim, every traveller, sets off with some sense that there is something ahead of them, even if the object of their journey is still unclear.
Now would be a good time for God to reveal himself. Of course. We need God at this time. But what if he has already revealed himself, overwhelmingly, perfectly, completely, and billions have found and experienced him. In such a case the problem is within us and our looking, and not in God and in his revealing.
If there is a God, this would be a good time to show yourself! added by cmadmin on
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