Tuesday, October 04, 2011
God is Not Hiding
The British philosopher and social activist Bertrand Russell, a man who was often critical of faith and religion, was once asked what he would say if he met his maker after death. He claimed that he would say, "God, you gave us insufficient evidence." Some misquote to him to have said, “Why did you take such pains to hide yourself.” However, before holding too tightly to the accusation of a philosopher you might also keep in mind that Russell also said this: “Man is a rational animal — so at least I have been told. Throughout a long life, I have looked diligently for evidence in favor of this statement, but so far I have not had the good fortune to come across it, though I have searched in many countries spread over three continents.”
If God is hiding, it is in plain sight. He created an amazing and intricate world that brags of His creativity and power 24/7. He sent his prophets. He edited the best-seller of all times. He robed himself in flesh and dwelt among us so we could see his glory. (John 1:14) God has amply revealed himself to those who are humble enough to accept Him as the sovereign God that He is.
Do you recognize the arrogance in such statements? Do you detect a dab of cynicism? Doesn’t it strike you as odd that the creature would lecture the Creator? Maybe God is not hiding, but pride was blinding him from seeing the obvious.
If God is hiding, it is in plain sight. He created an amazing and intricate world that brags of His creativity and power 24/7. He sent his prophets. He edited the best-seller of all times. He robed himself in flesh and dwelt among us so we could see his glory. (John 1:14) God has amply revealed himself to those who are humble enough to accept Him as the sovereign God that He is.
If God is hiding at all, it is for the same reason politicians hide from hecklers. One must walk through a doorway of humility and praise in order to really know God. He is a King that will not stoop to proving His existence any more than he did when he was on earth. Jesus revealed that He was God by healing the sick raising the dead, predicting his own death and resurrection, and then floating into the heavens in full view of over 500 witnesses. But when Herod asked for miraculous proofs he refused. Why? Because the cynic is covering his eyes so tightly that another miracle would be a waste of energy.
Those who seek God, find Him. Those who seek to disprove His existence forfeit truth and find their own “reality.” Here’s some Biblical perspective for true seekers:
Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation. While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom, we go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. Jews treat this like an anti-miracle—and Greeks pass it off as absurd. But to us who are personally called by God himself—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God's ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one. Human wisdom is so tinny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can't begin to compete with God's "weakness." Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of "the brightest and the best" among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:21-30 MSG)
God is not hiding. He’s just nobody’s fool.
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