Why Does God Hide Himself?

[morbo3000]

I don't like to say this, but it almost seems unfair, but I know God is always just.

It is a natural response to believe that God seems unfair. If the divine were comprehendible, it wouldn't be divine. I believe we should let God be unapologetically God. And we should be unapologetically human, which means feeling and expressing our frustration. I also think defaulting to "God is always just," gives God a pass when he seems to have evidently done unjust things.

What makes me think that God is hiding Himself? I guess because we don't physically see Him. We see His creation but not Him.

I don't think God is hidden. I think we do see him. We are simply looking for him to be something other than he actually is.

Disclaimer: the following is an illustration. I do not think God is bigfoot.

I often wonder at the fascination with mythic creatures. I have heard some pretty good explanations for the loch ness monster that involve a naturally occurring fish. While this is actually a very remarkable story, this explanation is a disappointment to people who want it to be a lost dinosaur, or other previously unknown creature. The same is true of bigfoot. It seems there is an intangible quality to these mythic creatures that elicits disappointment when there are natural explanations.

I think the same is true for God. We look for an intangible quality to God, and then are disappointed when He doesn't reveal himself in that form.

He is not hidden. He revealed himself in the most naturally occurring form: a human. Jesus embodied both Son of God, and Son of Man. He brought heaven to earth. He then passed on that divinity to humanity when he inhabited believers with Holy Spirit. And embodied himself in his church, as hands and feet, with him as the head. His supernatural power is revealed when believers perform miracles in his name. God is not hiding. He is not a mythical creature. He is manifest in groups of his followers living in his power and mission.

[Jason]

He is not hidden. He revealed himself in the most naturally occurring form: a human. Jesus embodied both Son of God, and Son of Man. He brought heaven to earth. He then passed on that divinity to humanity when he inhabited believers with Holy Spirit. And embodied himself in his church, as hands and feet, with him as the head. His supernatural power is revealed when believers perform miracles in his name. God is not hiding. He is not a mythical creature. He is manifest in groups of his followers living in his power and mission.

I think this hits upon something very important. It may even be the entire answer to this question. God is visible through His proxy, the church. Not the institution, but the people who are one with Christ. He's seen in his people because he lives in them. I see God most clearly in other people.

[Homer]

I appreciate what Paidion had to say about faith and I would only add that we depend on faith in our everyday life for numerous things. For example, if you are thirsty and come across a well with a warning sign that says "hazardous water due to arsenic contamination" you would not drink the water although you can neither smell nor taste the arsenic. By faith you believe that the well is contaminated although you have no proof. And it is entirely reasonable and fair for our faith in God to be based on the testimony He has provided both in the scriptures and in nature.

When I consider the evolutionist's claims and consider the complexity of life and what appears to be obvious design I find a creator to be far more plausible.

[steve7150]

I think this hits upon something very important. It may even be the entire answer to this question. God is visible through His proxy, the church. Not the institution, but the people who are one with Christ. He's seen in his people because he lives in them. I see God most clearly in other people.
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Jason Posts: 333Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2008 12:28 pm







I think the question was straightforward which is that God is hidden to the average person. Yes if you have spiritual discernment and or have faith you can take the position that God is not hidden. He is in fact everywhere but he is not visible or audible and even Mother Theresa she said several times that she didn't feel God's presence and she felt abandoned.

"I am told God lives in me and yet the reality of darkness and coldness and emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul."

[morbo3000]

Isn't this the existential crisis that religion, in all its forms, tries to satisfy?

Christian apologists call this crisis the "god-shaped-hole," common to all humanity. Christianity claims that hole can only be filled by Jesus and the Holy Spirit. And yet for some of you, that god-shaped-hole apparently isn't filled. Why is that? Doesn't that make Christianity a lie?

[steve7150]

Christian apologists call this crisis the "god-shaped-hole," common to all humanity. Christianity claims that hole can only be filled by Jesus and the Holy Spirit. And yet for some of you, that god-shaped-hole apparently isn't filled. Why is that? Doesn't that make Christianity a lie?








Certainly not but it shows we as humans are very flawed and very different in some ways, but in other ways very similar. Mother Theresa is an interesting example of someone who could on one level be the most giving and charitable and kind person demonstrating Jesus love yet on another level not feel God's presence. I'm just guessing that what she missed from God was an emotional connection but the giving part of her was a spiritual calling. But if Mother Theresa couldn't feel or see God often then it's safe to assume the average Joe doesn't either and the question was , why not? After all God doesn't have to appear himself, he could just send Angels to people to preach the gospel, to tell them he is aware of us etc.

[morbo3000]

Doesn't that make people who frame their understanding of God this way, including Mother Teresa, deists?

[Paidion]

Doesn't that make people who frame their understanding of God this way, including Mother Teresa, deists?

No. A deist is one who believes that God created the Universe, got everything working, and then left it alone to work out itself.
That was not Mother Theresa's position. I don't think she believed that God was totally uninvolved in human affairs.

[morbo3000]

If we are trinitarian about this, I think what we are mourning is a lack of theophanies of God the Father, yes?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theophany#Hebrew_Bible

What was the last theophany of God the Father?

I believe Jesus' baptism was the last time a book of the Bible records a group of people saw YHWH.

John the Revalator's vision would be the last.

As has already been said, the body of Christ is a theophany of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is a theophany in saved people.

My suspicion is that God is not hidden. We just want him to be something he isn't. I imagine if we were to list what aspects of God we think are hidden, they would be the power of the divine coupled with personality. We want a being who is supernatural, who would reveal himself in power, to wage vengeance on our enemies, remove pain and death, and with a personality, i.e., not an impersonal manifestation of power. He's only God if he says "hey... I'm God."

I suppose that's what people think is hidden. The God who will come again. But 1st century Jews were waiting for that too, and they were basing their expectation on the Hebrew Bible. They got Jesus instead. Why should it be different for us? We project what we want in a manifest God onto our holy scriptures, and are not surprised when what is reflected back is the promise of his unveiling. But if we can somehow remove our projections, we might see that God has been right in front of us all along.

[steve7150]

But if we can somehow remove our projections, we might see that God has been right in front of us all along.







Maybe and maybe not but if man has not figured out how to do this by now , it's not happening. God doesn't have to appear himself, all he has to do is send Angels to people and it would dramatically change their opinions.
Occasionally Angels do appear as I believe I encountered one and many other people also believe this, but the interesting thing is that these appearances are to people who already are believers. So apparently God seems to choose to not send Angels to try to convince people to believe in Him or Christ.

So the original question was, why not?