The hiddenness of God is an argument that many atheists find compelling, but when we think about the evidence I think we will find that it certainly isn’t God who is hiding.
Look at creation – you see His fingerprints
Everywhere we look there are the fingerprints of God (We have talked more about this here).
Think of the beginning of creation – the fact that the universe came into existence requires a cause outside of the universe, i.e. a Creator.
Think as well of the balance of creation – the universe is balanced on a razor’s edge. For the universe to exist and permit life, the physical constants and quantities have to be just right to an astonishing degree of accuracy. The fine-tuning required is breath-taking and mind-blowing.
What about the biology of creation? In our planet there is life, and the very simplest form of life – the single cell – is far from simple. It is a complex factory that defies naturalistic explanations. Within every cell are billions of units of DNA. DNA is language – a set of instructions, like a computer code. Language, information, data – whatever way people try to describe it, it demands an intelligent source.
Finally, consider the beauty of creation – we stand in awe of the majesty of the mountains, the glory of the heavens, the power of the waves and the tranquillity of the river, but why did it have to be this way? Our ability to appreciate beauty is surely not a happy by-product of mindless processes. It seems like humans and the universe were “made for each other”. We are able to enjoy and explore, investigate and describe the workings of the universe – our appreciation of creation should lead us to appreciate the Creator.
Look into history – you see His footprints
The claim of the Christian message is that God has come amongst us in the person of Christ. But why would anyone believe such a thing? I recently heard a Christian point out that there have been many people in history who have claimed to be God, and there have been many people who have been widely admired and revered for the wisdom of their teachings and the beauty of their lives, but there is only one person whose name appears on both lists, and that’s Jesus, and that is significant. Let me give two powerful witnesses in support that Jesus is who He claimed to be.
The Old Testament Prophets
The Old Testament prophets painted a portrait of a coming Saviour – He would be a miracle worker, marked by compassion and known for His devotion to God, yet despised and rejected by His people, condemned at an unjust trial, and led submissively to His execution. He would be brutally disfigured, pierced through His hands and feet, surrounded by a hostile crowd of Jews and Gentiles while He suffered as a criminal. His bones would be dislocated, and He would be exposed to the burning heat of the sun as He was mocked and taunted. However, He would be raised from the dead, worshipped as God, and His name and fame would spread across the world and throughout the ages, leading multitudes of Gentiles to turn to the God of Israel. As you look at the outline sketched by these prophets, is there anyone who fills it? Yes, and only one – Jesus.
The point is these prophets said that this Saviour would be none less than God. If He did what the prophets said He would do, then that’s good reason to believe He is who the prophets said He would be.
The New Testament Apostles
The last people in the world who would believe that a man was God were the first people who did. The disciples of Jesus were God-fearing Jews who believed that there was only one God and He alone was to be worshipped. To worship anyone or anything other than God was blasphemy and apostasy. And yet, these very men praised and proclaimed the crucified carpenter as God. There’s no way they ever would have dared invent such a story, and there’s no way they ever would have dared believe it without absolute proof. What could have convinced these men that Jesus of Nazareth was the God of Israel? Only that He claimed it, and rose from the dead in vindication of that claim.
Look within humanity – you see His imprint
Every human being bears the image of God. The fact that we are conscious, reasoning, moral creatures points us upwards to a conscious, moral Creator, not downwards to non-conscious, amoral matter. Every rational thought, conscious experience, moral judgment and free choice is proof of God’s existence. Our unshakeable awareness that we have meaning, purpose and value is not a by-product of evolution, but a direct product of creation.
So, rather than God being out of sight, the reality is we can’t escape the evidence of His existence. His fingerprints, footprints, imprint are all in plain sight. You would have to be blind not to see it… Maybe that’s the problem… The Bible speaks about how we have been blinded because of sin. Why not sincerely and humbly ask God to open your eyes – He’s able to do it (Luke 4:18; Ephesians 1:18; Mark 10:46-52).
