Should you have to seek? Let’s plunge into the Deeper Waters and find out.
Suppose you met a young man who said he really wanted to get married. However, he also said he refused to go out and search for a wife. He refused to talk to any women he met. He even refused to go on any online dating sites. After all, if he is to be married, surely the right woman will just come along and choose him.
Or, suppose someone says they want to get a job. However, they refuse to go online to search for any jobs. They refuse to work on a resume. They refuse to go to any places of business and apply for a job. Do you really think they want a job?
Of course not. We would all question these claims. If you really want something, you are to go out and get it. Even in dating, while girls typically are the ones who are asked out, they at least do things to indicate that they are available and interested. (Granted though, many of us men are horrible at reading these signals.)
Yet so many internet skeptics approach this this same way. They ask if God has revealed Himself to them. I have encountered some like that this week, but it hasn’t been anything new. How many people have you heard say “God knows what it would take to convince me that He exists and He hasn’t done it. I guess He doesn’t exist.”
Some of you might think that sounds ridiculous. Some of you might even be skeptics of Christianity who agree that that’s ridiculous, which is commendable. However, some might be wondering “Why doesn’t God do that?”
I have written before that God is not a trivia question. The point assumes God just wants people to know that He exists. Why should anyone think that?
The analogy I often give is suppose you meet a husband who says he wants more sex. (Yeah. I know you all are really having to stretch your imagination.) His wife says, “Okay.” In the bedroom though, she shows no excitement or passion, doesn’t respond or get physically involved at all other than letting him do what he wants and then when he releases she says, “Okay. We’re done. I’m going to go watch TV now.”
Did the guy get what he wants? If you just go in a fully technical sense, yes, but no man would be satisfied. What he is really saying is he also wants his wife to want him. He doesn’t want to be a duty. He wants to be desired.
What a person who raises this claim about God is saying implicitly is “God is not worth seeking out. However, if He wants me, He needs to show me that He exists.” Such a person is automatically putting themselves above God as greater in importance. Why should God appear to such a person and enable them further in this way?”
The person who seeks though is the person who says, “This question is worth an answer.” They are saying “If God exists, He is worth knowing and I want to know that He is real.” I am convinced that if that person does seek, they will find. It’s a biblical promise. It is not a guarantee, but those who are diligent in their search will find.
Those who expect God to come to them can expect nothing and are really making a theological claim with no backing. God does not have any reason to show Himself to the proud. It’s the humble who receive grace, including Himself.
In Christ,
Nick Peters
(And I affirm the virgin birth)
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