Our relationship with God is similar to our relationship with others - in that all relationships require faith. We can never fully know a person.
We cannot experience all they experience nor enter into their minds to know what their thoughts and emotions are.
Because we are incapable of fully knowing a person, to some degree faith (trust) is integral in a relationship.
- We all share information about ourselves with others, trusting they will not betray us with that knowledge.
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Because we cannot fully know others, trust is always a necessary component of our relationships.
And if we cannot know our fellow human beings fully, how can we expect to fully know an infinite God? Even if He should desire to fully reveal Himself, it is impossible for us to fully know Him. It’s like filling a cup with the ocean.
Nonetheless, even as we can have meaningful relationships with others that we have grown to trust because of our knowledge of them and of their character,
so God has revealed enough about Himself:
- through His creation (Romans 1:18-21)
- through His written Word, the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
- through His Son (John 14:9)
that we can enter into a meaningful relationship with Him
God Revealed Himself “Visibly” - In the Past
There have been times in the past that God has revealed Himself more “visibly” to people.
For example, after the Jews crossed the red sea, He guided them in the day by a pillar of cloud and in the night by a pillar of fire, visible representations of His presence with them (Exodus 15:14-15). Yet in spite of this the Jews refused to trust Him and chose instead to trust the word of men. These events show that God’s further revelation of Himself to us would have no greater effect on our ability to trust Him.
God Revealed Himself “Visibly” - In the Future
In Revelation 20:1-10, speaks of a time in the future that Christ will return to rule the earth from Jerusalem for 1,000 years. Yet in spite of His perfect rule - Satan will have no trouble raising an army to rebel against Christ’s rule.
God Revealed Himself “Visibly” - Conclusion
The future event of the millennium and the past event of the exodus reveal that the problem is not with God insufficiently revealing Himself to man; rather, the problem is with man’s sinful heart rebelling against God’s loving reign. We sinfully crave self-rule.
God has revealed enough of His nature for us to be able to trust Him, through
- the events of history
- the workings of nature
- the life of Jesus Christ