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| Alberich puts on the Tarnhelm and vanishes; illustration by Arthur Rackham to Richard Wagner's Das Rheingold |
Any religion that did not proclaim God's hidden presence would contradict the whole of practical human experience. God is beyond our comprehension.
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| The Invisible Pink Unicorn (IPU) is the goddess of a parody religion used to satirize theistic beliefs, taking the form of a unicorn that is paradoxically both invisible and pink |
Yet because of his infinity and invisibility, the glory of God can be fully appreciated only by himself (within the Trinity); the Christian tradition has always taught that God is fundamentally beyond the full comprehension of human beings (Psalm 139:6; 145:3; Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 11:33-34; Bavinck, 1951; Frame, 1987). As a result, he must reveal himself to humans, if they are to understand anything about him. Yet it would also seem obvious that God could reveal himself more fully than he has; for example, his glory is not directly accessible to our sense the way a material object is. (Atheists have used this as an argument against his existence, e.g., Schellenberg, 1993.) Summarizing a thought of Pascal, Wetsel (2003) wrote, "Any religion that did not proclaim God's hidden presence would contradict the whole of practical human experience" (p. 164).
God's hiddenness compels you to make a free choice. God does not need to reveal Himself
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| A Medieval French manuscript illustration depicting the three estates: clergy (oratores), nobles (bellatores), and commoners (laboratores). |
There is no easy explanation here. Some have suggested that God's hiddenness makes faith more of a free choice (e.g., Murray, 2002). And maybe it is fitting that he is hidden. Perhaps his very majesty makes it appropriate that he not disclose himself in his creation too openly or too frequently, otherwise his uniqueness and transcendence would be compromised, something analogous to why we do not expect a visit from a king to the home of every commoner. Perhaps God's glory is being displayed in his apparent reticence to disclose himself. Though he is infinitely great, he is also infinitely humble (Varillon, 1983). He does not brag or boast. Though the Center of the universe, he does not have a narcissistic need to be the center of attention. Moreover, God's beauty would seem to be specially displayed through the course of its temporal unveiling. We like stories of a great treasure -- hidden for a long time -- that is suddenly discovered. And think of the joy in hide-and-seek; in the novelist who has something important to say but spends six hundred pages saying it with deliberation and poetic prowess; or in the planning of a surprise party for someone. The story of the gradual manifestation of the glory of God simply fosters the accumulation of greater joy in God and in all those who look for the increasing manifestation of his beauty. But whatever the reasons, it is obvious that God is keeping back the vast majority of his glory from the creation.
God manifests Himself by leaving signs that are recognized by those who seek Him
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| The Children of Israel Crossing the Jordan, Exodus 13:21-22 By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire by Benjamin West (1738-1820) |
Nevertheless, the invisible, triune God has manifested himself in some ways, leaving signs of himself. As Pascal wrote, "Wishing to appear openly to those who seek Him with all their heart, and to remain hidden from those who shun Him with all their heart, God has moderated the way He might be known by giving signs, which can be seen by those who seek Him and not by those do not. There is enough light for those whose only desire is to see, and enough darkness for those of a contrary disposition" (quoted by Wetsel, 2003, pp. 166-67).
God reveals His glory in measure
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| Ezekiel's Vision by Raphael |
So one can read the history of the human race as the story of the mostly hidden God's gradual manifestation to his image-bearers through signs of himself, embedded in the created order and also expressed in theophany, in Scripture, in the Son and in God's people. God's self-revelation through such signs permits him to remain largely hidden while manifesting his glory in measure. It appears that the infinite glory of the triune God is being parcelled out over time.
Source: Johnson, Eric L. Foundations for Soul Care: a Christian Psychology Proposal. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2007, pages 263-265.
