If God Just Showed Up, I’d Believe

Length: 10 minutes

There is this line of thinking that says, “If God wants to be known, why doesn’t He just manifest spectacularly in physical form to prove Himself? If He showed up spectacularly, I would believe.” But this logic is leaving out a very important detail.

Here’s the detail this logic leaves out. All of who God is, and everything that He has provided through Jesus is described this way:

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NKJV) But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Essentially, this is saying that who God is, and what He’s provided to us through Jesus, cannot be comprehended through our eyes, ears, or a mere human mind. There is no amount of studying physical things or human intellect applied, that could ever comprehend who God is and what He’s prepared for us through Jesus. 

Knowing that God cannot be understood through our eyes, ears, or human intellect, why in the world would He try to reveal Himself with spectacular physical form? We wouldn’t be able to know Him by merely witnessing Him with our eyes. God would be trying to prove Himself by an unprovable means. In fact, if God tried to convince us through physical manifestations, He would essentially just be leading us on, making us believe it were possible to know Him this way. If you continue reading this article, you’ll realize this is not a copout, as if God doesn’t manifest Himself physically, but he doesn’t use that to reveal Himself.

When people say, “If God wants to be known, why doesn’t He show up in spectacular physical form,” that logic doesn’t hold up when you realize, He cannot be known by our human senses or mental capacity.

It’s like someone who wants to learn history, but they’re asking you for a math book. That may be what they’re asking for, but they’re never going to know history by that means. Likewise, most people are asking for a sign, but they’re never going to know God by that means. They’re asking for the wrong thing.

The only way a person can be persuaded of the truth of God is by the preaching of the gospel, revealed by the Holy Spirit. Whether that preaching comes from another person or from the Bible, people need the word of God revealed by the Spirit. That’s the only way they can be persuaded. In fact, the word “faith” in this next verse means “persuasion.”

Romans 10:17 (NKJV) So then faith [persuasion] comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

To most people, that is very unspectacular. They want something more. “Don’t just preach to me and say the Holy Spirit will reveal it, if I’ll think on it. I want a physical sign or a manifestation.” Well, there’s a place for signs and wonders for people that are already willing to believe, but God will not give someone a sign to instill faith. As we just read, faith comes by the word of God, and the word of God only. 

That may sound foolish and unspectacular, but that’s the way that God does things. Why? Because our peanut brains cannot understand the true nature of God through observation of physical things. And because we cannot understand by that means, He has chosen to reveal Himself through the gospel alone.

1 Corinthians 1:21 (NKJV) For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

This is saying, “It’s because God understands that people can’t know Him through their intellect, that He chooses to save people through the message of the gospel, even though it seems foolish.” Think about it: If God knows that people can’t know Him through their own wisdom, why would He try to reveal Himself that way? If you can’t know Him by your eyes, ears, or human senses, why would He appeal to you that way? He knows it’s not possible. Therefore, He appeals to people through preaching – whether that’s in verbal form, written form, or through the Bible itself. It doesn’t matter. As the preaching of the gospel goes forth, the Holy Spirit reveals it, and that’s the only way people can know God.

Now, this is important: I am not using this as a copout to say that God does not want to manifest Himself powerfully through us, in spectacular ways. All the contrary. Signs and wonders should happen, and will happen if we believe correctly about Jesus (Mark 16:17-20), but He does not do this to reveal Himself or make people believe. Anytime He does this, He does so to heal sickness, raise the dead, give words of wisdom, or to confirm the word to someone already willing to believe. Jesus did signs and wonders all the time. No problem. But when the Jews wanted to see a sign to make them believe, Jesus called them an evil and adulteress generation for asking (Matthew 16:4).

Did Jesus have something against signs and wonders? Of course not. He was healing the sick, raising the dead, and casting out demons all the time. But God does not use physical manifestations to try and reveal Himself. The only way that God can be known, is by the Holy Spirit revealing the message of the gospel. Sounds foolish to the skeptics, but it’s the only way that works.

The Rich Man And Lazarus

This is why, in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man assumed that if his family simply saw the dead raised, they would believe. Abraham corrected him and told him that if they were not willing to receive the message of the gospel (by revelation of the Holy Spirit), they wouldn’t believe even if they saw the dead raised. 

Luke 16:31 (NKJV) But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets [the Gospel in the Old Testament], neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”

God wants to do spectacular works of power through us. But He doesn’t use those works of power to prove Himself or to make Himself known. That means would be a lost cause. You don’t buy someone a math book so they’ll know history, and you don’t give someone a miracle so they’ll know God.

Jesus Appeared To Them

For those that are still not convinced, Jesus did appear to His disciples, in physical form, after His resurrection. That’s exactly what most people want! And guess what happened? When the disciples witnessed Him with their own two eyes… they marveled in unbelief. They assumed He was a ghost. They saw but did not believe in His resurrection. These were His very own disciples, who walked and talked with Him, but faith could not come through what they witnessed with their eyes. But after this, Jesus, by His Spirit, opened their understanding to the scriptures, and that’s what did the trick… as usual. 

Luke 24:40-41, 45 (NKJV) When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled…
Verse 45) And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

They saw a physical manifestation yet disbelieved. It took a revelation of the word of God to open their mind to who He was. You see? You need to seek the word of God, the preaching of the gospel, and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal it to you. No physical manifestation can do the trick. Only the word of God can instill faith, if you’ll continue in it.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s a purpose for signs and wonders. We have teaching on this, but at best, the Lord uses physical manifestations to draw people’s attention to His word. As we preach, the Lord wants to add miracles to confirm what we’re saying (Mark 16:20). At best, miracles only draw people’s attention to listen to the message, but it’s the message itself that instills the faith.

Conclusion

God hasn’t chosen to reveal Himself through preaching, because He’s hiding or wants to make things harder. He does so because it’s the only way we can truly know him. Actually, God would be hiding Himself if He only approached us through physical manifestations. Because the world through their own wisdom cannot know God. Your eye cannot see, your ear cannot hear, neither can it enter into your heart, the vastness of what God has prepared for those who love Him. Therefore, He reveals these things by His word, through His Spirit — not because he’s hiding, but because he wants to be truly known. 

If you want to know God, stop trying to gather enough physical evidence and talk directly to Him. Tell Him that you want to know Him, and start seeking the preaching of His gospel with all your heart. Reform Church is a great place to start. I promise you, if you seek to know the truth of God — not a religion or a trend, but the true God — even if it contradicts what you heard before, you will find Him.

Matthew 7:8 (NKJV) For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

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