One of the questions raised to cast doubt on the existence of a Christian God goes something like this, “If God is real, is it logical that we cannot see Him?” Further, what does the Bible and Christian church say on this subject?
By God I mean creator of everything that is: all knowing, all-powerful, all loving and omnipresent. By “invisible God” I mean the essence of God is not detectable by visual observation or other physical means. By “visible God”, I do not mean the case where God, invisible in essence, creates a representation or manifestation of self but rather the case where God or Christ’s very essence could be detected by physical means or seen by mankind.
Belief in the Invisible
Relative to the issue of God’s existence and for illustration purposes, there are a lot of things we accept as existing in the universe that cannot be seen. For example, radio and television signals are invisible to the eye, but that fact does not cause us to doubt their existence. The doubter of electromagnetic waves can be easily convinced by the flip of a switch on either one of these devices. Salt becomes invisible as it is dissolved in a glass of water but we never doubt that the salt still exists. Tasting the water will soon tell you that.
In the preceding examples, indirect or other methods are employed to confirm that they actually exist. In a similar way but not relying on physical properties, one can logically deduce an invisible, non-physical God by looking at what are called apologetic arguments. One example of these classic arguments for the existence of God is that since the universe functions by laws, a lawgiver is needed. That lawgiver is God. A second is that nothing exists that is self-caused (birth of a child is the result of the parents and they, in turn, are a result of their parents etc.) and because we live in a finite universe the process cannot go backward forever, there has to be a first cause or God. A third is that creation exhibits design requiring a designer. If the universe is the result of a random process then so is a tornado going over a junkyard to produce a perfectly functioning jet liner. Although such proof is not within the scope of science, these arguments and numerous others make belief in an invisible God fully reasonable to most unbiased questioners.
The idea that you cannot logically believe in an invisible God lacks depth and is weak indeed.
A Visible Essence of God; Understandably Impossible
By observation we know that slowly the amount of usable energy in the universe is being converted to an unusable form and is projected to end up a few tenths of a degree above absolute zero. Because the universe still has a great deal of usable energy, it can be logically deduced that the universe has not been in existence forever. There was a beginning and it came into existence. If the essence of God were made of the visible material of the universe, then God would share in the qualities and properties of the universe. In short God would be a created visible god, slowly dying and far from all-powerful. This by definition in the premise is impossibility.
On the other hand, an invisible creator (with essence not detectable by any physical means) would not, necessarily, be bound to follow the downward spiral of the universe. Having the power to shape creation by the ability to suspend the laws of the universe opens the way for any of the miracles recorded in scripture.
The Bible records that God subjected the creation to futility (Romans 8:20) and that the whole creation is waiting to be set free. Initially, Adam and his descendents potentially could have lived forever. After Adam’s disobedience, the universe started to decay and mankind now dies. Scripture is consistent with the downward process observed. Even the plan for a “new heaven and earth” is logical and goes along with the promise of resurrection. Without stopping the process of universal aging, the promise of resurrection would not mean a heaven filled with joy but would be only a respite for a broken world headed to permanent death.
Invisible Essence with a Strictly Visible Manifestation
To evolutionists and atheists, the idea of a strictly visible manifestation of god is at best an idol on a shelf, a curiosity but certainly not God.
For someone having a generic God concept, it would seem to make sense only if the visible represents something greater. If the visible was the essence of God then it is illogical and impossible.
Most Christians would have problems with a strictly visible manifestation of God based on many of the major teachings in the scriptures such as those involving faith and the eternal nature of the unseen.
Was your intent to sway a more intertwined description upon your readers about the relationship God and Juesus actually might have shared?
Well written and entertaining !