Can We Believe in a God Who Cannot Be Observed?

Recently, I came across quite a few people who have asked a similar question. Some have been patients, congregants, and even other pastors who have been approached with the same kind of questions. The question that resonates with so many is this: “If I cannot see God, how can I believe in him?” Or, in other words, “Can I believe in a God who cannot be seen or observed?” The question is an important one. It addresses ontology and metaphysics (that which exists), epistemology (How do I know what exists?), and relationality (does God desire a relationship with us?)

This question is not a new one either. It is rooted in an apologetics issue known as the problem of divine hiddenness, or simply the hiddenness of God. The problem of divine hiddenness refers to an argument against God’s existence which asserts that if God is perfectly loving and desires to have a relationship with humankind, then reasonable nonbelief should not occur, yet that does occur, therefore no such “God” exists. [1] How do we respond to this question? I would propose three responses—an ontological one, an epistemological one, and a relational one.

An Ontological Reason for Believing in an Unobservable God

First, let’s ask ourselves if we have any evidence for believing that God exists. Thankfully, we can say we have a great deal of evidence pointing to the existence of God. This was David’s insight as well, noting, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Ps. 14:1, ESV). Why is it foolish to say, “There is no God”? Paul indicates that creation itself speaks of the existence and glory of God (Rom. 1:19–20). Consider some of the reasons we have for believing in God’s existence.

Cosmologically and teleologically, we know that something or Someone brought reality into existence. Either the universe and reality stem from divine design or blind chance. Seeing that blind chance is only feasible if the odds are less than 1 in 1010, one is hard-pressed to explain how the universe came into existence with the precise rate of expansion and all the criteria for the fundamental forces of the universe set at a precise rate (strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force, gravity, and electromagnetism), especially when the odds are 1 in 13 billions. [2] Furthermore, the odds that the 2,000 enzymes needed for life could self-assemble is a ridiculous 1 in 1040,000. [3]

Furthermore, the Borg-Vilenkin-Guth theorem (a.k.a., BVG Theorem) along with Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity demand that the universe had a starting point. Ross commented that Einstein’s equations “guarantee a singular boundary not just for matter and energy but also for space and time.” [4]

I could go on and on. But let’s consider one further objection. Some may push back and say, “If the evidence does not convince everyone, is it truly evidence?” Well, at the end of the day, evidence is still evidence. It is each person’s responsibility to follow the data where it leads. If we only reserve evidence, or proof, for something that is accepted by everyone, then we honestly could not prove anything. Because someone, somewhere could offer a case against anything if they were so inclined.

Yet, someone might say, “But why is God unobservable?” Jesus indicates that “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (Jn. 4:24). Being that God is spirit, God is by necessity dimensionless and omnispatial. Humanity is created as both a spirit and body. Some of the restrictions we face could have come about because of the entrance of sin. But it could also be that observing a Being of the magnitude of God would irreparably damage our physical bodies in their current state.

An Epistemological Reason for Believing in an Unobservable God

Second, we should ask if we have epistemological reasons for believing in an unobservable God. When we speak of epistemology, we are speaking of the nature of truth and how truth is known. How could we know that God exists if God is unseen? A couple of responses could be offered.

First, how is anything known? We often speak of knowing something by our sight. However, our sight is severely limited. Many scientists estimate that over 95% of the universe cannot be seen with the human eyes.[5] Infrared waves, ultraviolet radiation, and gamma waves are among the many aspects of the universe that cannot be seen. Dark energy (consisting of 68% of the universe), dark matter (27% of the universe), along with quantum particles, are all beyond the scope of the human senses to detect. Yet we know these things exist by their impact on the universe and the world around us. We do not deny the existence of these things, despite not being able to see them. Why, then, should we deny the existence of God seeing that God is the best explanation for why reality exists? God is necessary to account for fabric of reality itself.

Second, knowledge can be transmitted by other senses than just sight alone. Could God reveal himself in a visible, tangible manner? Of course! This has happened on several occasions by theophanies through a burning bush, visions, and ultimately through Jesus. However, remember that no one can see God’s face and survive (Exod. 33:20). Paul even suggests that God is “immortal and … lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see, to him be honor and eternal power” (1 Tim. 6:16, Christian Standard Bible).

That does not, however, mean that God cannot communicate with people through events, circumstances, answered prayers, through the Word of God, and the “still small voice” (1 Kgs. 19:11–12). If we are to accept that God has revealed himself to others throughout time in the writings of Scripture, then we must, thereby, accept that God can and has made himself known. Therefore, God is not so hidden after all.

A Relational Reason for Believing in an Unobservable God

Third, we conclude with a reflection on a relational reason to accept the existence of an unseen God. Could there be a deeper reason for God not allowing us to see himself? Could it be that the intention is to form a more distinct and intimate relationship with us? That very much seems to be the case.

Throughout the pages of Scripture, God calls people to draw to himself. David instructs his son Solomon that if “you seek [God], he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever” (1 Chron. 28:9, ESV). James exhorts his readers to “Come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:8, New International Version). The psalmist declares that the “LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth” (Ps. 145:18, ESV). The writer of Hebrews teaches that “without faith it is impossible to please [God], for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Heb. 11:6). Thus, there is a childlike dependency on God in a sense.

Why is faith so important? Faith is built upon the idea of trust and dependence. Let’s think for a moment about what might happen if the reverse were to occur. Paul Moser asks “what if God were too obvious”—that is, “if he were to rearrange the stars each night to say, ‘Made by God’ or to imprint on each DNA strand ‘Made lovingly by Yahweh,’” [6] would it elicit an appropriate response? Perhaps the resulting response would be out of fear or pride in that the person who viewed the message first was the most holy. Would this then result in a relationship of works rather than that of trust? Perhaps God’s hiddenness is as Dew and Gould observe, “that a greater good is secured by God in hiding, and therefore God is morally justified even if there is reasonable nonbelief.” [7] In any case, only the most egregious of skeptics would overlook the thousands of accounts of transformations that people have experienced by a personal relationship with God and the countless thousands of miraculous encounters that have occurred throughout the ages. Yes, there may be a point behind God’s hiddenness, and such hiddenness may point directly to God’s desire to have an intimate relationship with us.

Conclusion

As this article has shown, we have good reasons for believing in God despite not being able to physically see him. The problem of divine hiddenness is not as problematic as one might suggest when we consider the evidence of God’s existence through creation, the necessary existence of God to account for reality, the limitations of our own senses, and the relational component behind God’s hiddenness. If a person only believes in what they can see, then said person will not be able to account for most of reality, especially given that even the universe itself is now accounted to be some 150 sextillion times larger than originally estimated. [8] And if we cannot even see all of the known universe, what makes us think that we could have any sense of mastery over the ontological reality of God?

Quite honestly, the bigger and more thought-provoking question to me is why does such a massive and powerful God care anything about us? The fact that God does care for us in all our fallenness is the bigger miracle. Nonetheless, regardless of why God loves us, I am so glad he does.

References:

[1] James K. Dew, Jr. and Paul M. Gould, Philosophy: A Christian Introduction (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2019), 187.

[2] Michel-Yves Bollore and Olivier Bonnaises, God: The Science, the Evidence—Dawn of a Revolution, Rebecca M. Jones and Christine E. Jones, trans (Luxembourg: Palomar, 2025), 202.

[3] Bollore and Bonnaises, God: The Science, the Evidence, 254.

[4] Hugh Ross, Beyond the Cosmos: What Recent Discoveries in Astrophysics Reveal about the Glory and Love of God (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1999), 28.

[5] Sarafina El-Badry Nance, “95% of the Universe is a Total Mystery,” BigThink.com (June 21, 2023), https://bigthink.com/hard-science/95-percent-universe-mystery/.

[6] Daniel Howard-Snyder and Paul K. Moser, Divine Hiddenness: New Essays (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2002), chapter 6; see also Dew and Gould, Philosophy, 188.

[7] Dew and Gould, Philosophy, 188.

[8] https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/scientists-believe-the-universe-is-150-sextillion-times-bigger-than-we-thought/vi-AA282JTp?ocid=social-peregrine#details.

Recommended Resources:

Why Science Needs God by Dr. Frank Turek ( Mp4 )

Science Doesn’t Say Anything, Scientists Do by Dr. Frank Turek ( Mp3 and Mp4 )

Oh, Why Didn’t I Say That? Does Science Disprove God? by Dr. Frank Turek ( Mp4 )

Stealing From God by Dr. Frank Turek ( Book , 10-Part DVD Set , STUDENT Study Guide , TEACHER Study Guide )

Brian G. Chilton earned his Ph.D. in the Theology and Apologetics at Liberty University (with high distinction). He is the host of The Bellator Christi Podcast and the founder of Bellator Christi. Brian received his Master of Divinity in Theology from Liberty University (with high distinction); his Bachelor of Science in Religious Studies and Philosophy from Gardner-Webb University (with honors); earned a Certificate in Christian Apologetics from Biola University, and plans to purse philosophical studies in the near future. He is also enrolled in Clinical Pastoral Education to better learn how to empower those around him. Brian is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Evangelical Philosophical Society. Brian has served in ministry for over 20 years and currently serves as a clinical hospice chaplain as well as a pastor.

Originally posted at: https://bit.ly/4zazl8k