A few months back I was asked a question on Twitter that I had never gotten before. An atheist asked me, “Why does God need defending?” As a Christian apologist, my work involves defending the Christian worldview and part of that includes defending the existence of God. It wasn’t until I asked some followup questions that I really understood where he was coming from. When I asked him what he meant by his question, he shared with me that if God really did exist, then He wouldn’t need defending because His existence would be so evident. I have heard similar questions like this one from students all the time. Why doesn’t every atom say “Made by God?” Why doesn’t God appear before us to confirm that he really does exist? Why is God so hidden?
These are all very good questions. Could God make his existence more evident? Could He have written “Made by God” on every atom? Absolutely! God could have done these things and much more. Dr. Clay Jones talks about how God could put a flaming sword in the sky that is visible at all times to all people, and if someone did something wrong the sword would come down and kill the person. Dr. William Lane Craig says that God could have even put a neon cross in the sky that says “Jesus Saves.” But why would God do something like this? Would this really help more people believe in Him?
Belief “that” vs Belief “in”
I don’t think it would. The first reason I don’t think these things would help is that there is a difference between believing “that” God exists and believing “in” God. Think about a world with a flaming sword in the sky waiting to kill you if you do something wrong. How many people would believe that God exists in this world? Probably everyone. How many people would be worshipers of God in this world? Not very many.
What this fails to recognize is that it isn’t enough just believe that God exists. James 2:19 says, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe-and shudder!” Satan believes that God exists, but he isn’t a worshiper of God. God does not simply want people to believe that He exists. God wants worshipers that believe in Him. He wants to build a loving relationship with us. This is done by having people desire to know Him more and seek Him. More evidence doesn’t mean more worshipers.
How much evidence do we need?
The second reason I don’t think those things would help is that I think God has already revealed himself much more than we should expect. I once asked a student if the nine letter long sentence “Made by God” on every cell would convince him that God exists. The student said “yes.” I then explained that the DNA of each cell in our body contains a message that’s not just nine letters long but instead would fill a one-million-page encyclopedia! So why do we think a nine letter long sentence would convince us God exists if a billion letter long message doesn’t? The sad truth is that many people don’t reject God because of a lack of evidence. The lack of evidence is only an excuse to cover up other reasons which are probably along the lines of a volitional rejection of God because of moral accountability.
Even look when God himself came down and took on human flesh in the person of Jesus. How much more can God reveal himself than standing in front of people? That’s what many people want God to do! But even after seeing God there were people who didn’t believe.
Some people say that if God did a miracle then they would believe in Him, but Jesus did many miracles in front of people and many still didn’t believe. Jesus’ presence here on earth made them all believe that Jesus existed but they didn’t believe in Jesus. I think this goes to show that no amount of evidence would be enough to convince some people to believe in God.
I believe that God desires for the maximum number of people to enter into a saving relationship with Jesus. Since God is all knowing, we have to trust that he knows the perfect amount of evidence needed to achieve that number. We can always ask God to do one more thing, but there comes a time when He has done enough. There is simply no way of knowing that more evidence would mean more people saved. In fact, more evidence could just as likely lead those who don’t want to bow down to their Creator to resent Him.
think-well.org 
July 20, 2016 at 11:50 pm
While I’m not an atheist, I have had the same question and frankly, the question cannot swiftly and theologically be swept under the rug via rhetorically patent and predictable answers. God isn’t in the dock being cross-examine by a jury of His peerage. Defending God’s existence is as absurd as proving the absense of oxygen by way of checking the pulse of a cadaver. God’s existence isn’t what the atheist questions. The Christians apparent unconvinced ansenal of argumentation used to circuitously debate again and again, ultimately arriving at yet another impasse is what puzzles many atheists. Frankly, it puzzles me. Now, a myriad of reasons will be offered (if anyone really reads these queries) “arguing” why apologetics is a worthwhile endeavor, siting “when anyone asks you the reason for your hope, always be prepared to answer them..” Jesus, upon answering Pilate and being struck for His answering the Pharisaical man offended by His answer or perhaps the fact that He even answered, then refused to answer, remaining silent. Why? He knew who Hw was or IS. Apologetics is big business and I’ve written many. They’re out there somewhere if one is interested. My concern is that there’s an egregious amount of egotheism and shrillness coming from the atheist but as importantly and as equally disquieting from the apologist. John Lennox seems less concerned about proving God’s existence because he isn’t going to win people to Christ by slick new arguments but through the true impetus of communicating with (not to) these proffered atheists. The mental genuflecting is hubris. Boys play. Jesus’s silence trumps Paul’s “give an account.” Why? Paul wasn’t Christ. His words penned weren’t the gospel truth. Don’t explain as your friends don’t need it and Pontius Pilate won’t believe it or will he?
Brian Jett
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July 21, 2016 at 12:46 am
Thanks for the comment Brian. Are you saying that Christians should not be making arguments to atheists but should instead be involved in a dialogue with them?
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July 21, 2016 at 1:33 pm
It would seem that the “maximum number” would theoretically be all people. I touch on this a lot when people ask what it would take for me to believe. The short answer is that I honestly don’t know. Even if I heard God’s audible voice, I would probably be inclined to check my medication before I accepted that it was, indeed, God speaking to me. As you said, though, an all-knowing God would know the exact evidence it would take to get me to believe in him.
I somewhat understand your claim that more evidence could cause people to resent him, but it doesn’t seem like this would be any worse than them not believing he exists at all. In fact, for a God who is often said to be a champion of choice and free will, it would seem that the best thing he could do for us is make his existence known to all even if it means some of them still reject him.
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January 23, 2017 at 5:13 am
Hi Ryan,
Thanks for your post – I’ve been Christian for a long while but this question gets at the crux of all my doubts. My problem is that it’s very hard for me to believe ‘in’ God if I’m unsure ‘that’ He exists.
If the point of our existence is to believe ‘in’ him, then why make it so that the vast majority of people throughout the millennia have to waste so much time wondering what shape God takes, and whether God even exists?
Wouldn’t it make more sense for us to be certain that the Christian God exists (and since God is omnipotent, that shouldn’t be hard), and then make an informed decision on whether we want to believe ‘in’ Him? He made the demons and angels so that they would know He existed, so why not us?
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February 11, 2017 at 11:03 pm
David,
Thanks for your question. I understand where you are coming from. I wouldn’t say that the point of our existence is to believe in him, but I understand what you are saying. What do you think would convince everyone that he exists?
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February 8, 2017 at 8:26 am
Great, succinct article. As you addressed with DNA, with the predicate of “Specified Complexity”, it is fair and accurate to state that there is more evidence for the existence of God than there is for ANYthing else in the universe. So much so, it is no wonder that in Psalm 19 and Romans 1, every human is without excuse as far as God is concerned. Skeptics readily recognize design protocols all the day long until someone says “God”.
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