"DEAR GOD, YOU SURE DON'T ACT LIKE YOU'RE ALIVE" - Day 3

Day 3 – God’s existence versus God’s nature (III)

How can I have a personal relationship with a being when I’m never quite sure he’s there?  –PHILIP YANCEY

Thus far, we have looked at two facts about the nature of God:

•  It is a different subject than His existence.

         •  It is linked in tandem to His existence, both parts of the
             same journey. 

The next thing to acknowledge is the order in which the two should be linked. The answer is obvious: the subject of God’s existence should come first. If He doesn’t exist, it would make no sense worrying over what He is like.

We can see that this is true by looking at a real-life example. Several years ago the national news media focused their attention on the state of Wisconsin, where a young college coed was missing and presumed kidnapped. Countless hours were spent on the search for her captor, whose description became a topic of widespread speculation. Based on stereotypes of similar crimes, this person was thought to be a white male in his forties, probably a loner, possibly a former sex offender. On television broadcasts, criminal psychologists tried to give viewers insight into his tormented mind. Radio talk show hosts and callers discussed what he was like.

Such speculation ended abruptly a few days later when the girl resurfaced unharmed and admitted she had fabricated the whole story. As soon as a stunned and outraged nation learned that no kidnapper existed, all discussion of his nature ceased. When the answer to “Does the kidnapper exist?” became “no,” no one felt inclined to pursue his character any longer. 

Likewise, if God exists, any discussion of His nature is appropriate. But if it were ever proven that there is no God, any time spent on His character would be wasted. We would have no reason to traverse the slope of God’s nature if the answer at the summit of His existence is “nay.” This is the reason why, in almost every book of theology I have read, a chapter on God’s existence precedes any discussion of His nature. The former must be established to give relevance to the latter.

In summary, any exploration of God’s nature implies at least the possibility that He exists. Anything less would be placing before the cart an imaginary horse.

Daily Quotation

Philip Yancey, Reaching for the Invisible God, 9.