Why Doesn't God Just Tell Us Who He Is?

Why is God such a mystery? Is he Allah, the God of the Muslims? Is he Yahweh, the God of the Jews and, subsequently, the God of the Christians? Is he Odin, Jupiter, Zeus, Shiva, Baha, Hayyi Rabbi, Om or Aum, Krishna, the Great Spirit, Shakti, Akal purakh, Satnam, or any number of other names given by a long list of religions that end with -ism? Whether you believe in a god, or you have no belief in a god at all, you might have the same question, "Why doesn't he just speak to us directly and tell us who he is? The answer may actually surprise you.

The reason God doesn't open up the sky is simple: He doesn't want to remove our free will.

"What? How would that remove our free will?"

Think for a moment what the result would be if an all-powerful being parted the clouds and said, "Greetings people of earth. I am your God! Now, do as I command!" Our free will would evaporate the minute he appeared in the sky. Most of us would choose to do what we were told, for fear of what he would do to us if we didn't. But it really wouldn't be a choice, would it? That's the problem. God doesn't want a kingdom filled with people who do as they're told. He is looking for those who will choose to walk with him because they love his ways and want to be like him. How does he do this? It is actually quite simple.

God has sent the truth into the world. Jesus is the truth. If you recognize the truth and walk in the truth, you choose him. You don't do it for fear. You do it because you love him, which is pretty easy because he first loved you. This is how God separates the people of the world. All those who love him and walk in his ways will live with him for eternity. Those who do not, will be told to depart into what Jesus refers to as eternal punishment, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

So, you see, there is something to fear. But you might choose not to believe it. That is actually part of God's plan. It is how he separates us. He allows you the free will to follow after any god you choose—or no god at all. You will select the god you want. If you hear of Jesus and read of the life he lived, and you are stirred to receive his gift of salvation by faith because you love him and want to be like him, you might just receive the eternal life he promises. Who knows for sure? It is by faith that you must believe. It is your faith that saves you. But, if you reject Jesus for one of the other gods listed above, or you choose to follow no god at all, you may be separated from him for eternity. So, in light of this, how are you going to choose to live? Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart…" He also said, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." That is a God worth serving. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.


~JMH