Steven Garofalo
Spirituality/Belief • Education • News
“GOD’S MODEL FOR TRUE JUSTICE”
By Steven Garofalo, May 17, 2023 (Copyright 2023)
May 17, 2023

“GOD’S MODEL FOR TRUE JUSTICE”

The United States Supreme Court is Modeled the Exodus story in the Bible with Moses and his father and law Jethro. It’s important to understanding exactly how God defined what has come to be known as law and lawlessness in American and Europe culture. Today, I will show you how God gave us our modern day legal system through Moses with the help of Jethro. Through all of this, I want to stress one singular truth, which is that biblical character over all other things, including an Ivy League education, is the singular most important factor and a biblical standard that qualifies a person for the position of “judge”.

HOW OUR MODERN DAY LEGAL SYSTEM WORKS:

The United States and the West in general use a multi-tiered legal system based on a number of factors, including factors such as a severity of the crime in a criminal court proceeding, to the level or severity of material lost or damage in a civil case. In all cases, the court hears the evidence of the case and levels it verdict. If the person or group of people are found guilty and feel that they have been judged unjustly or handed down a punishment or payment that is unfair, not correct, unconstitutional, or unjust, they have the right to appeal their case to the next higher level court.

Now, let’s look at exactly how God had Moses create the multi-tiered legal system we have come to know today with the wise counsel of his father and law Jethro. When you watch the cable TV legal shows or news, especially the U.S. Supreme Court justices, you can judge for yourself which of the SCOTUS judges are acting rightly according to the U.S. Constitution based on prerequisites set into place by Moses, and which are not.

I want to reiterate the singular characteristic of judge is their “biblical character”. It’s not having an Ivy League education that best qualifies one for the position of “judge”, it’s one’s godly character and wisdom. There are four components that qualifies a judge according to the Bible and we will look at those next.

FIRST: A judge must be an “able man” chosen from the masses. While all people are equal in the eyes of God, not all men have been given the gift of discernment, have the level of wisdom, or the ability to serve as “judge”. Judges hold a great deal of power and responsibility and power. They can restrict and even take away one’s freedom, liberty, money, and even one’s family. As such, they must be an “able man”; meaning they must have strength, efficiency, and wealth (Gen. 47:6; Ruth 3:11; PROV. 12:4; 31:10). There are good reasons for a man of wealth in that in the times of Moses, a wealthy man was an able man in the sense of being able to achieve high outcomes. Furthermore, a wealthy man maybe less susceptible have less of a desire or need to take a bribe. He must be an “able man”.

SECOND: A judge must be a man who fears God; “fearing God”, showing piety, reverence, godly humility, and ready obedience (Gen. 22:12). This was once a perquisite for being a judge in the United States court system. The reason for this as the most important element or characteristic for a qualified judge is due to the fact that a godly man will not easily fall into the temptations of corruption as is described next, because that man fears God and understands that there is a Higher Authority (God) who is above him. Judges in our modern age, due to their level of power and discretion, in many cases get caught up in the mirage of their own position and level of authority. More simply put, they see themselves as a mini god in light of their power and authority. This leads us to number three, which is trustworthiness.

THIRD: A judge must be trustworthy. Moses made clear that judges were to be “men of truth”, conforming to God’s character Ex. 34:6. Trustworthiness involves four important qualities which are:

  1. Integrity
  2. Honesty
  3. Promise-Keeping
  4. And Loyalty. Each of these qualities yields principles that tell us how a trustworthy person will behave under pressure and yield the gavel as a judge as having a great deal of power. I looked up “trustworthy” in the Mariam Webster dictionary, and simply says, “Worthy of confidence: DEPENDABLE”. I submit that this definition is shallow and falls short of the word “trustworthy”. To be trustworthy includes keeping one’s word and commitment; even when it hurts or costs you. The word “trustworthy” is derived from the word “TRUST” c. 1200, "reliance on the veracity, integrity, or other virtues of someone or something; religious faith," from Old Norse traust "help, confidence, protection, support," from Proto-Germanic abstract noun *traustam(source also of Old Frisian trast, Dutch troost "comfort, consolation," Old High German trost "trust, fidelity," German Trost "comfort, consolation," Gothic trausti "agreement, alliance"), from Proto-Germanic *treuwaz, source of Old English treowian "to believe, trust," and treowe "faithful, trusty," from PIE root *deru- "be firm, solid, steadfast."https://www.etymonline.com/word/trustworthy#:~:text=trustworthy%20(adj.),%2B%20worthy.In other words, Moses was not simply say that a judge must not only be “dependable” but have reliance on the veracity, integrity or other virtues of someone , namely the Christian faith. Why has our modern day legal system glossed over this in great part? I would submit that political correctness has become relative as opposed to absolute in their search for the truth. As a result this led Mariam Webster to assert that  truth is “relative” and not “absolute”; “subjective” as opposed to “objective”. Lastly, a judge needs to be a “godly man” because a godly man is much less likely to be persuaded by evil and fleshly temptation. this leads us to number four.

FOURTH: A judge, in the words of Scripture, must “HATE A BRIBE”. Judges were to be “haters” of (turners from) “covetousness” so they could not be bribed. An ungodly judge will at some point be asked to compromise or break the truth in light of a legal decision for political or monetary gain. If a judge is an “able man” who “fears God”, who is “trustworthy” and “hates a bribe”, you have a great judge that is much less susceptible to corruption and bribery. What I find interesting is that nowhere does Jethro or Moses or God’s Word period say anything about having an Ivy League school education. As a matter of fact, I would submit that in today’s age, in most (not all), an Ivy League education is a hinderance because it puffs up one’s pride instead of helping them become a more godly, truth seeking honest judge. Today’s system mandates a highly educated Ivy League school graduate who more closely resembles the biblical Pharisees and Scribes-but who lack the wisdom or desire to do the right thing based on God’s ways and wisdom. As a result, they are very susceptible to compromise the truth based on their own humanistic, carnal desires, personal gain, political agenda and gain. More simply put, godly judges make decisions based on selflessness (not themselves) while non-godly judges who reject God’s ways, by default judge “SELFISHLY” according to their own agenda and personal gain.

FIFTH AND LASTLY: Judges were to be “ranked”, with “rulers” over them. This creates accountability and over site from other godly leaders. In other words, each judge is to be accountable to someone else above them. The idea of accountability in today’s age is almost considered a crime or violation against one’s sovereignty. Individualism rules the hearts and minds of many if not most of the West; youth and adults alike.

As we begin to wrap up today’s lesson, let’s look at the exact words of God through Moses’ father and law Jethro who said this:Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.”

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU AND I?

While believers may only take suggestions from other people of faith, it’s important to have a “teachable spirit” as Moses did with his father and law Jethro. Man people who do not have faith and godly character have experience and understanding regarding important issues and the law. The wise believer has both in that he or she is able to discern truth. Jethro’s “counsel” is couched in the context of his new faith in God, but it was also rooted in his experience and wisdom he had gained throughout his life outside of religious circles. That’s important to note in light our understanding that wisdom and better techniques can be learned from the non-believer in some cases.

As a result, Moses was the beneficiary of Jethro’s wisdom, and as a result, appoint wise, godly truth seeking men who hated bribes to judge and keep accountable those in lower the courts below them. In a sense, Moses was like our modern day Supreme Court for Israel. The buck stopped with Moses as the last stop in any legal hearing. His word was the final word based on God’s Word. While Moses appointed lower level judges to handle the mundane cases, Moses would still handle the major matters brought to him. In total, Jethro listed only five qualifications which we discussed for the men who would aid Moses. Interestingly, his list had some similarities to the qualifications for church offices. In the New Testament (1 Timothy 3:1-13).

Today, we learned exactly where in the Bible the United States and much of the West got their their modern legal/court system from. God’s wisdom flowed through Jethro down to Moses and then to the Israelites. In application, it flowed out to you and I in the West and the church.

The bottom line is that God will bless us if we simply appoint godly judges who are “able men of character”, trustworthy and truthful in all they do. If they are men who fear the God of Scripture, not of Quran, the 330,000,000 Hindu gods, or the god of “self” (as our culture becomes more multi-cultural and pluralistic), they will judge rightly and justly. If they are men who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, they will avoid distorting justice for personal and political gain. And lastly, if they accept authority and accountability in placing such men over the other judges and people, as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens, justice will be served to the masses. Justice must be “blind” as to human sinfulness and distortion if it is true justice. Justice must rest on God’s unchangeable, all perfect, all good and truthful standards. In the end, true justice is to be dispensed to all. In the end, all will be help accountable as to how they uphold the law. The weighting’s of accountability for the position of “judge” will answer quite heavily to God as to their handling of the law, truth, and any corruption of the law for personal gain or political power.

When God’s model for the qualifications of a judge is ignored, distorted or corrupted, we find rogue attorney generals, failing to prosecute criminals; burning of cities, and maiming and murdering of innocent lives in the name of evil. Evil is a deprivation of God’s all good ways and the model He personally gave us through Jethro, Moses-down to our modern day court system to dispense truth and “blind justice”. Let’s pray that we get back to the model God gave us and clean out the corrupt, distorted evilness that has and is distorting our justice system. If we do so, peace and true justice will return to our nation and the West, God will be honored, and all citizens will be justly heard and treated through a system of true-blind justice. In closing, I want to leave you with the actual passage in Exodus to read for yourself. God bless you, God bless America, Europe, and all Western nations and people wo proclaim the name of Jesus Christ.

EXODUS 18:13-27 (ESV) The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.” Moses' father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”

So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves. Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country.”

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SHOULD CHARLIE KIRK’S MURDERER GET THE DEATH PENALTY
By Steven Garofalo, September 12, 2025 (Copyright 2025)

THE DEATH PENALTY FOR CHARLIE KIRK’S MURDER?

Over the past week we have seen a young Ukrainian lady stabbed in the neck - murdered in cold blood by a deranged serial repeat offender who was let out of jail by writing a hand written note stating that he would be a good boy and not do that again. Her crime was simply riding the subway in Charlotte, NC. 

The criminal murderer had been arrested 14 times and let out by a judge that never passed the bar and I believe never even went to law school. She was a DEI activist judge. So what should have been his punishment?

Then there is the assasination of a Charlie Kirk. What should become of him once caught?

The Bible is very clear as to the answer to the question regarding punishment for first degree murder (speaking of humans only). I want to address this issue today for all of mankind, but especially for us as Christians. Before get jump in, I want to make clear that Christians should NEVER defy God’s Word in light of secular of secular thinking or how we feel about taking the life of a human being who pre-meditatively took the innocent life of another human being-who by the way are made in God’s image.

In order to make this not about my opinion, let’s go to what God through His word (the Holy Bible Scriptures) says from the very beginning of time as to what is to be the punishment or response administered to one who commits first degree murder. First degree murder by its very legal definition is to take an innocent life knowingly and premeditated. This is what I want to address in today’s episode. I want to digress for one brief moment in addressing the government authorities who have and continue to fail to do their job by simply incarcerating (putting and keeping criminals in jail) for the safety of the general, innocent public. That’s the more difficult question to answer-but I see it as negligence and possibly an accessory to homicide in many if not most all cases. 

So, the more more difficult question to answer is what ought be the legal and civil liability for judges, governors and other positions of power if those judges (who are acting negligently) results in the loss of human life, meaning the murder of innocent citizens by way of criminals that should have been locked up but were let out uprightly. This is gross neglegence of their part in letting these repetitive law breakers and monsters out of jail with zero cash bond or on things like a written note to behave like a good girl or boy as was the case in the North Carolina man-arrested 14 times, and who ended up murdering a young 23 year old Ukrainian woman on the Charlotte, NC subway simply because he was let out of jail on zero bond for writing a nice promise to the so called non-layer “judge” that he would stop being a bad boy and behave himself as some form of demented bond for his release. That question is yet to be debated but the Bible addresses that question as well when resulting in physical harm or loss or damage to property. Perhaps we will leave that for another day. Let’s get back to the Bible and the death penalty.

The problem with modern Christians is that they see the Bible as an ancient document, somewhat disconnected from biblical truths. In other words, many if not most modern people claiming to Christian don’t see the Bible as the ultimate Standard for right or wrong, but a nice book they can choose and pick from according to how they might feel about a particular subject.

The problem problem with modern “Christianity” is that it’s often distorted and it’s considered extreme by many for Christians to think and act biblically. 

My response this is that society and secular thinking in such cases is not moderate but extreme itself in allowing criminals to repeat crime at more extreme levels. Sadly, in some cases, such thinking results in murder and the loss of innocent life. This is what God gave us as to the consequence of shedding innocent blood in murder. Don’t get me wrong, mercy and forgiveness are very important, but we are to show mercy and forgiveness without forgoing God’s commands. We can forgive the person and still hold them to the physical consequence of the death penalty-and we should. Let’s now take a look at what God tells us about the death penalty from the very start of the Bible, starting in the Book of Genesis, chapter 9.

Genesis 9:5-6 (ESV)
“5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. 6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”

In other words, God makes clear in the very beginning of time-in the beginning of the Bible, that homocide (first degree murder) demands a punishment that matches the crime. The justification for capital punishment, here established, is the nobility of human life… “FOR GOD MADE MAN (and woman) IN HIS OWN IMAGE”. Thus murder shows contempt for God Himself as well as for one’s fellow man. What Genesis 9 is not saying is that the death penalty is to applied to a person who accidentally ran a red light and killed another person. That still hold consequences, it not the death penalty. That’s a different discussion for a different episode.

THE POWER TO ADMINISTER THE DEATH PENALTY

To be clear, the power to administer capital punishment does not lie with us as individuals or any entity outside of the authority and power of governmental. Romans 13:3-4 makes clear of that, saying:

“3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.”

HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS VIEW THE DEATH PENALTY?

FIRST: We must understand and accept that God has instituted capital punishment (the death penalty, not man.) It would be arrogant and presumptuous to think that we could instituted and/enforce or fail to enforce a higher standard than God commanded. After all, God is perfect and as such, has provided us the highest Standard of any being. And this standard applies not only to us as His created beings but also to God Himself due to the fact that He is all good and perfect.

God is Love as well Infinite in His essence and attributes. As such, He loves to an Infinite degree. We should also understand that God has wrath as an infinite degree, and He maintains this in perfect balance. 

SECOND: As Christians (and all human beings ), we must recognize and accept that God has given us government as the authority as we discussed for administering capital punishment, and determine when the death penalty should be applied according to God’s Word. This better ensures that innocent or people undeserving of the death penalty are not put to death wrongfully (see Genesis 9:6; Romans 13:1-7). 

IN CLOSING

Let’s be clear that it’s unbiblical to clam that God opposes the death penalty in all instances. On the flip side, Christians should not rejoice when the death penalty is employed. We can feel the satisfaction of God’s justice being implemented and upheld but we should not rejoice, meaning we ought not celebrate the death of another human being, despite their terrible crime(s). 

In the end, Christians out not fight against or picket or push back the government’s right to execute the perpetrators of the most terrible crimes, especially when involving first degree murder when it’s deserved.

It’s emotionally nice to want to extend mercy and many Christian’s defy God’s Word regarding the death penalty. In such cases, Christian are not only wrong but in defiance of God’s Word. The only answer I have as to why a Christian would do such a thing is that they have compitulated to culture insted of helping form, influence and change the world according to God’s Word. In closing I want to remind everyone of one simple truth in that God does not move to us as His created creation. Instead, we, mankind (meaning all humans-both man and woman) move to Him. He is unmovable. 

Malachi 3:6
“For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.”

AND SO SHOULD WE AS CHRISTIANS: 1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV)
“58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain…”

Will you chose to see these verses and the entire Bible as your guide for living and what is right and wrong or will you pick which Scriptures you like or dislike and make yourself the god of the Bible as opposed to God?

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Not Serpents of Skin, but From The Falsehood Of Sin: Uncoiling The Ending of Mark’s Gospel
By Del Potter, M.A.A. (Copyright 2025)

Not Serpents of Skin, but From The Falsehood Of Sin: Uncoiling The Ending of Mark’s Gospel

By Del Potter, M.A.A. August 27, 2025

Opening Remarks

From the outset, this article is NOT contending whether or not the ending of Mark 16 should be included. Although, it is in my humble opinion that some of the strange language in the ending of Mark actually affirms the truthfulness of the events inserted into the ending of Mark. There are several striking words in Mark's longer ending (Mark 16:17–18):

“These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them...”

As a first impression, the imagery suggests a miraculous ability to resist snakes and poison. It is nevertheless important to note that serpents and poison consistently function within Jewish, Biblical, and early Christian thought as symbols of false teaching and spiritual corruption, not simply physical danger.


Serpents in Scripture: Symbols of Deception

From the beginning of Genesis through Revelation, the serpent is never merely zoological—it is the archetype of deceit. In Genesis 3, the serpent slithers into the Garden not to bite with fangs, but to inject Eve with poisonous doubt about God’s word. Later Jewish wisdom literature follows this thread:

  • Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 21:2: “Flee from sin as from the face of a serpent: for if thou comest too near it, it will bite thee.”
  • Psalm 140:3: “They make their tongue sharp as a serpent’s, and under their lips is the venom of vipers.”

This same imagery flows into the New Testament:

  • Matthew 23:33: Jesus calls the Pharisees a “brood of vipers,” not because of biology, but because of false teaching.
  • 2 Corinthians 11:3: Paul warns that, just as the serpent deceived Eve, so false teachers corrupt the simplicity of Christ.
  • Revelation 12:9: John describes Satan as a serpent “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”

Therefore, when Mark refers to "serpents" and "deadly poison," his Jewish-Christian readers would have recognized the metaphor: heresy slithering into the church among the people with its false doctrine poisoning the entire church (2 Peter 2:1).


The Poison Of Heresy: A Dangerous Drink

The early Church frequently described heretical teaching as venom or poison. Ignatius of Antioch warned the Trallians:

“I therefore, yet not I, but the love of Jesus Christ, entreat you that ye use Christian nourishment only, and abstain from herbage of a different kind; I mean heresy. For those [that are given to this] mix up Jesus Christ with their own poison, speaking things which are unworthy of credit, like those who administer a deadly drug in sweet wine, which he who is ignorant of does greedily take, with a fatal pleasure leading to his own death.” (Letter to the Trallians 107 A.D.).

This language reflects the very pattern of Mark 16—poisonous teaching disguised as nourishment. The faithful, however, are promised preservation: “it will not harm them.” The believer, rooted in Christ, can discern and resist corruption.

No early Christian expressed this more vividly than Tertullian of Carthage (c. 200 AD). In his treatise Scorpiace, he likens heresy to venomous creatures:

  • Heresy “creeps into the church like a scorpion,” injecting spiritual poison.
  • The faithful must resist with the antidote of Scripture, wielded like the staff of Moses against the serpents of Egypt.

Tertullian believed that the danger was not from reptiles in the marketplace, but rather from false teachers within the church. Similarly, heresy pierces the souls of believers in a quiet and lethal manner, just as the scorpion stings unseen. As a result, he viewed Christ's promise in Mark not as a test of reckless physical stunts, but as a promise that the faithful will not suffer from the venom of falsehood if armed with the truth. As Paul rightly reminds his audience:

 "Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil (i.e. snakes & poisons)." - Ephesians 6:11


Mark’s Ending and the beginning of the Early Church

NT writers wrote within a culture steeped in metaphor. The early church never staged snake-handling rituals to “prove” faith. Instead, they testified by enduring persecution, refuting heresy, and preserving sound doctrine.

The apologetic force of Mark 16 is not spectacle—it is survival. The church would face vipers in pulpits, scorpions in councils, and poison in doctrine. Yet Christ promises: “These things will not harm you.”

Just as in the first century, serpents and scorpions creep into the church today—not in the form of reptiles, but in the form of false witnesses, compromised truth, and distorted gospels. The call of Mark 16 is not to chase miracles, but to guard against lies.

In a world full of theological poison, the believer’s protection is not daredevil faith, but faithful discernment: Scripture, the Spirit, and the witness of the saints.

“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers [i.e. snakes] among you, who will secretly introduce destructive [i.e. poison] heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.” - 2 Peter 2:1


Closing Remarks

The ending of Mark’s Gospel, far from a literal dare, is a prophetic warning and promise:

  • Serpents = false teachers.
  • Poison = heretical doctrines.
  • The promise = Christ’s people, if grounded in truth, will not be overcome.

Tertullian’s scorpions, Ignatius’ poison, Paul’s vipers, and Jesus’ own words unite: the greatest danger to the church is not fangs and venom in the field, but lies and venom in the pulpit.

In Christ, the Church endures—immune not to biology, but to blasphemy.

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MAN'S PROBLEM-"HIDDENESS"
By Del Potter, M.A.A., August 16, 2025

The Problem Is With Man's Hiddenness Toward God, Not Vice-Versa

Why Doesn’t God Make His Existence Unmistakably Clear to Everyone?

One of the most common objections to faith is: “If God is real, why doesn’t He just show Himself beyond all doubt?” Skeptics ask why God doesn’t write His name in the sky or make His presence undeniable. But Scripture, reason, and the earliest witnesses of the Church tell us a different story: God has already made Himself known, yet it is humanity that hides.

God’s Self-Revelation in Creation

Scripture consistently teaches that God’s fingerprints are everywhere. The Apostle Paul writes:

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)

Psalm 19:1 echoes this truth: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.”

Job reminds us that creation itself—beasts, birds, earth, and sea—all testify to the Creator:

“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.” (Job 12:7–10)

God’s existence, then, is not hidden. It is written into the very structure of reality. As St. Athanasius later argued, creation itself acts as a universal witness, speaking of God’s power to every culture and language without need for words.

Why Does God Seem Hidden?

The real issue is not divine silence but human resistance. Moses records God saying:

“I will surely hide My face in that day, because of all the evil which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.” (Deuteronomy 31:18)

This is not a statement about God being unknowable but about mankind turning its back to Him. God’s “hiddenness” is a moral and relational reality, not an intellectual one. As Isaiah wrote:

“Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God.” (Isa. 59:2)

Early Christians echoed this. Justin Martyr argued that those who live according to reason (logos) recognize the true God through creation and conscience. Clement of Alexandria explained that ignorance of God is not due to His absence, but due to the blindness of the soul enslaved to passions.

The Attributes of God are Revealed According To His Nature.

If God were to force belief by overwhelming proof, He would violate the very nature of faith and love. Love cannot be compelled; it requires freedom. Blaise Pascal later captured this well: “There is enough light for those who desire to see, and enough darkness for those who do not.”

The early Church understood that God provides evidence sufficient for faith, but not coercion. Origen taught that God “gives signs to those who are willing to see, but hides from those who shut their eyes.” This allows space for genuine seeking, humility, and love—rather than forced acknowledgment.

God Is Not Hidden—We Are

When people ask, “Why doesn’t God make Himself clear?” the biblical answer is: He already has. The problem is not with God’s silence but with our ears. The witness of creation, conscience, Scripture, and Christ Himself leaves us without excuse.

It is not God who hides, but man who hides from God—just as Adam and Eve once hid in the Garden. And yet, even then, God sought them, calling out: “Where are you?” (Gen. 3:9).

The same God still calls today through the beauty of creation, the testimony of Scripture, and the living Christ. The question is not whether God is clear enough but whether we are willing to see Him more clearly!

"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known." - 1 Corinthians 13:12

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