Not a Bug, but a Feature

As a family, we have lived on several continents. We noticed that in different cultures and different countries the perception of the police is vastly different. Growing up in Germany, Gerald never felt afraid of police. In fact, when he had an accident on the road as a teenager, the police quickly came to secure the accident and write the protocol for the insurance, then offered to take him home, a 30-minute drive. The two policemen were very friendly and kind, and calmed his anxious parents when they saw their slightly bruised son getting out of a police car.

In other circumstances, we felt more anxious when we saw a police car with flashing lights or at a traffic checkpoint. Police were notoriously underpaid in some countries we visited, and very often they looked to extort some money for a perceived or imagined infraction. None of our friends in these cultures liked or trusted the police, and they were very wary when they saw them. This type of anxiety is contagious because we soon felt similar and tried to avoid any contact after a few bad experiences.

That doesn’t mean that every member of the police force is corrupt or looking for bribes in these places. But the negative experience with a few police officers colored our emotive response to the institution and all its representatives. Perhaps it has something to do with the sense of being at the mercy of someone with more power.

Even in countries in which bribes are not an issue, we become nervous when we see a police car riding for a long time behind our car. We become alert, double-check our speed, and follow every traffic rule to the dot. That seems to be a reaction that most drivers experience, even those who have never had any bad experience with the police and are law-abiding drivers. The presence of authority and power does something to us, and most of us suddenly become model citizens. This phenomenon is not limited to our relationship with the police—it extends to other figures of authority, as, for example, the immigration officer at the airport or a security guard at a public building.

Would God’s unveiled presence transform our inner core or just our behavior? Could it be that our inability to face God directly is actually part of the plan and not just a bug?

Powerful—Yet Veiled

We read in the Old Testament that following the Fall, human beings could not see God’s glory. When Moses asked to see God face-to-face, he was told that this would be impossible, for “no one may see me and live” (Ex. 33:20, NIV). Later God revealed Himself to Moses and passed by him while he was hidden in a crevice. But Moses heard more than he saw, and in response he bowed down in worship (cf. Ex. 34:5-8). He recognized in whose presence he was.

Is it possible that our inability to physically see God is not just the result of sin separating us from God’s holiness, but perhaps also a conscious feature God built into us to help us mature morally and learn how to make good choices?

Think about it: If you know that you are always watched and right in front of the person of authority, would your decision to be the model law-abiding citizen that you are be the result of intrinsic choices or rather the recognition that we better get it right in the face of enormous power and control and the potential for quick reprisals? Would God’s unveiled presence transform our inner core or just our behavior? Could it be that our inability to face God directly is part of the plan, not just a bug?

God’s desire to create humanity in His image involves the ability to make choices, and the presence of sheer power or authority would work directly against this important element of the imago dei in us. That’s why God never forces us or overwhelms us—quite distinct from how Satan seems to build his shadow kingdom in this world that is based on coercion, manipulation, fear, bullying, and oppression.

“Show Us the Father”

Our human desire to clearly see (and understand) God can be perceived in the question Philip asked Jesus: “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us” (John 14:8, NIV). Jesus’ answer is fairly long and theologically significant, but it could be summarized in this: When you see Me, you have seen the Father. Look carefully, pay attention to the details, and then trust what you see in Me.

Not everyone living in first-century A.D. Palestine saw the Father in Jesus. Some thought that He was a good person. Others saw the devil’s work in His ministry. Many weren’t sure, and put all the puzzle pieces together only after His death and resurrection. The point here is that God (and Jesus) left enough space for doubt and personal choices. God doesn’t force goodness, morality, or salvation. He desires to save us, and moved everything at His disposal to help us make the choice, but He will not overwhelm us with His offer. That’s how He is—it’s a feature, not a bug!