Is God imaginary?

Quick answer

No—God is not imaginary. He is the eternal, self-existent Creator, who has revealed Himself through creation, conscience, Scripture, and the person of Jesus Christ.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The Bible never tries to prove God’s existence—it assumes it. From the first verse, Scripture says that God has always been, and His reality is the foundation of everything else. He is not imaginary. The heavens declare His glory, and His eternal power and divine nature are clearly seen through what He has made. Because we are created in His image, we are also personal testimonies to His reality. That testimony is seen in our conscience’s innate knowledge of right and wrong and our inner sense of eternity. However, though we know some things about God in creation and within ourselves, that knowledge is only enough to show us that we are under His wrath. Fortunately, God has kindly revealed more about Himself through the prophets and Jesus, truths preserved in His Word so that we can respond rightly to Him. All who seek Him will find Him. Faith is not blindly believing that some kind of “god” exists—it is confidence grounded in the true God’s character, promises, and self-revelation.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

The first two chapters of the Bible reveal that God is not imaginary. God is the Creator of everything (Genesis 1:1). Everything exists only because He exists and caused everything else to exist.
Creation’s existence is evidence that God is not imaginary (Psalm 19:1–4).
Humanity being made in God’s image also shows that God is not imaginary (Genesis 1:26–27). Our creativity, wisdom, reason, hard work, humor, and many other things reveal that God is real.
The longing for eternity shows us that God is not imaginary (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
God’s miraculous work in history, specifically through the historical account of the Israelites in the Old Testament, also proves that God is real (Exodus 14:21–22; Deuteronomy 4:32–35; Joshua 3:14–17).

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

Creation reveals that God is not imaginary and that we are without excuse for recognizing that (Romans 1:18–20).
Jesus reveals that God is real, as He took on flesh and came to earth (John 1:1–3, 18).
Jesus’s death and resurrection prove that God is not imaginary, but that He is real, powerful, and actively fulfilling His promises to save and redeem (Luke 24:6–7; Acts 2:32; 1 Corinthians 15:3–6).
The apostles were eyewitnesses of God’s majesty (2 Peter 1:16). What they taught was not something they had made up. Instead, they were eyewitnesses to the reality of God.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

The question, “Is God real?” is personal. If He is real (and He is), then everything changes. You are not alone in the universe, nor are you merely the result of time and chance. You were made by a real, personal, and holy God who knows you and sees you. This also means that you are responsible for how you handle that knowledge.

His reality means there is meaning in your suffering and purpose in your life. While this world calls us to try to have it all before we die, God has set eternity within us, and He calls us to know Him rightly before we die. This is because we will all live eternally. Those who deny Him now will spend eternity under the wrath they suppressed in this life. However, those who repent of their sin and trust in Jesus will be called God’s children and live in eternal peace with Him as their Father.

You don’t need to “find” God as if He were hiding. He has revealed Himself in creation, in you, and most clearly, in Jesus. The real question is not whether God is real, but whether you will acknowledge His Son as Lord. Those who seek Him with a humble heart will find that the living God has drawn them near and has given them an eternity to enjoy Him!

UNDERSTAND

God has revealed Himself clearly—through creation, human conscience, and the Bible—showing He is not imaginary, but real.
God entered history, proving that God is not imaginary.
The reality of God invites a personal response to who He is and His call to salvation.

REFLECT

How have you seen God's reality reflected in creation or in your own conscience?
What does it mean for your life that God is not imaginary, but personal, holy, and eternal?
How are you responding to God's self-revelation through Jesus and His Word?

ENGAGE

In what ways does the assumption of God's existence in Scripture shape how we understand truth and purpose?
How does God’s interaction with humanity, as recorded in the Bible, give credibility to the claim that God is real and involved in human history?
What are some common ways people suppress the truth about God, and how can we engage those perspectives with grace and truth?