--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: God is a presence that I can never define…" description: "\"God is a presence that I can never define but I could never deny.\" — John Shelby Spong" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef3/john-shelby-spong-1488_could_god-is-a-presence-that-i-can-never-defin_723600.png" --- # God is a presence that I can never define but I could… ![“God is a presence that I can never define but I could never deny.” quote by John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef3/john-shelby-spong-1488_could_god-is-a-presence-that-i-can-never-defin_723600.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef3/john-shelby-spong-1488_could_god-is-a-presence-that-i-can-never-defin_723600.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef3/john-shelby-spong-1488_could_god-is-a-presence-that-i-can-never-defin_723600.png) > “God is a presence that I can never define but I could never deny.” [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Divine presence is mysterious, beyond full definition yet undeniable. **In simple terms:** God is mysterious but real. Key Takeaway Embrace faith despite uncertainty. Themes faith spirituality mystery Mood contemplative hopeful Type theological philosophical When to use this quote - personal prayer - interfaith dialogue - spiritual crisis - null Key Concepts theology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What does “undefinable” mean to you? - How do you reconcile doubt and faith? A Different Perspective Skepticism may hinder belief. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Presence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presence/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes I just sit still and enjoy God's presence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/sometimes-i-just-sit-still-and-enjoy-god-s-presence/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [“If there was any sliver of meaning, any sense of God's presence, it lay in the feeling of being away from the rules, away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tova-mirvis/if-there-was-any-sliver-of-meaning-any-sense-of-god-s-presence-it-lay/) [Tova Mirvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tova-mirvis/) > [No matter how tough it gets in the journey of our lives or how lonely we may think we feel, there is always a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola/no-matter-how-tough-it-gets-in-the-journey-of-our-lives-or-how-lonely/) [Kemmy Nola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-nola/) > [“Whether you see Him at work is irrelevant to the fact of God's presence in our world. He is actively and intimately involved in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-t-blackaby/whether-you-see-him-at-work-is-irrelevant-to-the-fact-of-god-s/) [Henry T. Blackaby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-t-blackaby/) > [“David cuts through all the many needs, wants, and desires that may have been bouncing around inside him and essentially says, "If I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/david-cuts-through-all-the-many-needs-wants-and-desires-that-may-have/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [“All men are equal in God’s presence”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/all-men-are-equal-in-god-s-presence/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [Each day presents a new opportunity to experience God's presence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/each-day-presents-a-new-opportunity-to-experience-god-s-presence/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [“What prompts you and me to keep going through the hard times of life? God’s presence. Nothing more and nothing less. Nothing else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-miller/what-prompts-you-and-me-to-keep-going-through-the-hard-times-of-life/) [Chuck Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-miller/) > [Is it ever possible to overdo the talking about the glory of Christ? Is it ever too often to be in God's presence?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/is-it-ever-possible-to-overdo-the-talking-about-the-glory-of-christ/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [We felt it was very important for an entity like CCTV to make its presence felt... To generate a space and to define a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/we-felt-it-was-very-important-for-an-entity-like-cctv-to-make-its/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [When I'm asked to define God, I'm almost wordless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/when-i-m-asked-to-define-god-i-m-almost-wordless/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [Let me say that I consider myself a deep believer in the reality of God. I might define God quite differently from the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/let-me-say-that-i-consider-myself-a-deep-believer-in-the-reality-of/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [“It is not objective proof of God’s existence that we want but the experience of God’s presence. That is the miracle we are really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/it-is-not-objective-proof-of-god-s-existence-that-we-want-but-the/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“While it is in one sense a result of God’s presence within us, the New Testament also describes a process involved in our “putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/while-it-is-in-one-sense-a-result-of-god-s-presence-within-us-the-new/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [“Hell is only loneliness, a place without play for the soul, a place without God. How could there be God in loneliness when God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/hell-is-only-loneliness-a-place-without-play-for-the-soul-a-place/) [Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/) ## More by John Shelby Spong > [The way that I see Christianity is that its role is to enhance the life of every person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-way-that-i-see-christianity-is-that-its-role-is-to-enhance-the/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [The Sins of Scripture is an interesting title; most people don't put sins and scripture together in the same title. It jars people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-sins-of-scripture-is-an-interesting-title-most-people-don-t-put/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [“When a human life is open to all that humanity can be, humanity and divinity flow together as one. It was and is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/when-a-human-life-is-open-to-all-that-humanity-can-be-humanity-and/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [I don't see Jesus as rescuing the fallen; I see Jesus as expanding the potential of life. The primary reason the old idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-don-t-see-jesus-as-rescuing-the-fallen-i-see-jesus-as-expanding-the/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [The Bible interprets life from its particular perspective; it does not record in a factual way the human journey through history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-bible-interprets-life-from-its-particular-perspective-it-does-not/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [My basis of morality is this: does this action enhance life, or does it denigrate life? Does it build up or does it tear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/my-basis-of-morality-is-this-does-this-action-enhance-life-or-does-it/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [I want the traditional family upheld, but I don't want it upheld to the detriment of other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-want-the-traditional-family-upheld-but-i-don-t-want-it-upheld-to/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [We live in a very pluralistic society today. There are Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, atheists, Roman Catholics, Evangelical Christians, and Christians like me. 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Sometimes, you're just in the wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/some-people-think-prayer-stops-bullets-or-rockets-or-land-mines-it/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [The Hebrew scriptures say it's okay to enslave anybody except your fellow Jews. It says you should enslave only your neighbors. I say to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-hebrew-scriptures-say-it-s-okay-to-enslave-anybody-except-your/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [ I know Jerry \[Falwell\] fairly well, and he's probably not bright enough to recognize all of the implications of what he said. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-know-jerry-falwell-fairly-well-and-he-s-probably-not-bright-enough/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [Benedict XVI kept saying that homosexuals are deviant. They're not deviant. 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