--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If God were small enough to be…" description: "\"“If God were small enough to be understood, he wouldn’t be big enough to be worshipped.” —Evelyn Underhill357”\" — Timothy Keller" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b15/timothy-keller-240_worshipped_if-god-were-small-enough-to-be-understoo_992453.png" --- # If God were small enough to be understood, he wouldn’t be… ![“If God were small enough to be understood, he wouldn’t be big enough to be worshipped.” —Evelyn Underhill357” quote by Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b15/timothy-keller-240_worshipped_if-god-were-small-enough-to-be-understoo_992453.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b15/timothy-keller-240_worshipped_if-god-were-small-enough-to-be-understoo_992453.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b15/timothy-keller-240_worshipped_if-god-were-small-enough-to-be-understoo_992453.png) > ““If God were small enough to be understood, he wouldn’t be big enough to be worshipped.” —Evelyn Underhill357”” [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that if God were fully comprehensible, He would not be vast enough to inspire worship, implying mystery is essential to divinity. **In simple terms:** God’s mystery sustains worship. Key Takeaway Embrace the unknown in faith. Themes theology mystery worship Mood thoughtful contemplative Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - religious reflection - philosophical debate - personal belief Key Concepts divine incomprehensibility faith spiritual awe Questions to Reflect On - Does mystery strengthen belief? - Can faith exist without mystery? A Different Perspective Some find comfort in clear concepts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [If God were small enough to be understood, He would not be big enough to be worshipped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-underhill/if-god-were-small-enough-to-be-understood-he-would-not-be-big-enough/) [Evelyn Underhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-underhill/) > [“If our brains were simple enough to be understood, we wouldn’t be smart enough to understand them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/if-our-brains-were-simple-enough-to-be-understood-we-wouldn-t-be/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [Never hesitate to take what you think are small things to God; after all, EVERYTHING is small to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/never-hesitate-to-take-what-you-think-are-small-things-to-god-after/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > ['An Obedient Father' is perhaps the novel that, some might say, Arundhati Roy had wanted to write when she wrote 'The God of Small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/an-obedient-father-is-perhaps-the-novel-that-some-might-say-arundhati/) [Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) > [“The best place to start doing life with God is in small moments.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/the-best-place-to-start-doing-life-with-god-is-in-small-moments/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [I call God ECCO (Earth Coincidence Control Office) . It's much more satisfying to call it that. A lot of people accept this and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-lilly/i-call-god-ecco-earth-coincidence-control-office-it-s-much-more/) [John C. Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-lilly/) > [One has a feeling that one has a kind of home in this timeless community of human beings that strive for truth. ... I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/one-has-a-feeling-that-one-has-a-kind-of-home-in-this-timeless/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [If your sin feels "too big," your vision of God is too small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hart/if-your-sin-feels-too-big-your-vision-of-god-is-too-small/) [Mark Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hart/) > [Trust God with something small today, and watch your faith grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/trust-god-with-something-small-today-and-watch-your-faith-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Your God is too Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bertram-phillips/your-god-is-too-small/) [John Bertram Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bertram-phillips/) > [Your God is too small for my universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-god-is-too-small-for-my-universe/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In any age when people pervert goodness, love, and obedience and set up a god small enough to fit their shrunken souls...Anything is evil,...It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zenna-henderson/in-any-age-when-people-pervert-goodness-love-and-obedience-and-set-up/) Zenna Henderson > [To God there is nothing small. The moment we have given it to God, it becomes infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/to-god-there-is-nothing-small-the-moment-we-have-given-it-to-god-it/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [Blame is for God and small children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-hoffman/blame-is-for-god-and-small-children/) [Dustin Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-hoffman/) > [If you've never had a God-sized dream that scared you half to death, then you haven't really come to life. If you've never been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/if-you-ve-never-had-a-god-sized-dream-that-scared-you-half-to-death/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) ## More by Timothy Keller > [If you are trying to live a life in accordance with the Bible, the concept and call to justice are inescapable. We do justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-you-are-trying-to-live-a-life-in-accordance-with-the-bible-the/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [The more you rejoice in your own forgiveness, the quicker you will be to forgive others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/the-more-you-rejoice-in-your-own-forgiveness-the-quicker-you-will-be/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“Evangelism will come organically in friendship if we don’t let our pride, fears, and pessimism cause us to hide our faith and heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/evangelism-will-come-organically-in-friendship-if-we-don-t-let-our/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“The coming of the messianic King occurs in two stages. At his first coming, he saved us from the penalty of sin and gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/the-coming-of-the-messianic-king-occurs-in-two-stages-at-his-first/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [ “24 A few pages later, Delbanco writes the following: \[Alexis de\] Tocqueville’s detection of a “strange melancholy in the midst of abundance” has a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/24-a-few-pages-later-delbanco-writes-the-following-alexis-de/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“To stay away from Christianity because part of the Bible's teaching is offensive to you assumes that if there is a God he wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/to-stay-away-from-christianity-because-part-of-the-bible-s-teaching/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [If the preaching of our ministers and the practice of our parishioners do not have the same effect on people that Jesus had, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-the-preaching-of-our-ministers-and-the-practice-of-our/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“of temple, presence, and sacrifice; of covenant and faithfulness; of kingdom and victory. When we seek to communicate the gospel to a particular culture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/of-temple-presence-and-sacrifice-of-covenant-and-faithfulness-of/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“Finally, you are ready to launch your church. Begin by developing action steps and goals that can be used as benchmarks to track your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/finally-you-are-ready-to-launch-your-church-begin-by-developing/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [If you are a child of God, you don’t lose your status if you have a bad week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-you-are-a-child-of-god-you-don-t-lose-your-status-if-you-have-a/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [God's salvation does not come in response to a changed life. A changed life comes in response to the salvation, offered as a free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/god-s-salvation-does-not-come-in-response-to-a-changed-life-a-changed/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“When anything in life is an absolute requirement for your happiness and self-worth, it is essentially an ‘idol,’ something you are actually worshiping. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/when-anything-in-life-is-an-absolute-requirement-for-your-happiness/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Suffering is the stripping of our hope in finite things, therefore we do not put our ultimate hope in anything finite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/suffering-is-the-stripping-of-our-hope-in-finite-things-therefore-we/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Christ will do everything for you or nothing. He's either all of your righteousness or none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/christ-will-do-everything-for-you-or-nothing-he-s-either-all-of-your/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [If we give God things in hope that they'll earn us blessings, we're really not doing anything for him. It's for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-we-give-god-things-in-hope-that-they-ll-earn-us-blessings-we-re/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) [Explore all 843 Timothy Keller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) ## More Worshipped quotes > [There was a time I worshipped at the altar of Rudy Martzke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-johnson-jr/there-was-a-time-i-worshipped-at-the-altar-of-rudy-martzke/) [Ernie Johnson Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-johnson-jr/) > [“Everything's fit to be worshipped.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/everything-s-fit-to-be-worshipped/) [China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/) > [“Whoever invented soccer should be worshipped as a God”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymise/whoever-invented-soccer-should-be-worshipped-as-a-god/) [anonymise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymise/) > [My dad was my best friend. I worshipped him. All of my success in life really comes from him. He believed that you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-cannell/my-dad-was-my-best-friend-i-worshipped-him-all-of-my-success-in-life/) [Stephen J. Cannell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-cannell/) > [I worshipped Ethel Merman and I worshipped Ethel Merman a lot. It's incredible - Ethel Merman was a conventional singer. Her naming her child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/i-worshipped-ethel-merman-and-i-worshipped-ethel-merman-a-lot-it-s/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [“He embodied what he worshipped, the exquisite in the commonplace…salt for the spirit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/he-embodied-what-he-worshipped-the-exquisite-in-the-commonplace-salt/) [Philip Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-levine/) > [We aren't made to be worshipped as humans. I think that is why we see so many great artists crumble, because as humans, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scooter-braun/we-aren-t-made-to-be-worshipped-as-humans-i-think-that-is-why-we-see/) [Scooter Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scooter-braun/) > [Gold is worshipped in all climates, without a single temple, and by all classes, without a single hypocrite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/gold-is-worshipped-in-all-climates-without-a-single-temple-and-by-all/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [The American model was celebrated by Thatcherites and New Labour alike, California worshipped as the model of the future, 'Anglo-Saxon' embalmed as the fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/the-american-model-was-celebrated-by-thatcherites-and-new-labour/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [If I want to dislike women, I should be allowed to. As it happens, I love them. Women to me are privately worshipped and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-horsley/if-i-want-to-dislike-women-i-should-be-allowed-to-as-it-happens-i/) [Sebastian Horsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-horsley/) > [Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughtered saints, whose bones Lie scattered on the Alpine mountains cold; Ev'n them who kept thy truth so pure of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/avenge-o-lord-thy-slaughtered-saints-whose-bones-lie-scattered-on-the/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [“How good to have things like this, to be worshipped again, to pretend to have a mystery!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/how-good-to-have-things-like-this-to-be-worshipped-again-to-pretend/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Blair worshipped Thatcherism, could see little or no wrong in it, believed that that was what the country needed, thought that there was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/blair-worshipped-thatcherism-could-see-little-or-no-wrong-in-it/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [I meet people from really grand backgrounds who had horrible parents who took no interest in them, whereas I'm a working-class boy from Deptford…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jools-holland/i-meet-people-from-really-grand-backgrounds-who-had-horrible-parents/) [Jools Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jools-holland/) > [Africa is to be pitied, worshipped or dominated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/binyavanga-wainaina/africa-is-to-be-pitied-worshipped-or-dominated/) [Binyavanga Wainaina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/binyavanga-wainaina/) Browse all 66 Worshipped quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If God were small enough to be understood, he wouldn’t be big enough to be worshipped.” —Evelyn Underhill357”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Timothy Keller" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-god-were-small-enough-to-be-understood-he-wouldn-t-be-big-enough/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Worshipped" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-god-were-small-enough-to-be-understood-he-wouldn-t-be-big-enough/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b15/timothy-keller-240_worshipped_if-god-were-small-enough-to-be-understoo_992453.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b15/timothy-keller-240_worshipped_if-god-were-small-enough-to-be-understoo_992453.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b15/timothy-keller-240_worshipped_if-god-were-small-enough-to-be-understoo_992453.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If God were small enough to be understood, he wouldn’t be big enough to be worshipped.” —Evelyn Underhill357” — Timothy Keller", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Timothy Keller", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If God were small enough to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-god-were-small-enough-to-be-understood-he-wouldn-t-be-big-enough/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-god-were-small-enough-to-be-understood-he-wouldn-t-be-big-enough/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```