Articles
There IS No Plausible Deniability
Several decades ago, our federal government began making official the practice of withholding certain information from individuals in high political positions [as high as the President] so, if discovered, the high government official could reasonably and truthfully say he had no information regarding the discovery and, more importantly in political circles, did not order the usually-covert operation. The term plausible deniability became a part of the political and governmental landscape forever thereafter as a means of protecting one’s political aspirations and/or political career. The occasions where this defense/excuse has been used are too numerous to mention here, but many CIA operations were carried out with this as a part of the covert acts they so often did, as well as the Watergate scandal in the early 1970s.
As one might guess, the plausible deniability was merely a scheme whereby political leaders could deny any part in an unpopular and/or illegal operation, but the credibility of the argument was always highly questionable. The ‘success’ of these operations and acts carried out with plausible deniability known to be an essential part of the plan rested on the fact of no evidence to be found that could be traced back to the ones who were ultimately and actually responsible for authorizing it all. While no evidence could be found and, in most cases, no one willing to testify truthfully without fear of retribution, those who sought accountability were certainly not appeased; quite often, the only thing that prevented punitive actions was the lack of clear evidence linking the authority figure to the actions. Lack of evidence did not mean lack of guilt.
And it seems that many people today seem to think plausible deniability is going to be a valid defense/excuse on Judgment Day, when they stand before God and Christ and have to give an answer for the life they have lived. It is not. You see, there is — to God — no such thing as plausible deniability. The excuses we use with men are not valid, not credible, and will not work with God. If we are thinking we can stand before Him in the end and just say, “I didn’t know,” and expect to be rewarded with eternal life in heaven, we are greatly and sadly mistaken. Why?
God Knows All. While we might be able to ‘get away with’ certain things here on earth because we destroy or successfully hide or suppress evidence that might incriminate us, there is no hiding anything from God. No one and nothing can be hidden from God.
The psalmist wrote, about 3000 years ago, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall fall on me,’ even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You” (Psa. 139:7-12). The writer of Hebrews would write, “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Heb. 4:13). We are fooling only ourselves if we think we can do something God will not see and know.
And in the final Judgment? The wise writer noted, “God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Eccl. 12:14). And let us note, in particular, that those ‘secret things’ other men may have never known will be brought out — even our motives. Paul noted that, in that Judgment, God would “bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts” (1 Cor. 4:5; NASB). You see, God cares not only about what we do, but why we do it. That, too, will be a part of our Judgment, and there will be no plausible deniability because God knows the heart of every man (Psa. 44:21; Prov. 27:19). Again, there is no plausible deniability with God. He knows, and He knows all.
God Has Been Revealed to Mankind. Others may try to excuse themselves by saying they either didn’t know God existed, didn’t know how to find Him, or didn’t know what God’s word says, citing ‘lack of opportunity’ to know. That, too, is an excuse that will not work for the vast majority of mankind. But let us consider these denials.
God’s existence. This is an old, well-used and inherently false, argument. When Paul addressed the godless Gentiles, he noted the fact that “what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:18-20). We can claim to not see any evidence for His existence, but the claim is simply false. Denial does not mean the evidence is not there for any honest heart to see. The ignorance of God, in this case, is similar to the time God said His people were “destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos. 4:6); the ignorance of God was intentional. They didn’t want to know. And so it is with many who will claim ignorance of God’s existence. It will not excuse us.
The fact is, “He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:26, 27); in other words, He has created a world where man would, by observation of the natural world, see the inherent wisdom behind it all as motivation for seeking the One who was responsible for it all. When man fails to do that, it is not for lack of evidence man does not find God, but lack of will.
God’s will. Others may argue that they simply didn’t know what God wanted them to do. That, too, is an attempt at plausible deniability; the claim, again, is, “I didn’t know.” As with the previous excuses, it is simply not credible — and God knows whether or not we had ‘opportunity.’ I find it extremely difficult to believe anyone in the modern world could honestly make such a claim. In a country where we print 100 million Bibles each year, and where the literacy rate is almost 90%, no one can honestly claim they don’t have opportunity. Again, it is more for a lack of will than it is a lack of opportunity.
And should someone say the Bible is too difficult to understand, that excuse is no better. In the first century, and in a time and place where the literacy rate was about 11%, Paul wrote to Christians in Ephesus and reminded them of the things he had written to them regarding God’s plan for the salvation of mankind, and plainly said, “when you read, you may understand” (Eph. 3:4-6). If they could understand it, so can we. So can you.
And please don’t try to use ‘the man stranded on a desert island who never hears the gospel’ as your escape plan. God will judge that man righteously and He will judge you righteously, and the situation of someone else does not erase your case.
No excuses. — Steven Harper
