Weekly Blog: How to See God
Dec 23, 2019 2945
Since the beginning of human history, we have wanted to see God. All of the religion of humanity, with its temples, priests, and rituals, has always been about seeing God. But they got it all wrong.
At one level, no-one can see God. In John 1:18, Jesus says,
No one has ever seen God…
When you compare this with a similar statement from Jesus in John 6:46, you can see that Jesus is equating God with the Father. Also, in both statements, Jesus says that no-one has seend God, except himself.
The reason why this is interesting (and important) is that there are many instances in the Old Testament where you find people who see God.
In Isaiah 6:5, the prophet says,
…my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.
In Exodus 33:11 we are told that,
The Lord would speak with Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.
The whole of the eighteenth chapter of Genesis is an extended conversation between Abraham and the Lord God. Here, God visits Abraham on his way to do something about Sodom and Gomorrah, and they even share a barbequed goat! The chapter begins with the words,
The LORD appeared to Abraham…
So, you can’t say that no-one has seen God. What is going on?
Jesus said that he who has seen him has seen the Father:
Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? (John 14:9, NIV).
Jesus doesn’t say that if you have seen him it “is like” seeing the Father, or that it is “as good as” seeing the Father. Jesus says that if you have seen him you have seen God. Jesus, as Hebrews 1 tells us is the very essence of the core being of God. This is precisely the meaning of the Greek text in Hebrews 1:3:
He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature(NASB).
So are there have been many people who have certainly seen God, and seen his face, because they saw Jesus when he was on earth.
Because of the cross, you can see God.
However, this goes deeper, because the Bible says that,
…there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim 2:5, NIV).
This tells us that every communication between God and humanity, as recorded in the Bible, has always been through the second person of the Godhead. Whoever has seen God, has seen him through Jesus.
When Moses saw God, he saw Jesus (John 8:58). When Abraham saw God, he saw Jesus (John 8:56-59). When Isaiah saw God, he saw Jesus (John 12:41).
But let’s talk about you and me? Are we able to see God?
Yes, absolutely, because Christ has promised it:
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God (Matt 5:8, NIV).
To see God, you must be pure in heart. You must be righteous.
David prayed in the Psalm 17:15,
As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake(NASB).
The idea here is that David is confident that he will have a righteousness that will allow him to see the face of God.
This is a purity of heart, a righteousness, that we can only have through our mediator, Jesus Christ.
Accept the gift! Because of what Christ has done at Calvary, you will see the face of God!
Greig
Dec 29, 2019
Amen. Thanks Eli for your great thoughts on the nature of God. Greig
John Duwai
Jan 1, 2020
Nice words