Seeing the God Who Has Never Been Seen

In 1st John 4:12, when John says, “No one has seen God at any time,” it’s really a repeat of John 1:18 which says, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”

That almost sounds contradictory. Isn’t Jesus God? Oh, yes! And in the Old Testament, didn’t people see God? Didn’t Adam walk with God in the Garden in the cool of the day in Genesis 3:8? And didn’t Abraham entertain God in his tent on the plains of Mamre in Genesis 18 just before He sent the angels down to Sodom to rescue Lot before destruction? And didn’t Moses meet with God in the burning bush and on Mt. Sinai during the Exodus at the giving of the Law? And both Isaiah and Daniel had visions of God sitting on His throne.

But do we ever really see God the Father? Only partially, because God is Spirit. No one ever sees God in His Spiritual essence. Men see only what God allows and what He reveals to us.

For instance, in Exodus 33:20, God said to Moses, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” So do we ever see God here on earth in the flesh? No! Only through Jesus. In John 1:18, Jesus told us, “The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” And in John 14:9, Jesus said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.”

But how was Jesus seen? Was He seen in all the glory of God? No! He was seen veiled in human flesh; so much so that the multitudes who saw Him didn’t recognize Him as God. And now, even that view of God is gone because Jesus ascended – He went back to heaven where He is now at the right hand of the Father.

How then can people see God now? And by this, I’m talking about the masses. Some of you might be thinking the Bible. And indeed, Christ is revealed through His Word.

But most people won’t ever read the Bible. Even most so called Christians hardly ever read it. You can see this by simply answering how often you’ve read the Bible through. So, how can the masses ever see God?

Here’s the answer: They can see God only as they see God living through us. They can’t see God directly, but He can be seen in us - the ones in whom He abides.

But if that’s true, what attribute does God most want us to show? Without a doubt, I think the answer is love. The “God is love” and “Love one another” passages should make that clear. We are to show the world God’s love. But what kind of love does God want us to show? We are to show a redemptive love. That’s the emphasis of 1st John 4:14, “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. “

To love people like Jesus did is to seek them out with the desire to see them saved through repentant faith in Jesus Christ.