Scripture is very clear in stating that human eyes have never seen and are not able to see the fullness of God’s glory and person. In the Bible, God is described as being “invisible” (Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17). God is the one “whom no one has ever seen or can see” (1 Timothy 6:16). The Apostle John uses the same phrase two different times in order to describe this reality: “No one has ever seen God” (John 1:18; 1 John 4:12). God Himself said, “…man shall not see me and live” (Exodus 33:20).
How can humanity see God for who He is? If He is invisible, how can we, as human beings, visibly see the nature and character of the One who has created us? The New Testament provides a very clear answer to that question: the way that people see the fullness of God’s character and nature is by looking at His Son, Jesus Christ. In Colossians 1:15, Paul says that Jesus “is the image of the invisible God.” John 1:18 presents the same idea: “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” In John 14:9, Jesus says, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” Similarly, in John 12:45, Jesus states, “And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.” By coming to earth and living as both fully God and fully human, Jesus has made the God who we cannot see known to us.
Hebrews 1:3 dives into this idea with a little more detail by stating that Jesus is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.” Think about how the sun works. During the daytime, in order to see things, we do not look directly at the sun; we are able to see because of the beams of light radiating from the sun. According to Psalm 24:10, God is the “King of Glory.” When we look at Jesus, we see someone who radiates and reflects God’s great glory. As the moon reflects the sun, Jesus reflects the amazing glory of our God. Jesus is not only “the radiance of the glory of God” but also “the exact imprint of His nature.” Think about what it is like to walk along the beach. Underneath your bare feet, the wet sand molds to your feet. Looking back where you came from, you are able to the exact imprint of your feet in the sand. Imagine placing your hand in wet concrete and then allowing it to harden. Left behind would be the exact imprint of your hand. If we want to truly see God’s nature and character, we must look to Jesus. Just like you can see the imprint of your foot in the sand or your hand in the concrete, we see the exact imprint of God’s nature when we look at Jesus.
If you want to see the character and nature of God, take some time this week to look to the person, teachings, and life of Jesus as it is recorded in the New Testament. When you become more like Jesus, you become more like God. When you become more like God, you will not only live for Him but also live with him for all of eternity.
-Tyler Alverson
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