Seeing God in
different ways
“No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God
abides in us and His love is perfected in us.
By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given
us of His Spirit. And we have seen and
testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world (1st
John 4:12-14).”
Seeing God
Christians readily confess no one has ever seen God the
Father. The Apostle Paul said God dwells
in unapproachable light (1st Timothy 6:16). But the inability to see God is not a
hindrance in knowing Him because His Son Jesus, “who is at the Father’s side
(John 1:18)”, has clearly revealed Him to us.
Letters and correspondence make it possible to know someone
without actually seeing them. Many first
century Christians found Christ through letters just as others do today. Those who never saw Christ in person learned
of His life the same way people today learn about Paul Revere, Augustine of
Hippo or Julius Caesar – by reliable eye-witness reports.
Christians see Jesus in the Gospel record - one of the most
reliable texts of antiquity. In one of
the records, we find the words of Jesus pointing us to God the Father. Jesus said, “Whoever has seen Me has seen the
Father…Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me…(John
14).”
Add to the letters the divine gift of faith, and now anyone
can know the one true God personally. In
addition to the written word, the love of His children is another way to see
God today.
Seeing God in others
One visible sign of God is the unique ‘perfected’ love found
in His followers. In other words, one
who loves God and His laws possesses perfected love. Its perfection is verified not by its
perceived quality of expression; but rather by its object: God and His laws. When Jesus said, “if you love Me, keep My
commandments (John 14:15)”, He was speaking of the laws of God. Therefore, our love for God and His law is evidence
of His handiwork and should point people to His Son Jesus Christ.
For example, Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for
those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in
heaven (Matthew 5:44-45).” The perfected
love is the delight in being “sons of your Father who is in heaven”. When the world observes such love communicated
and expressed in adversity, God’s glory is on display for them to see.
Commandment keeping doesn’t prove love; rather, it is a
proof of love. A love for God’s word springs
from a love for Him. Scripture never credits
a love towards God to the innate ability of man. “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile
to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed it cannot (Romans 8:7).” So if such love is not of human origin, it
must be superhuman – or divine. It is a
product of regeneration and the indwelling of the Spirit of God.
Authenticated by the
Spirit of God
Regeneration follows an awareness of spiritual death. Paul explained a second death: “when the
commandment came, sin came alive and I died (Romans 7:9b).” He thought moralism gave life, but not so. Instead, it only informed him of his
sin. He knew the soul that sins shall
die (Ezekiel 18). No matter how hard he
tried, without perfected love, he could not please God.
But when Jesus saved him, he was born again and Christ gave
him the Spirit of life. He was able to love
God’s law by the Spirit of God. In spite
of his sin, his right standing with God was secured in Jesus Christ. All his sins were condemned to Christ on the
cross. As his mind was set on the new
way of the Spirit, he pleased God and enjoyed life and peace. The new life in the Spirit assured Paul and
other early Christians that they lived in God and God lived in them.
How perfected love is
conveyed
Sometimes the perfect love of God is communicated in a clear
Gospel message where God’s good news to sinners is made known: There is a Holy God who deserves our
worship. As sinners, we deride Him and
disregard His laws. God in His mercy
provided a sacrifice for our sins by dispensing His righteous anger upon His
Son on Calvary. Anyone who turns from sin, esteems and trusts
in His Son’s sacrifice is born again into a new life. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, rose from the
dead and defeated sin and death. He is
coming back as judge and king. The Gospel
call is to repent (forsake sin) and trust the Savior.
While God is invisible, He is clearly revealed in the Person
of Jesus Christ. Following Christ, we
see God anywhere His people are making Him known and loving one another. Their love is not their own, it is of the
Spirit of God and given at regeneration.
A life saved and changed by God is good enough to talk about in
public.
Our Godly Heritage Quote of the Week
“A monopolistic system of education controlled by the state
is far more efficient in crushing our liberty than the cruder weapons of fire
and sword.”
J. Gresham Machen, Selected Shorter Writings,
Theologian & Church Leader