John 1:14-18 (ESV)

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 ( John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

Vision

Philosophy: Can God Be Seen?

The topic of the vision of God is somewhat complex in Scripture. No one may see God and live (Ex 33:20), but there are a number of visions of God (theophanies) mentioned in the Old Testament (Gen 16:13; Ex 24:9-10; Num 12:6-8; Job 42:5; Is 6:1, 5; Ezek 1:1; 8:3; 40:2).

The bible further emphasizes that no one has seen God (Jn 1:18; 5:37; 1 Jn 4:12), but believers are promised that they will see God at the end of salvation history (1 Jn 3:2), and John himself has a vision of God (Rev 4:2-3).

Types Of Sight

It is helpful to distinguish three basic types of sight which include: physical sight rational sight, that is, perception through rational thought and

inference spiritual sight with the "eyes of the heart" (Eph 1:18), that is,

perception of the soul that comes through intuition, communion, faith and love, as mediated by the Holy Spirit to those who are willing to do the will of God (Jn 7:17).

Clear Sight

When Scripture says it is not possible to see God, it is referring to vision in the physical sense, since God is not a physical object. It is possible to see him with the second form of sight (that is, sight in the sense of intellectual perception) for Scripture says truth about God can indeed be inferred from the natural order (for example, Ps 19:1-4; Acts 14:17; Rom 1:19-20).

The third form of sight occurs in the context of covenant relationship and love. It includes descriptive mystical experiences, such as those experienced by Isaiah (Is 6:1) and John (Rev 4:2-3) and other descriptive experiences.

Application Questions

In what ways do you see God working in your life? In what ways do you see God working in the life of

others? How do we see God’s goodness in the midst of

difficulties? How do we see God’s goodness when we’re suffering?