God is not visible. Man cannot see God. The Gospel of John says, “No man hath seen God at any time.” (John 1:18) The book of First Timothy says God is, “Invisible.” (1 Timothy 1:17) God Himself told Moses, “Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me and live.” (Exodus 33:20) Why does God not allow man to see Him?

God does not hide Himself from to be mysterious. He hides His glory from the sight of men so they will not die. God’s perfect holiness is so brilliant that no sinful being can survive in His presence. The sun is such a piercing light that none can look directly on it. Filters and screens must be used for frail humans to actually look at the sun. The sun is not hard to see because the sun trying to be coy with humanity, but because man in unable to endure the sight. God’s holiness is far greater than the sun. None can endure the full display of God’s majesty. God in His grace prevents His glory from bursting out on the world and destroying all those who see it.

Though God’s glory is obscured, He did not hide Himself away from men. God has revealed Himself to humanity in multiple ways. At the beginning of history God made Himself known to mankind. After men sinned, God continued to communicate with humanity. The record of the Bible is a record of God revealing Himself to people. Adam, Cain, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and dozens of others had direct communication with God. Though God is not speaking directly to people today, He continues to make Himself known to all people. God’s power is on display in all of creation. (Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:20) God’s goodness is seen all around in His care for creation and provision for humanity. (Psalm 104) Nature never stops telling everyone about God. (Psalm 19:1-3) God has also revealed Himself through His Word. The Bible declares the character of God, details His promises, proclaims His saving grace and unveils His plan for the world. God may not be speaking directly to individuals today, but He is actively communicating with people through His Word. God is still revealing Himself through Scripture. Though people cannot see God, He has not hidden Himself from men. He has revealed to us all we need to know about Him.

Most importantly, God has revealed Himself to the whole world through His Son. God revealed Himself to humanity in various times and manners, but the greatest revelation of God is in the person of Jesus. (Hebrews 1:1-2) Though no man has seen God, Jesus is the only begotten Son of God who has declared Him to the world. (John 1:18) Jesus is the exact image of God (Colossians 1:15), the brightness of God’s glory and the express image of His person. (Hebrews 1:3) Jesus is God made flesh who lived among men. (John 1:14) God has not hidden Himself. He has made Himself known to all the world.

The reason men do not see God’s revelation of Himself is because of sin. Sin has darkened the minds and blinded the hearts of everyone. (Ephesians 4:18) Satan is actively working to blind and keep blinded the eyes of all people. (2 Corinthians 4:4) They way to see God is to believe. Through faith we know God and see Him who is invisible. (Hebrews 11:27)

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)