Truth Magazine

By Randy Blackaby

Can a Man “See” God?

In Exodus 24:9-12 it is recorded that Moses and 73 others “saw the God of Israel” near Mt. Sinai. It is stated in Exodus 33:11 that the Lord spoke to Moses “face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.”

But in that same chapter (33:20-23) it says God told Moses, “You cannot see My face, for no man shall see Me, and live.”

The New Testament provides similar contrasting statements. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount he said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). But in John 1:18 it clearly states, “No one has seen God at any time.”

So, do the Scriptures contradict themselves? Can a mortal man “see” God or not?

The Bible’s historical records clearly show that men and women have seen representations of God. Hagar was approached by an angel (Gen. 16:7ff) and the handmaiden of Sarah understood that she had seen God (v. 13).

Jacob wrestled with a “man” (Gen. 32:24) but called the place of that wrestling “Peniel” because, he said, “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”

Moses and the 70 elders of Israel saw something they knew as God (Exod. 24:9-12). Moses saw God in the form of or speaking from a burning bush (Exod. 3). God led the children of Israel through the wilderness by manifesting himself as a cloud by day and a fire by night. At Mt. Sinai his presence was revealed by thunderings, lightning and a dark cloud. Isaiah said he saw the Lord on a throne when he had a vision (Isa. 6:1, 5). Ezekiel had a similar experience (Ezek. 1:26-28).

What did these people really see? The Apostle Paul de-scribed God as “eternal, immortal and invisible” (1 Tim. 1:17).

Our interpretive options are two. We can conclude the Scriptures conflict or we can look more closely at what it means to “see” a person, such as God. And, since the first option is untenable in light of the inspiration of Scripture, we must look to the second for our answer.

Physical vision allows us to do several things. By it we can observe the characteristics of someone, recognize that person again in the future, and, we can acquire knowledge about that person, his essence, attributes, nature, etc.

Figuratively, we can do the same. We can “see” God however he decides to “reveal” himself to the mind’s eye.

How, then, does God reveal himself to us today. He-brews 1:1-3 contrasts how God revealed himself in times past to his present means  through Jesus. In John 14:7-9, Philip is standing in the presence of Jesus and says he wants to see the Father. Jesus tells him he has  because he has seen Jesus. In Colossians 1:15 Jesus is described as the visible image of the invisible God.

We are taken a step further in our understanding in 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 where not only is Jesus declared to be the “image of God” but the gospel is described as the light which reveals Jesus  and thus God  to us.

Since Jesus is not here in the flesh any longer, we see God through Jesus with the eye of faith. We place trust and confidence in the Word that reveals or lets us “see” God. Jesus told Thomas, “because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). John then goes ahead in the next two verses to explain that he had written his record of Jesus so that men might believe and have life.

In Exodus 33:11 Moses is said to have seen God “face to face.” Since the same chapter says he didn’t physically see God’s face, we must infer that “face to face” refers to the close communion, familiarity or friendship relation that Moses enjoyed with God.

As we today obey the gospel and maintain fellowship with God through obedience, we develop such a “face to face” relationship. James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” As we learn of God’s nature through the word and let him dwell in us, we “see” God in the fullest sense (1 John 4:12-16).

The process of seeing God is progressive  we can draw nearer and nearer. In 1 John 3:2 it says, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

So long as we are in the flesh, we see God by faith. We see him in the things he has created and by what he has revealed in his Word. But the day is coming when we shall see him like he is and be like him.

In that day we won’t have physical bodies (1 Cor. 15) so our “seeing” of God still won’t be with physical eyes but it will be with vision not limited by the weaknesses of the flesh. Our faith shall become sight.

Guardian of Truth XL: No. 22, p. 14-15
November 21, 1996

By H. Osby Weaver

While preaching in Hawaii during the war years, one of our members invited a fellow-worker to our services and received a tongue lashing for his efforts, a part of which was that all churches were frauds and were interested in nothing more than to get your money. Later, after thinking more about it, he decided to attend on his own and see for himself.

The lesson of the hour was about what one would expect to hear at any of our services. At the conclusion, the man came around and told me that he was interested in what he had heard and would like to talk to me about it further. This we did until about midnight at which point he said, “You know, I believe that, and I want to be baptized one of these days.” My response was “Why not now?” He informed me that he worked on the night shift at Pearl Harbor and would not have time to catch the bus and get to work on time. I told him that I would take him to work in my car. He said, “Well, no need to get in a hurry about it. I’ll have plenty of time, and I will do it one of these days.” I asked, “Do you mean that you want to serve the devil a while longer?”

He replied, “No, that is not my attitude at all.” I then asked him that if he never had another opportunity to obey the Lord, what would he say to him in the day of judgment? He dropped his head momentarily in sober reflection, then looking me in the eye, he said, “I just don’t know what I would say, let’s do it now!” I took him down into the water and baptized him for the remission of his sins shortly after midnight.

The following Thursday, he became violently ill on the job, was rushed to the hospital where emergency surgery was performed, and it was learned that even though he had no pain before, he was eaten up with cancer. He died in less than thirty days.

He was never permitted to attend but one gospel service in all of his life. If he had left me that night without obeying the Lord, he would have died lost. I have always been grateful that “knowing the terror of the Lord” that I persuaded him to obey.

Now let me tell you about another gentleman with whom I talked about obeying the Lord. He was my barber when I live in a north central Texas town. In talking to him about his need to become a Christian while he cut my hair, he responded with, “My wife, you know, is a member of the church of Christ.” I knew that and told him that he ought to be. He chuckled a little and informed me that he planned to be sometime in the future. I told him that he was not getting any younger. He readily agreed to that, but said he had a little living to do yet and felt that he had plenty of time yet. My reply was, “Time may be running out on you.” He said, “Oh, I don’t think it will.” I didn’t either at that time, but was merely calling his attention to the possibility.

I left town for several days and upon my return I went to the barber shop. The barber was not there, and I noticed that his name had been removed form the minor. Thinking that he perhaps had gone to work in another shop in town, I asked, “Where is my barber?” The others said, “He is dead.” While standing at his chair, he had a massive heart attack and died on the way to the hospital.

Time ran out on him sooner than either he or I thought it would. He departed this life knowing what he should do to obey the Lord and knowing that he really ought to do it. But he didn’t!

Now which of the two had you rather be? Each rational being holds his destiny within his own hands. These two were alike in that they both lived, and they both died, and at one point, they were alike in that neither had obeyed the gospel of Christ. There, however, the likeness ends. Which had you rather be?

You may say, “I don’t believe that I will become like either of them.” You just did!

Guardian of Truth XL: No. 22, p. 13
November 21, 1996

By Ken Vaughn

Article One of the Articles of Faith of The Standard Manual for Baptist Churches by Edward T. Hiscox, D. D., says, “We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired, and this is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction; that it has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its matter; that it reveals the principles by which God will judge us; and therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried” (58).

The above statement concerning the Bible is certainly true. Does the author of the statement truly believe what he said? Evidently, he does not! The very presence of the creed from which the statement is quoted proves the inconsistency of his claim. He is either deceived or dishonest. The man who believes what he said concerning the Bible will not spend one minute writing a human creed. He who believes what he said about the Bible will not subscribe to his human creed!

On page 56 of the same Manual we read: “All evangelical churches profess to take the Holy Scriptures as their only and sufficient guide in matters of religious faith and practice. Baptists, especially, claim to have no authoritative creed except the New Testament.”

How can a man claim that they have no authoritative creed except the New Testament when the very statement is written in a creed which is not the New Testament? It seems that anyone should be able to think more clearly than that, and certainly a “D.D.” They may “profess” to take the Holy Scriptures as their “only” and sufficient guide, but they do not. Their action denies their claim! The man who truly believes that the Bible is a “sufficient guide” in religion wouldn’t give a dime a dozen for human creeds and manuals. The man who wrote the Manual and the churches which claim to follow it are inconsistent.

Inconsistency is not limited to the Baptists. Some among us can be just as inconsistent, and our inconsistency is even more inexcusable.

For example: Would you be willing for your son or daughter to attend a dance at the church building. It would be chaperoned by the preacher and his wife. We will have punch and other things to eat. We will play music from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and even some modern stuff. Your children could do the bop, twist and even the grind. Doesn’t this sound interesting. There is no sense just letting the kids have all the fun, why don’t we all just come and dance; I am sure there are some who would like to dance with your wife. After all, all we are doing is providing a social occasion for young and old.

I am certain that there are some whose blood pressure has already peaked. If it is alright for your sons and daughters to attend a dance and it is not sin, then why do we not have one here at the building? If the building is the problem, I’ll rent a room at the local hotel. Would you allow anther man who is a member of this congregation to cuddle your wife while dancing? Why would you allow a stranger to do the same with your daughter?

I am equally certain that if we were to think of the clothing that some wear in public they would be ashamed if they really knew what is thought of them. Some I fear have no idea of decent clothing and “shamefacedness” and what is far worse is that some parents who claim to love God stimulate such attire and action. Think about how your sons and daughters run around dressed. Skirts that are too short and shorts that are too short are not conducive to godly living. Allowing your children to live, dress, or act ungodly is a sin upon you as a parent and you will be held accountable (Eph. 6:4).

There is but one conclusion that can be made. These people either do not love their children or do not love God! If they truly loved their children they would do all that they could to give them the grounding that they might make it to heaven rather than the concept of desiring that they might be the most popular girl/boy in school.

Parents that allow their children to participant in activities that would cause others to sin are contrary to basic tenets of God’s plan. These parents need to be disciplined and taught or re-taught what God expects of them. When we openly defy God’s word there is no more sacrifice for sin (Heb. 10:26).

When we allow sin to fester it will grow and become worse. Do you want to go to heaven? I hope that this is your goal. If we miss heaven, we will have missed all that there is. Do you want your children to go to heaven? Be-gin today to train them in the paths that will lead them to God. Give them the tools to fight Satan so their life will be filled with the glory of God.

Guardian of Truth XL: No. 22, p. 12-13
November 21, 1996

By Dan King, Sr.

On the night of the Lord’s betrayal, he went with his three disciples Peter, James and John to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Matthew reports that in the solitude of the quiet garden “he began to be sorrowful and sore troubled” (26:37). Knowing what awaited him that night and the following day, he needed the company, prayers, and support of his nearest friends.

But they let him down. He asked of them only that they wait nearby and watch with him. When he returned to them after a short while, he found them sleeping instead of watching. They awoke to hear not a harsh voice of condemnation, but one filled with personal disappointment: “What, could ye not watch with me one hour?” Surely they could have seen the depth of the gloom that had settled over his soul as he came to the garden to pray! Surely they must have felt the sense of foreboding that had at-tended the trip to Jerusalem and all the events of that week! Yet, when he needed them most they had failed him. They had fallen asleep like this was just any other night.

The advice Jesus gave them that night was filled with profound implications both for them on that night and for us in our own lives as well. “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (v. 41). With these words he slipped back into the darkness and prayed again that his Father might let this cup pass from him. Shortly, though, the disciples were asleep again (v. 43). Before the night was through he was betrayed into the hands of his enemies and tried on capital charges. The next day he was cruelly crucified.

Christ’s words to them on that dark night have several important lessons for us today. Let us make note of a few of them below:

The Spirit Indeed is Willing in Good People

The disciples of Christ were not bad men. They were good men. They wanted to go with him to the garden and to watch with him that night. Their spirits were willing.

The importance of this point cannot be minimized. The world is filled with people whose hearts are unwilling. There exists in this world in great profusion a “spirit that worketh in the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2). This was true in the first century, and it is true now. It is all about us, manifesting itself in forms both subtle and flagrant. This spirit is unwilling to yield itself to the loving appeals of the word of God. It is well illustrated by the answer of old Israel to the prophet Jeremiah’s call to repentance: “Thus saith Jehovah, Stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way; and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls: but they said, We will not walk therein. And I set watch-men over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet; but they said, We will not hearken” (Jer. 6:16-17).

So, when there are those whose hearts are willing to submit to the Father’s determinations, there is reason for us to rejoice. But we need to be realistic too. A willing heart cannot, by itself, achieve the goal toward which we are striving.

But The Flesh is Weak Even in the Best of People

No doubt the disciples fell asleep that night because they were tired. It had been a long day, filled with heart-stopping moments of challenge and argument between Jesus and the Jewish leadership. The anxiety level had been high since they started the trip to Jerusalem several days before. As soon as they got still they fell asleep. The reason: the son: the flesh was weak. Their intentions were good, but good intentions at times can fall prey to fleshly weakness. In this case they did.

Paul described this struggle in his own being between the desire to do good and the fleshly feebleness which he sometimes displayed: “For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I know not: for not what I would, that do I practice; but what I hate, that I do. But if what I would not, that I do, I consent unto the law that it is good. So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwelleth in me. For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me, but to do that which is good is not” (Rom. 7:14-18). God’s remedy for this weakness of the human condition is put before us in the person of Jesus Christ and his redemptive work on the cross: “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (v. 24).

Many times today we meet those who intend to do what is right but who fail miserably. They make promises. They make New Year’s resolutions. They hope to do better. They plan to do better. But they don’t do any better, even though the spirit is willing, at least for a time.

If you are one of such people, the redemptive work of Christ at the cross will give you a new start in life and another chance at faithfulness. If you repent and pray for forgiveness, you can start over again (Acts 8:22).

But, dear reader, please play close attention to the lesson of the rest of the verse:

Christ Gave The Sleepy Disciples Some Advice

That Applies To All People: “Watch And Pray”

It would have been virtually impossible for these men to have fallen asleep if their minds and bodies had been occupied in some intensive activity. Watching and praying would have done it. But they fell asleep again because they apparently did not watch and pray. They failed the Lord Jesus because they did not listen to him! We fail him oftentimes today for the same reason.

The Lord’s counsel to the disciples was truly profound, although it usually escapes the reader. The point is that one ought always to be engaged in the good and beneficial activities of life, or else spiritual sleep will “slip up on us” before we know it. Those around us are lulled to sleep by the hum-drum activities of life: working and making a living, doing chores around the house and in the yard, recreating and partying, eating and sleeping, etc.: “So then let us not sleep, as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober” (1 Thess. 5:6).

Truly, “an idle mind is the Devil’s workshop.” Let us keep busy in the Lord’s vineyard till he comes. Let us “Watch and Pray”! Or, as Paul put it as he concluded his great chapter on the resurrection: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58).

Guardian of Truth XL: No. 22, p. 10-11
November 21, 1996