God Has Been Made Known to Us in Jesus
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
(John 1:18)
Jesus came to make God known to man. No one has ever seen God, for God has said, “No one may see me and live” (Exodus 33:20). I am reminded of Moses who, while sojourning here on this earth, most certainly had an intimate fellowship with God. Yet he still had a desire to see God’s glory–for God to somehow make His glory visible. Here is the response he received:
-Romans 11:33-36
Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.” (Exodus 33:18-23)
God denied that which was not fit to be granted–fleshly eyes cannot bear to behold the pureness and holiness of God’s full glory. Yet, He was gracious to His servant Moses. Notice the place where God in His compassion told Moses to stand: on the rock. Notice where He mercifully puts Moses as He passes by: in the cleft of that rock. That rock signifies Christ and it is only through Christ that we have the knowledge of the glory of God.
-1 Timothy 6:15-16
Jesus himself said:
“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (Matthew 11:27)
No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. (John 6:46)
“A full discovery of the glory of God would quite overpower the faculties of any mortal man in this present state, and overwhelm him, even Moses himself. There is a knowledge and enjoyment of God which must be waited for in another world, when we shall see Him as He is. In the meantime let us adore the height of what we do know of God, and the depth of what we do not know.” (Matthew Henry)
-Oswald Chambers
Our God is so totally other. It is impossible for mere flesh to get our minds around this concept! Christ came to demonstrate for us the qualities and attributes of God–to give us a clearer view of His love and mercy and compassion. Just as God caused His goodness to pass in front of Moses, Jesus, fully God and fully man, came to flesh out God’s goodness to man. Filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control and robed in righteousness, compassion and humility, Jesus makes God known allowing man the glimmer of the unapproachable light.
Take It to Heart
Just as Jesus was sent for our benefit, believers in Him are sent for the benefit of the lost. Equipped with the power of His Spirit, we are to be His ambassadors–being the aroma of Christ to a needy world. Jesus tells us:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, of the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?
(2 Corinthians 2:15-16)
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, each one of us is to make Jesus known to others. “Every Christian life ought to be a force among men, a witness for Jesus and an influence for blessing and good. I know that there are few people like Billy Graham, whom God calls to do great things for Him. For men like me, and perhaps you, the best thing that we can do in the small time allotted to us in this world is to live out a genuine, simple, beautiful, strong Christian life. In our little measure we can repeat the life of the Lord Himself, doing in our imperfect way a few of the wonderful things He would do if He were Himself in our place.” (Wales Goebel)