Does God have a body? Does He look like a kindly old man or a powerful king? For many of us, God takes on many attributes of our human fathers. Sometimes He looks like a judge or a policeman. What does He really look like? This is an important question because our perceptions of God influence our relationship with Him.
I heard a story once about two preachers engaged in a public debate about God. The youngest of the two pastors got up to speak and He argued loudly “God is a man with a Man’s body Isaiah 59:1 Says that God has hands and ears! Numbers 6:25 says He has a face, we are called the apple of His eye, the sweet smell of sacrifice rises to Him where He smells with His nose! God is a man!” The young man felt as though he had made his point and yielded the floor to the second preacher, an old man with white hair and a Bible tucked under his arm. He moved with a gentle and wise way about him. He opened his Bible “Turn to Psalm 91 and verse 4, here it says God would cover you with His wings. Matthew 23:37 says that God would gather you under His wings like a mother hen. God is not a man He must be a chicken.” The crowd laughed at the absurd argument. Although some in the crowd thought God might be a man, they could not believe He was a chicken.
This story illustrates an important principle. The Bible ascribes many characteristics to God. All these characteristics are pictorial. It is easy to get caught up in the descriptions of God and forget that they are not literal. The Bible is clear no one has seen God (John 1:18, 1 John 4:12, Exodus 33:20). Colossians 1:15 Paul says that Jesus is the Image of the invisible God. The Bible also says God created us in His image. This might be a little confusing but let’s take scripture for what it says. God is invisible, but He created human kind in His image. Men and women display the image of God when they walk in the way God instructs. Because men do not walk in the way of God, He has made Himself visible through Jesus. God is not concerned with you seeing him physically He wants you to see His character and nature.
But why? Why doesn’t God just show us a physical body? The basis of faith and love should always be built on invisible things. Even in physical relationships with friends, families, and spouses. It is the invisible character and nature that are most important to any relationship. Physical bodies help us see the invisible things. God put some of His nature and character in us at creation, He gave words about His nature and character in the Law and the Prophets and then He gave us the clearest physical evidence of who He is through Jesus.
What does God look like? Jesus showed us the image of God. No one can know what God looks like without truly looking at the glory of Jesus.
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