18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
John 1:18
Explanation:
The idea that “no man has seen God at any time” is pretty incredible. Moses was one who knew this reality. At one time He asked God to see His glory.
[18] And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. [19] And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. [20] And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. [21] And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: [22] And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: [23] And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
Exodus 33:18-23
God’s own testimony is that mankind cannot handle seeing Him in all His glory. Moses encountered God in the burning bush. The children of Israel saw God’s presence manifested in a vailed way through the pillar of fire, the pillar of cloud. They saw the shekinah glory of God as it filled the tabernacle. Moses only saw the after effects, the back parts, of God’s presence in glory, and it changed him. Check out Exodus 34:
[29] And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. [30] And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. [31] And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. [32] And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai. [33] And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. [34] But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. [35] And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
Exodus 34:29-35
This is just someone who saw the effects of God’s glory, and they had to cover his face. God is so infinitely glorious and holy that mankind, after the fall, has no hope of standing in his presence and seeing his glory.
Yet this verse tells us that though we have not seen God, now Christ in His incarnation is revealing God to us. He is vailed in flesh. At the transfiguration His glory was revealed. This was Peter’s testimony.
[16] For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. [17] For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. [18] And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. 2 Peter 1:16-18
This was also the testimony of Jesus Christ about Himself. His claim was that He was the Son of God, equal with the Father.
“Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.” (John 14:8-11)
The text says that He was in the bosom of the Father. This is an intimate reality for Jesus. He enjoyed perfect fellowship with the Father and Spirit from eternity past as a coequal with them. Jesus’ testimony here is that God the Father has revealed Himself to the world through the person of Jesus Christ.
The word “declared” is the word exēgeomai , from which we get words like exegete. The idea is to expose, to clarify, to proclaim or declare. Exegetical or expositional preaching has as it’s aim to say what the text says in a way that is faithful to it. We are walking through the text and considering what it means. We’re exposing the text. John’s statement here is that God the Father is exposing what He is like by sending His Son, Jesus Christ.
Application:
I can have a relationship with God the Father by believing in Christ the Son and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit to indwell me once I am saved. This reality is so wonderful I ought to let it impact every part of my life. The God who created the Universe became one of us. He did it to save us. He did it to reveal Himself to us.
His holiness and glory helps me to see who I really am next to who He really is. I need His grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
Response:
- What is your response to this depiction of the glory of God?
- Take some time to thank God for sending Jesus to reveal Himself to us.