443. I Want to See God with My Eyes - Pastor Chai

When engaging in evangelism, there are people who half-jokingly, half-seriously say they would believe if God showed Himself. It seems that Moses, the leader who led the Israelites out of Egypt, had a similar desire. He asked God to show him His form (Ex 33:18). Though it could have been an audacious request, God did not rebuke him but showed Himself—yet only His back (Ex 33:18-23). Why only the back? It was likely because God is so immense that a tiny human seeing His face directly might be overwhelmed by His glory and die.

God transcends human thought and understanding. No matter how beautifully or majestically we depict God’s form in paintings or sculptures, it is absolutely insufficient to capture His full essence. This applies to language as well. We can describe some of God’s attributes, but we cannot portray His totality. The more we try to explain Him with words, the more we risk distorting the true image of God and amplifying misunderstandings. This is the limitation of theological reasoning and language.

To concretely reveal a God who surpasses human comprehension, God sent the Son, God incarnate, into the world as a human. That is why, when the disciple Philip asked to be shown the Father, Jesus replied, “Philip, whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:9)… Through Jesus, we can know who God is.

After passing through the gate of death into heaven, we will see God face to face. Yet, because God is so vast, even in heaven, I believe we will continue to know Him more and more. The more we know, the more we will love and revere Him.

In this world, we cannot see God with our eyes. But we can experience Him. This is possible through obedience. Jesus promised to reveal Himself and the Father to those who follow His commandments (John 14). When we experience God amid obedience, even if language cannot express it precisely, we can say, “I know God.”