by Steven Chan
Many yearn to see God. They say: “show me God and I will believe!” Yet, the amazing truth is that God did show Himself to man in the form of his Son who became flesh so that man can see God in the flesh.
According to John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus was the Word that was in the beginning with the Father (John 1:1) and He was God and He came down from heaven as the “Word became flesh” so that we can behold God in the flesh.
In John 14:7-10, the Bible records this interesting discourse between Jesus and one of his disciples: “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” 8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.”
In John 1:17-18, the Bible informs us thus “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” In John 1:14, the Bible testifies thus: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Jesus came to reveal to us God’s grace and truth, and to declare God to us – that is who He is and what His will is for man. So in John 17:8, Jesus prayed to the Father: “For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.”
The miracles He performed showed that He was not an ordinary man. John 20:30-31: “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” His resurrection from the dead declares powerfully that He was indeed the Son of God: “declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Rom 1:4)
We are most thankful that He came to give us the hope of eternal life by overcoming the devil and thereby freeing us from sin and death: Heb 2:14: “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” 1 Cor 15:50-58: “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed– 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
Yes, we now have the victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. God came down to this world through His Son, Jesus Christ (He became flesh – John 1:14) so that we can know His Will and also to see and know Him – as one full of grace and truth. He has shown us His grace and love as well as to reveal the truth about His will for us. No man has seen God but if we will behold Jesus then we will have seen God for He was God in the flesh. Indeed He came to declare Him (John 1:18). His life and work have been written down so that we may today read and know that Jesus is indeed the Son of God – and through the exercise of faith, we will have the hope of eternal life because He has overcome death and has given us the victory over sin and death. So we must be diligent in doing the work of God knowing that our labour in the Lord is not in vain.
Now that God had shown Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ, who was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven, will you believe? Acts 1:9-11: “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
