Saturday, September 6, 2014

What Does God Look Like? by Martin Wiles

Series: Hey God…I Have a Question

Every morning I do what I’ve never particularly enjoyed: look in the mirror. There have been occasions when I’ve undertook the difficult task of readying my appearance without one. As I grow older, I must be concerned with things that once didn’t bother me: nose hairs, ear hairs, no hair, unruly eyebrows. How can I possibly address these unwelcome guests without a mirror?

Unless the mirror is distorted, the image I witness isn’t distorted. It reveals me as I am—unpleasant as it may be. You probably wouldn’t notice, but my ears are a little unlevel. So are my eyebrows. My legs are slightly uneven, and one of my cheekbones protrudes a little farther than the other. Not a pretty sight, and thanks to the mirror I can’t escape reality. Fortunately, my self-esteem isn’t based on appearance. 
But what about God’s appearance? Jesus said, For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24 NLT)

When I think of a spirit, I imagine a ghostlike apparition with no form or substance. Doubtlessly, this isn’t true about God. Since I’m created in his image (Genesis 1:27), he must appear somewhat like me--arms, legs, hands, feet, face, nose, ears, mouth—yet dissimilar in other ways. Since my body must be altered to inhabit heaven (II Corinthians 5:3), God’s spirit body must be different as well. Biblical writers use various figurative words to describe God based on the characteristics they are addressing at the moment. 

Knowing exactly what God looks like is impossible. This I can know, however. When I see him, I will no longer look in a potentially distorted mirror. I will see him face to face and know him as he knows me. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. (I John 3:2 NLT) As his child, I won’t have to fear the One who loved me enough to allow his Son to die for my sins. Regardless of how he might appear, are you looking forward to seeing God face to face?

Prayer: Dear Father, regardless of how You look in form, we’re thankful You always appear in love. 

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