Topical Bible: God is Declared to Be: Invisible

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The invisibility of God is a profound theological concept that underscores His transcendence and the limitations of human perception. Scripture consistently affirms that God, in His essence, is invisible to human eyes, emphasizing His spiritual nature and the distinction between the Creator and His creation.

Biblical References:

1. John 1:18 : "No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known." This verse highlights the unique role of Jesus Christ in revealing the invisible God to humanity. While God Himself is unseen, His nature and character are made manifest through His Son.

2. 1 Timothy 1:17 : "Now to the King eternal, immortal, and invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." Here, the Apostle Paul extols God's attributes, including His invisibility, as part of a doxology that praises His eternal and unchanging nature.

3. Colossians 1:15 : "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation." This passage reiterates the concept that while God is invisible, Jesus Christ serves as the visible representation of God, providing a tangible understanding of His divine nature.

4. Hebrews 11:27 : "By faith Moses left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible." This verse speaks to the faith of Moses, who endured hardships by focusing on the invisible God, demonstrating that faith perceives what is unseen.

5. 1 John 4:12 : "No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us." The invisibility of God is linked to the manifestation of His presence through love among believers, suggesting that God's essence is revealed through spiritual and relational means.

Theological Implications:

The invisibility of God serves as a reminder of His holiness and otherness. It underscores the fact that God is not a being confined to the physical realm but exists beyond the limitations of human sight and understanding. This attribute calls believers to a life of faith, trusting in the unseen realities of God's presence and promises.

The invisibility of God also highlights the necessity of divine revelation. Since God cannot be seen with physical eyes, He has chosen to reveal Himself through His Word, His creation, and supremely through His Son, Jesus Christ. This revelation invites believers into a relationship with the invisible God, mediated through faith and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

In summary, the biblical teaching that God is invisible is a central aspect of His divine nature, inviting believers to live by faith and to seek understanding through the revelation provided in Scripture and through the person of Jesus Christ.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Job 23:8,9
Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

John 1:18
No man has seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.
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John 5:37
And the Father himself, which has sent me, has borne witness of me. You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
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Colossians 1:15
Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
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1 Timothy 1:17
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

New Testament Passages Quoted they Attest the Same Truth of the ...
... order to draw a distinction between the invisible Father and ... life." Well, (I must
again ask,) what God does he ... bosom of the Father, and has Himself declared Him ...
/.../tertullian/against praxeas/chapter xv new testament passages quoted.htm

The God of the Law and the Prophets, and the Father of Our Lord ...
... proved to go against the declaration of Scripture, which says of the Saviour, "He
is the image of the invisible God, the first ... And if God is declared to be a ...
/.../origen/origen de principiis/chapter iv the god of the.htm

The Epistle to the Colossians Time the Criterion of Truth and ...
... the world; in other words, to the gospel of that God who of old declared this of ...
world." [6060] He calls Christ "the image of the invisible God." [6061] We ...
/.../tertullian/the five books against marcion/chapter xix the epistle to the.htm

Argument. --But that God, the Son of God, Born of God the Father ...
... Son, but not taking from the Father that characteristic that He is one God. ... Had He
been invisible, as compared with the Invisible, and declared equal, He ...
/.../chapter xxxi argument but that god.htm

God the Father and his Word have Formed all Created Things (Which ...
... in this world, and who in an invisible manner contains ... the entire creation, since
the Word of God governs and ... did not receive Him," as Moses declared this very ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xviii god the father and.htm

He Discusses Whether Matter was from Eternity, or was Made by God.
... God created heaven and earth,' as that which follows, but the earth was invisible
and formless ... But yet the Scripture hath not declared that God made this ...
/.../the confessions and letters of st/chapter xxii he discusses whether matter.htm

He Shows Again from the Union in Christ of Two Natures in one ...
... twelve tribes of Israel." [2516] Therefore he calls Him the first-born from the
dead, whom he had previously declared to be the invisible Son and image of God. ...
/.../cassian/the seven books of john cassian /chapter vii he shows again.htm

The Wisdom of God in the Means Used to Propagating the Gospel.
... we are bound to believe because he hath declared it; and ... of God is manifest in them;
for God hath shewed ... For the invisible things of him, from the creation of ...
/.../lee/sermons on various important subjects/sermon ii the wisdom of.htm

Absurdity of their Styling Themselves Spiritual, While the ...
... themselves spiritual, while the Demiurge is declared to be ... But the God who, according
to them, was ... by him, but also all things invisible, Angels, Archangels ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xxx absurdity of their styling.htm

On God.
... of the Gospel itself, in which it is declared that "God ... But God, who is the beginning
of all things ... and whence comes the contemplation of invisible [1947] things ...
//christianbookshelf.org/origen/origen de principiis/chapter i on god.htm