The Father Is Not Invisible

Here are some scripture that testify that God the Father is not invisible.

John 1:18 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 6:46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

Jesus said in both references that He has seen the Father when He was in Heaven.

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

So when Jesus made the request to make man in Their image, when the Father said yes, in agreement, the One God made man in His image.

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

That means when Jesus takes us to Heaven, we will see the Father. Jesus said that at that day, He will not make intercessions for us when we can go directly to the Father and ask Him.

John 16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. 25 These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. 26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: 27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. 28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.

John 14:1Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

So why this edification? Some believers thinks scripture is saying the Father is invisible.

Colossians 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

If Jesus was the image of the invisible God, would He not be invisible too? I submit that invisible means "not presently seen". We can see this to be true when invisible is being applied to Jesus, the King of kings.

1 Timothy 1:16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. 17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

So we know Jesus is not invisible; just in Heaven as not presently seen as the Father is.

Another verse for contention is;

John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

But when read in context ( John 4:19-24 ), Jesus is answering the Samaritan woman's question at the well about where to go to worship God at; the mountains or Jerusalem.

Where do Christians worship God at? Anywhere, because God is omnipresence within us and not confined to a singular place of worship in the outside world. That is what Jesus meant by God is a Spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

How do you know you are coming to God the Father by in worship?

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 5:23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

John 13:31 Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.

That is how and why you can worship God in spirit and in truth anywhere in the world.

SkyWriting said:

Invisible to humans, yes. As you posted here.

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The Father has a celestial body so that when Jesus takes us Home in Heaven above, we will see the Father and speak directly to Him without needing Jesus as our Mediator. Read whole OP for scripture testifying to that.

So invisible as not presently seen because the Father is in Heaven is the meaning of the word invisible in scripture, because that is what invisible means towards the King of kings Whom is presently in Heaven.

ewq1938 said:

Yes, naturally this is what it means. When the Father is close by, he can be seen and many scriptures attest to this fact.

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I believe the Father is in Heaven and has not been seen or felt by men down here. The God men had seen was the Son of God. Any scripture testifying would be about the Son ( John 5:39-40 )

If he is far away in heaven...he is "invisible" meaning not able to be visually seen and the same can be said about anything or anyone in heaven. We cannot look up and see heaven, God's throne or the Father. Invisible here simply does not carry the same meaning as it does in modern English like an invisibility cloak or the invisible man who can sneak around without being seen.

Example. My car is invisible to everyone on Cf...only because no one knows where it is and thus cannot see it but the car isn't literally invisible when standing near it.

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We are in agreement about what invisible mean.

Many people have seen God:

Gen 32:24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
Gen 32:25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
Gen 32:26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
Gen 32:27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
Gen 32:28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
Gen 32:29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
Gen 32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

Here Jacob not only wrestles with God physically, he also was allowed to see His face and live.


1 Kings 22:19 And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.

Exo 33:20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
Exo 33:21 And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:
Exo 33:22 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:
Exo 33:23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.


Here we see that he does have a face, has a hand, and has "back parts" of a body. Moses was not allowed to see his face, but he saw his hand and saw his "back parts".

Exo 24:9 Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:
Exo 24:10 And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.
Exo 24:11 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.



Isa 6:5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts[/U]!”

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The King of kings is Jesus Christ and those references do testify as Jesus said scripture does, of Him.

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

Radagast said:

God the Father is invisible. This is Christian orthodoxy.

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Cite the reference.

This is not a physical thing. God the Father is not a human being.

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And yet the request to create man was given to be created in "our image".

How do you address the scripture in the OP testifying to God the Father having an image; a celestial body?

If Jesus had a celestial body that was seen of men in the O.T. and even ate and drank as provided by Abraham in Genesis 18:1-8 , why is it hard to believe the Father has one?

If you are not informed about Jesus having been seen in the O.T. then see this link to that thread below.

Jesus Was The God Men Had Seen In the O.T.

Below is the scripture you were replying to below.

Colossians 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

This is telling us that (1) God is invisible, and (2) that the Incarnation allows us, in a certain sense, to see God, because Jesus is not invisible.

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Because Jesus is not invisible, and therefore God the Father is not invisible for Jesus to be the image of the invisible God that can only mean not presently seen because the Father is in Heaven.

The word ἀόρατος does not mean that.

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Explain this verse talking about Jesus then as it applies invisible to Him too.

1 Timothy 1:16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. 17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

If we look at pneuma which is spirit, we have to define the Greek word by how it is used in the context of the message because there are too many definitions for pneuma and it does not always mean as a reference to the Holy Spirit.

So we have to define the word by how it is used and scholars are not always on top of that discernment in how invisible has been used in scripture.

And why are you making all these posts attacking Christian orthodoxy?

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Because I am using and applying scripture is how I am attacking Christian orthodoxy? I don't see it that way. Sorry that you do. We all grow in the knowledge of Him and I learn more things about Him as time goes on and so I am open to correction by the scripture to abide in the truth in His words.

You have even attacked the Nicene Creed, which provides CF's definition of what "Christian" means.

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I don't know if attack is the proper word, but since that thread was closed for reviewing, and I have yet to check my inbox to see if I got an update from my inquiry, I don't think we should be discussing it here. So please refrain from that side lined topic because that is going off topic in all respect.

Radagast said:

Now you are talking about theophanies, where God the Son made Himself temporarily visible.

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Genesis 18:1-8 reads Him eating and drinking so it is more than just visible, but physical for Jacob to wrestle with Him.

He visits the earth in His celestial body as confirmed in O.T. and N.T..

Psalm 8:4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

Hebrews 2:6 But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that thou visitest him?

ewq1938 said:

I don't believe that was the Son.

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No man has seen God the Father;

John 1:18No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

John 6:46Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

So that leaves only the Son as Jesus said scripture testified of Him.

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life......46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?

What did Jesus say?

John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

So Jesus was the Lord that Abraham saw in Genesis 18:1-8 that ate and drank.

Radagast said:

The "image of God" is not a physical thing.

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Seeing How Jesus did eat and drink what Abraham provided in Genesis 18th chapter before His incarnation and Jesus did wrestle with Jacob before His incarnation, not sure how you can say it was not physical. Celestial body does not necessarily mean not physical at all, but it certainly was not terrestrial.

ewq1938 said:

The Father has been seen many times and he has come to the Earth.

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But Jesus has said that no man has seen the Father at any time.

John 1:18 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 6:46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

I believe Jesus. So it had to be Jesus before His incarnation as the God men had seen.