God's face?

[Jenny30]

I'm a little confused, because in the Bible it states that God is spirit, but then it states no one has seen God's face, but recently I've been told God is male, but I've been told differently by my pastor that God is not of either sex, that yes He indeed is spirit, but Jesus is male of course. But then in the Bible it refers to God's parts, like his bosom and his heart. I got so many confusing ideas in my head and the last thing I want to think about is God being a huge man in the sky, because that seems weird and I know God is a mystery but if any one could please clarify for me.

 

[1watchman]

One needs to discern when God is speaking in His Word about the Lord Jesus as the God-man, and when He is speaking as God-the Father (Jehovah) overall; also, note the working of God IN man through the Holy Spirit ---silently and invisible. The Trinity is a wondrous study and quite hard for us to understand, so we ought to always know who is speaking and in what capacity as God. Though if we don't discern all this, one can just trust and enjoy the Lord Jesus for all things (read John 14, and especially note verses 8-11 ---very instructive). Look up always!

 

[Jenny30]

Thank you 1watchman. Yes the trinity is very hard to understand. Just a couple of days ago I learned that Jesus is God and not really His actual son, LOL, pretty surprising to me, but made the Bible actually more real to me; I don't now why, but for some reason it did. But yes what I have to try to get through my mind is that we will never be able to understand God completely.

 

[Sketcher]

God is beyond our understanding, and those terms are meant to express parts of his relationship to us, and vice versa. I cannot expect that they are entirely literal.

 

[theophilus40]

Sometimes the Bible uses body parts as metaphors to describe God's attributes and abilities. For example:

Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
(Isaiah 59:1 ESV)
​

The hand is symbolic of his power to act and the ear of his power to hear. He doesn't literally have these organs but the does have the abilities that are represented by them.

 

[Peripatetic]

But then in the Bible it refers to God's parts, like his bosom and his heart.

This is a style of writing called Anthropomorphism, and the Bible uses it quite a bit. Anthropomorphism is a way of describing human like attributes for animals, things, or God in this case. It is true that God is spirit, and does not actually have those parts. Although God has many attributes that we do not share, there are some similarities since we are made in His image.

 

[toolite]

God is a male.. This is important. No you cant see God's face. Some people try to do away with male or female and that is to support a certain sin but, God is male.. and although I wasn't told spiritually why You cant see His face I've been in spirit before so Im a witness.

Glory To God

 

[parsley]

But now, O Lord, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand.

Isaiah 64:8; 29:16

One thing to keep in mind -- when we meet a friend, we do not declare that they are a different gender just because we wish they were. They are who they are. God could have come up with the perfect identity to make us all happy, but He is eternally existent, so there is no point where he would have made a decision, from what we know of Him.

Since many of the male references are generic, like we say mankind, I would guess that the identity of God is not the same as we would define humans.

John 4:24

God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.


Exodus 35:31

And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding and in knowledge and in all craftsmanship.

1 Samuel 19:20

Then Saul sent messengers to take David, but when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing and presiding over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul; and they also prophesied.


Matthew 3:16
After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him.

Acts 7:55

Being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

(Trinity)


Acts 2:17
AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,' God says, 'THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND.

 

[Far Above Rubies]

One needs to discern when God is speaking in His Word about the Lord Jesus as the God-man, and when He is speaking as God-the Father (Jehovah) overall; also, note the working of God IN man through the Holy Spirit ---silently and invisible. The Trinity is a wondrous study and quite hard for us to understand, so we ought to always know who is speaking and in what capacity as God. Though if we don't discern all this, one can just trust and enjoy the Lord Jesus for all things (read John 14, and especially note verses 8-11 ---very instructive). Look up always!

What a great post.

 

[zeke37]

I'm a little confused, because in the Bible it states that God is spirit,

ok...but He became a man...lived through Christ

but then it states no one has seen God's face,

not on earth, except through Christ

but recently I've been told God is male,

He's considered our Father, until He is considered our Husband (through Christ)
that means we are all female in His eyes...lol

but I've been told differently by my pastor that God is not of either sex, that yes He indeed is spirit, but Jesus is male of course.

many people believe that.
it really doesn't matter.
I don't think there was gender before mankind,
nor do I think there will be after His return

each pastor will prob have a different opinion

But then in the Bible it refers to God's parts, like his bosom and his heart. I got so many confusing ideas in my head and the last thing I want to think about is God being a huge man in the sky, because that seems weird and I know God is a mystery but if any one could please clarify for me.

analogies, Hebraisms, figures of speech, metaphore etc.

I believe that the only God we will ever see is Christ
it's how God looks....He's our size, we are made in His likeness
it is Christ that is Coming here as God.

so His physicalness is seen in Christ

 

[thesunisout]

I'm a little confused, because in the Bible it states that God is spirit, but then it states no one has seen God's face, but recently I've been told God is male, but I've been told differently by my pastor that God is not of either sex, that yes He indeed is spirit, but Jesus is male of course. But then in the Bible it refers to God's parts, like his bosom and his heart. I got so many confusing ideas in my head and the last thing I want to think about is God being a huge man in the sky, because that seems weird and I know God is a mystery but if any one could please clarify for me.

His maleness derives not from a gender (because He is a Spirit) but from His Fatherhood. He has the attributes of a Father, such as a loving concern for His children, taking direct interest in their lives, and that He is a protector and also that He brings discipline and correction to His children. In the scripture He is known as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all, the Father of glory, and the Father of lights.

Also, I saw you mentioned something about Jesus not literally being His Son..well, I have to tell you that the witness of the scripture is that Jesus is literally His Son. We see that He is the Son from all eternity, existing as the Son before He was sent into the world:

For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him" (John 3:17)

On Earth the Father declares Him to be His beloved Son:

Mark 1:11 And a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

I think your thinking is that because the Father and the Son are both God, one can't be above the other. Well, this is what the word of God tells us:

1Co 15:24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.

1Co 15:25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

1Co 15:26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

1Co 15:27 For "God has put all things in subjection under his feet." But when it says, "all things are put in subjection," it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him.

1Co 15:28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

We see that at the end of time, Jesus hands the Kingdom over to God the Father and subjects Himself to His rule. So in the end, God the Father will be absolute ruler and sovereign King of all, including the Son and the Spirit.

Think of it like this..a human father and son are both equally human, but they are not equal in position. The son answers to the authority of the father. In the same way, the Father and the Son are both equally God but they are not equal in position, and the Son is under the authority of the Father.

 

[steve_bakr]

God is beyond gender and he is beyond human description. The descriptions we do have are solely for our benefit. We speak of God being a Father, but we could also say he is Mother. He is both for our benefit, but in reality he is beyond all of those distinctions. When we speak of God's hands, for example, we are speaking metaphorically about his power or creative activity. Seeing God's face means the experience of ultimate spiritual purity.