The face of God

Over the years many saints have written about the beatific vision. Our materialistic, rationalistic culture, though, knows very little about this. However, the Bible speaks a lot about the face of God. The ultimate goal of the believing soul is to see the face of God. The full revelation of his glorious splendour awaits us in heaven. But "even on earth, as through a glass," we catch glimpses of His face.

Paul said that we "see through a glass, darkly'" Common grace permits sinners and saints alike to catch reflections of God’s face. He is seen in the glory of the sunrise and the grandeur of the sunset, the towering mountains, the vast expense of the oceans, the river running by, and the iridescent colours of autumn. All this makes us catch our breath and the believing soul bows down in worship.

But these are only fuzzy pictures of the face of God. The reason that God’s face is veiled from us is human sin. In His unutterable holiness, God has no contact with sin. Hence, only the removal of sin offers us an opportunity to see the face of God.

The good news is that Christ, having died for our sins, affords us the possibility of being ushered into the very presence of God. This necessitates repentance and faith on our part. As we are born anew from above, we grow in grace as we peruse the word of God. God’s face is revealed in His word. But the mere intellectual reading and study of the Bible, while it is certainly helpful, can nevertheless leave the reader cold.

A walk with God entails seeing beyond the page to the Person. This happens through meditation, prayer and the practice of the presence of God. It involves not merely hearing but doing. Obedience sharpens the face of God. Finally, it is in the company of the faithful that the vision is perfected — it is in the congregation of the righteous, gathered in worship, that we can fully experience the face of God on this side of heaven.

Prayer: Lord, open our eyes so that we catch glimpses of You in our daily encounters. And bring us to the time when we will see You face to face, in all Your glory. Amen