John 14:8-9B – Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
Is God really there? That is an intellectual question we might ask. It is a heart-level fear we might have. It is simply difficult sometimes to have confidence in a God we can’t see.
So Jesus’s words, Whoever has seen me has seen the Father, are profoundly comforting. Wrapped up in this little phrase is a universe of theological depth and eternal promise. But of course you’re probably thinking, “yeah, but I haven’t seen Jesus either.” But you have!
We see Jesus through the words of Scripture, all the words of Scripture. The Old Testament makes plain our need for him, points to him, and prophecies of him. The gospels tell his story as told by eyewitnesses and his closest friends. The epistles (letters) teach about him and his mighty work. And Revelation assures us of his final return and victory. We see Jesus in the pages of our Bibles.
And we see Him through the work of his Holy Spirit. Every Christian has the presence of Jesus in us through the indwelling of the Spirit. He teaches, guides, corrects, encourages, and sanctifies us. (sanctification means to be made holy, that is, to be made like Jesus!) We see Jesus as his Spirit works in those around us and we see them grow and change and reflect Christ.
So is God really there? He is. We know so because we see his son in such clear and beautiful ways.
I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville, in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe.
