Face to Face With God

#PerfectGod #HolyGod #LivingGod #LivingFaith

Christianity is a lifestyle, as most people will agree. When someone makes a declaration of faith in Jesus Christ there is a real sense that the individual making such a claim will see that life is not the “same old, same old” type of life. Christianity is also a relationship that shapes all who walk alongside God. There is a real sense of being in communion with the Master of the Universe, whose sheer words are able to make time, space, and matter come into existence.

No doubt today you, dear reader, are familiar with some individuals who claim to have seen God and to have conversed with Him face to face. This is a real emotional appeal to individuals who are looking for a deeper relationship through the mysticism of faith. Now, this is not to shame people or to point out certain unorthodox practices by religious leaders inside of the Christian faith. There will be time and writing space for that later on. Here we will see what the Bible says about seeing God’s glory face to face.

“Then Moses said, "I pray You, show me Your glory!" And He said, "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion." But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" (Exodus 33:18-20, NASB)

Moses desires to see God face to face and to know God as the text describes their relationship, as a friend. There is nothing wrong with a desire to know God and to have a deep sense of close fellowship with Him, who is the Creator and author/perfector of our faith. Quite the contrary, it is a time-worthy and life-long pursuit that more Christians should aspire to accomplish. We see here God’s response declaring his nature to a human being, who is limited, yet loved by Him.

Can you imagine how weighty the presence of God is in this setting? The people have rebelled, they are purified and the Levites take their place as the chosen tribe to minister to God, Moses intercedes for the Hebrew people as they are a sinful and obstinate people. Yet, God in His grace displays his glory, only in his shadow and after his passing. What is God disclosing about Himself?

1. God is incomprehensible to the human mind. God will make all His Goodness pass before Moses as God covers Moses’ face to protect him. God also states He will declare his name, as the great I AM. God is declaring His holiness and also His eternal nature, while He continues to express His justice.

2. God is concerned over His creation. Compared to the Deist view of God, who is absent from creation with no regard for the events of human history, God is present to protect His prophet and leader for the people. This is evidenced in His agreement to let Moses see the glory of God pass him. The old hymn Rock of Ages highlights the presence of God as a source of safety and trust.

3. God is completely just. God’s justice leaves humanity perplexed, as we read about it in Scripture, even. The ones who love and serve God diligently appear to suffer oppression, want, and need. Meanwhile, the ones who deny God’s existence, His presence in their lives, as well as the grace God extends to them appear to succeed at every turn. God will show mercy to whom He so chooses, while He will be compassionate on whom He will be compassionate. His justice escapes the full comprehension of the human mind. Yet, God’s justice remains faithful and true every time.

4. Lastly, God is uniquely holy. Holiness is the ultimate level of perfection and separation from things that are common and mundane in nature. God is described as three-times holy, which is a technique to assign Him the ultimate level of holiness (Think of it as saying: Holy, Holier, Holiest). Because he is ultimate holiness, He is unable to come in close proximity to that which is not holy like him. When God is seen in all His radiance the result is the onlooker’s demise.

Dear reader, you and I have a unique chance before us, to fellowship with a holy God, whose love is infinite, whose compassion never fails, and whose divine wrath stands against evil. God is HOLY, HOLY, HOLY. We have two possible responses: One, we acknowledge, like Isaiah, that we are undone in God’s presence and we come to worship Him in the complete debasement of all we are so that He can build us up. Two, we ignore the weighty nature of God’s holiness and remain undone in His presence, ignoring the opportunity to be united to Him by the Only Begotten Son (Jesus Christ). The decision is completely ours; the glory is completely God’s.