The LDS Church teaches that Joseph Smith
saw both the Father and the Son
during the first vision. But God tells us
that He is a spirit and cannot be seen.
So, what do we do with the person's
claims to have seen God the Father?
The Bible tells us that God the Father
is invisible and that He cannot be seen
with human eyes. 1 Timothy 6 refers
to God, "Who alone has immortality, who
dwells in unapproachable light, whom no
one has ever seen or can see. To him be
honor and eternal dominion. Amen."
So, what
do we do with Old Testament passages
like Moses speaking to God face to face?
The Bible often uses poetic imagery when
referring to God and even impersonal
objects without intending those things
to be literal. For example, Old Testament
passages speak about mountains and hills
singing. It talks about rivers clapping
their hands and even says that we can
take refuge in the wings of God. These
verses convey literal truths with
illustrative language. This is why even
Moses himself who communed with God face
to face says no one can see God and live.
Jesus says that no one has ever seen God!
When speaking to the Jews in the Gospel
of John, Jesus tells them they've never
seen God. He says, "The Father who sent me
has himself borne witness about me.
His voice you have never heard, and his
form you have never seen." But it's not
just the Jews who have never seen God.
Scripture is clear about whether or not
anyone has ever seen God. The Bible says,
"No one has ever seen God". This is what is
so significant about Jesus's claims to
have seen the Father.
His audience knew that these claims were
claims of divinity because no mere human
can see God and live. Jesus told them, "Not
that anyone has seen the Father except
he who is from God; he has seen the
Father. The beginning of John's gospel
says, "No one has ever seen God; the only
God who is at the Father's side, he has
made him known." At one point in Jesus's
ministry, one of the twelve disciples,
Philip, came to Jesus and asked if He
could show them the Father. Jesus
responds to him by saying, Have I been
with you so long and you still do not
know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has
seen the Father. How can you say, 'show us
the Father?'"
The Apostle Paul even describes Jesus as
the image of the invisible God. So if you
want to see the Father look to Jesus. So,
should we believe Joseph's claims to
have seen the Father?
Well, our God is spirit. He's invisible
without flesh and blood. He cannot be
seen. So the answer is no. He didn't.
The Bible is super clear about this
point. Regardless of what a person might
claim, no one has ever seen God.
