First John: 1 John 4:12a-Absolutely No One Has Observed God the Father Lesson # 170
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1 John 4:12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. (ESV)
“No one has ever seen God” is composed of the following: (1) accusative masculine singular form of the noun theos (θεός), “God” (2) nominative feminine singular form of the adjective oudeis (οὐδείς), “no one” (3) temporal adverb pōpote (πώποτε), “ever” (4) third person singular perfect middle indicative form of the verb theaomai (θεάομαι), “has seen” (5)
The adjective oudeis functions as a substantive as a negative reference to an entity, which in context are human beings and means “absolutely no one” or “absolutely no person.”
Here it is used of members of the human race.
Therefore, the word is emphatically negating the idea that any human being as ever seen God.
The noun theos means “God” and refers to the Father.
John does not put the word in the articular construction but rather leaves it anarthrous because he wants to emphasize the nature or character of God and in particular His attribute of love.
The verb theaomai means, “to observe” in the sense that it implies paying strict attention to what one sees or perceives.
To observe is to mark or be attentive to something seen and heard and refers to observing something carefully.
This word conveys the idea of intense scrutiny.
This verb is modified by the temporal adverb pōpote, which means “ever, at any time” since it pertains to an indefinite point of time or occasion.
The perfect tense of the verb theaomai is a gnomic perfect which is used to speak of a proverbial occurrence.
It therefore, expresses a general timeless fact about God the Father or in other words an eternal spiritual truth about the Father in relation to members of the human race.
1 John 4:12 Absolutely no one at any time has observed God (the Father). If any of us at any time does divinely love each other, this God (the Father) is living in fellowship with us. Consequently, His love is accomplishing its purpose in us. (Author’s translation)
1 John 4:12 contains three assertions.
All three are designed to emphasize with the recipients of First John the critical importance of continuing to make it their habit of obeying the Lord Jesus Christ’s Spirit inspired command in John 13:34 and 15:12 to love one another as He loves them.
The first is presented in a declarative statement.
The second is presented in a fifth class conditional statement.
The third is found in a result clause.
The first assertion states that absolutely no one at any time has observed God the Father.
The second teaches that if any believer does at any time divinely love their fellow-believer, then God the Father is living in fellowship with them.
Third asserts God’s love is accomplishing its purpose in the believer if they divinely love their fellow-believer.
The anarthrous form of the noun theos, “God” in the first assertion refers to the Father and not the Spirit or the Son.
This is indicated by several factors.
First, up to this point in First John, the word has been used primarily of the Father (cf. 1 John 1:5; 2:5, 14, 17; 3:1, 2, 8, 9, 10, 17, 20, 21; 4:7, 9, 9, 10, 12).
However, it has also been used of the Spirit in 1 John 4:2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Secondly, the referent of this word in 1 John 4:10 is the Father.
Also, the referent of this word is the Father in the following fifth class conditional statement here in 1 John 4:12.
Lastly, John issues a similar statement in John 1:18, in which he asserts that absolutely no one has ever seen God and that the only one, Himself God, who always experiences fellowship with the Father, has made God known.
He is asserting in this verse that the Word has made the Father who is invisible known to human beings by becoming a human being and living among members of the human race.
When John speaks of absolutely no one has “observed” (theaomai) the Father, he means that absolutely no member of the human race has the ability to pay strict attention to God the Father through faculty of sight.
The idea is that of intense scrutiny of the person of the Father.
He also asserts that never at any time (pōpote) has this taken place among members of the human race.
This first assertion is obviously teaching that God the Father is invisible.
The invisibility of the Father is mentioned by Moses in Exodus 33:17-23 and is also mentioned by John in John 1:18 and Paul in Romans 1:20, Colossians 1:15-16, 1 Timothy 1:17, 6:16 as well as by the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 11:27.
Exodus 33:17 And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” 18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” 21 And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.” (ESV)
In his writings, the apostle John makes four declarations concerning the nature of God: (1) God is love (1 Jn. 4:8) (2) God is light (figure for the holiness of God) (1 Jn. 1:5). (3) God is spirit (Jn. 4:23-24). (4) God as to His nature is invisible (cf. John 1:18; 5:37; 6:46; 1 John 4:12).
In John 1:18, the apostle John taught that Jesus Christ explained the Father.
There would be no manifestation of God to man without the incarnation.
John 1:18 No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God (the Lord Jesus Christ), who is in the bosom of the Father, He (the Lord Jesus Christ) has explained Him (the Father). (NASB95)
John 14:8 Philip said to Him (the Lord Jesus Christ), “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how do you say, show us the Father’?” (NASB95)
Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. (Author’s translation)
The “invisible attributes” of God: (1) Sovereignty (Father: Matt. 6:10; Eph. 1:11; Son: Matt. 28:18; John 5:21; Spirit: 1 Cor. 12:11). (2) Righteousness (Father: John 17:25; Son: 1 John 2:1; Spirit: Psa. 51:11) (3) Justice (Father: Psa. 89:14; Rom. 3:24-26; Son: 2 Tim. 4:8; 1 Pet. 3:18; Spirit: Neh. 9:20a; John 16:8-11) (4) Love (Father: John 3:16; Son: Rom. 5:8; 1 John 3:16a; Spirit: Rom. 5:5; 15:30) (5) Eternal life (Father: John 1:1; 5:26; Son: John 1:1; 1 John 5:11; Spirit: Heb. 9:14) (6) Omnipotence (Father: Mark 14:36 and Luke 1:37; Son: Col. 1:16-17; Heb. 1:3; Spirit: Rom. 15:13) (7) Omniscience (Father: Matt. 6:8; Son: John 2:25; 18:4; Spirit: Isa. 11:2) (8) Omnipresence (Father: Eph. 4:6; Son: Matt. 28:18; Eph. 1:22-23; Spirit: Psa. 139:7) (9) Immutability (Father: Heb. 6:17; Jam. 1:17; Son: Heb. 13:8; Spirit: John 14:16; 1 John 5:7) (10) Veracity (Father: John 7:28; Son: John 1:14; 14:6; Spirit: John 14:17; 1 John 5:7)
Colossians 1:15 Who, as an eternal spiritual truth exists in the state of being the invisible God’s image, existing before all creation. (Author’s translation)
1 Timothy 1:17 Now to the King throughout the ages, who is immortal, who is invisible, who is the one and only God for the benefit of whom will be honor as well as glory forever and ever. So it will be! (Author’s translation)
1 Timothy 6:11 However, you O man belonging to God the Father, continue making it your habit of avoiding these things. Instead continue making it your habit and making every effort to practice so as to exemplify righteousness, godliness, Christian doctrine, divine-love, perseverance, gentleness. 12 You yourself continue making it your habit of making every effort to win the race, which is noble by means of your faith. I solemnly charge you for your own benefit to make it your top priority to experience the life which is eternal for which purpose, you were effectually called with the result that you confessed the confession in the presence of many witnesses, which is of the utmost importance. 13 I command you in the presence of God the Father, who does, as an eternal spiritual truth, cause each and every thing to live as well as Christ, who is Jesus, who testified the confession before Pontius Pilate which is of superior importance 14 that you conscientiously fulfill your commission with integrity of character, in other words, with irreproachable character until the revelation of our Lord, who is Jesus, who is the Christ, 15 which the blessed as well as one and only Sovereign, the King over those who are kings as well as the Lord over those who are lords, will cause to be revealed at His appointed time. 16 The only one who possesses immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom absolutely no one among human beings has seen nor are they, as an eternal spiritual truth able, for their own benefit to see. For the benefit of whom there will be honor (in the sense of public recognition and acknowledgment) as well as eternal manifested power. So it will be! (Author’s translation)
Now, this first assertion in 1 John 4:12 sets up a contrast with the believer who obeys the command to love one another since the second assertion states that the Father who is invisible is living in fellowship with them.