QUESTION No. 12 - SUNDAY JULY 5, 2026

Q. Does God have a face?

As a believer, I would like to think He does.

The image of God has been distorted and lampooned by Hollywood, Madison Avenue, and even religious sites like the Sistine Chapel.

God is portrayed as cartoonish in both appearance and demeanor – glowing on a mountain top in knee-deep fog with a long white beard and flowing robes, or shooting lightning bolts from his outstretched hands in a bout of furious rage.

The God of Scripture however, is a bit more difficult to decipher. Here, God is found in pillars of fire, the wind, thunder, smoke, a bush, a dove, walking the earth in human form, or standing with faithful friends in a flaming furnace.

In the Bible, when God appears to men, they fall upon their faces in fear.

So how are we supposed to see God now?

How are we to imagine an omniscient Creator who existed before time began?

Who should I “see” when I pray?

In the Old Testament, God is known by terms like El Roi – “God who sees”, and Jehovah Shammah – “God who is there”. Yet, we are told God is both being and spirit.

"God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth."

- John 4:24

"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."

- Genesis 1:27

A face belongs to a being. A being experiences emotions, speaks, listens, watches, gathers His council about Him, and sits on a throne. A being would be described as “long-suffering, slow to anger, and abounding in love.” A being is a king, a judge, and a father.

A spirit is…(I’ll let you answer that for yourself.)

But God is not merely a being. God is the One from whom all being derives.

“In him we live, and move, and have our being.”

- Acts 17:28

According to Scripture, God’s face must not be made into an idol-image, neither be looked upon directly. One is forbidden by law, the other results in immediate death.

"So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, 'It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.'"

— Genesis 32:30

God has no human form we can perceive. And yet, we long to see His face. What Scripture forbids us to see, we spend our lives longing, in faith, one day to behold.

“The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee.” -

Numbers 6:25

A WORD ON THE WORD: The Hebrew word for “face” is Panim (pronounced: pah-NEEM) - more a verb than a noun. Not merely the front of the head but a “turned-towardness”. The terms “face” and “presence” are not separate ideas in Hebrew - to be before someone’s face is to be exposed to their attention, favor, judgment, or intimacy.

God is not absent from His creation. He is set apart. In our detachment, we wish to return to the time before the expulsion from the garden when we walked together with Him in the cool of the day.

God wishes to be seen without overwhelming us. And so, He reveals Himself to us through His law, His creation, His book, and His promises.

God revealed Himself by sending His own Son, Jesus Christ.

"Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father."

- John 14:9

The light of God’s glory appears in the face of Jesus Christ who came to stand before us divine yet real - the invisible made visible.

"…the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being."

– Hebrews 1:3

Through the incarnation of Jesus Christ, we can now look into the eyes of God, hear His words, know His will, and follow His way.

He became one of us so we could see Him, know Him, and ultimately, become like Him.

“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

– Matthew 17:5