17th October

Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. John 14, 9

How is God?

How can God be represented? For the people of antiquity idolatry was a great temptation. They represented divinity by animal and monster statues. The Bible says: "They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for image2 made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles" (Romans 1, 23). Nowadays the temptation is different. Men are lead to deny God. In him they rather see an influence than a person. They evoke him as the "initial impulse", "chance" "mother of nature", "great everything".

However, what does the Bible say? It maintains that God cannot be represented because he is spirit and invisible. More, he is infinite and eternal, well above all our thoughts. He lives in "unapproachable light" though he is not far from each one of us (Acts 17, 27). He is the one who reveals himself with his different names and attributes. He is the holy God, the "Almighty", the "strong one" the righteous God and Saviour, "the one who delivers", the eternal One, the same One, the Father, God and Father of Jesus Christ.