Question:
John 1:18 says, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him].” But Exodus 33:11 says, “The Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.” Are these texts contradictory?
Answer:
God did speak to Moses on more than one occasion. Read, for example, Numbers 12:6–8 and Exodus 24:9–11; compare John 9:29. In these passages, we see that God communicated directly with Moses, who was the leader of God’s people, and also with Aaron, his two sons, and the 70 elders of Israel. We also know that Moses was in direct communication with God when he received the Ten Commandments. It is also recorded that God spoke to Abraham. (See Exodus 6:3.)
We may begin to understand how all this is possible from Jesus’ response when Phillip said to Him, “Show us the Father.” John 14:8. Jesus’ answer is recorded in verses 9 and 10. From these verses, we may understand that Jesus represents the Father, and Jesus is God. So when it says that God spoke to Moses or to Abraham, we may understand that it was Jesus, for no man has seen God at any time.
Ellen White has explained this seeming contradiction very well: “Since the sin of our first parents, there has been no direct communication between God and man. The Father has given the world into the hands of Christ, that through His mediatorial work He may redeem man and vindicate the authority and holiness of the law of God. All the communion between heaven and the fallen race has been through Christ. It was the Son of God that gave to our first parents the promise of redemption. It was He who revealed Himself to the patriarchs. . . . It was He who gave the law to Israel. Amid the awful glory of Sinai, Christ declared in the hearing of all the people the ten precepts of His Father’s law. It was He who gave to Moses the law engraved upon the tables of stone.” God’s Amazing Grace, 43.
“I have often seen the lovely Jesus, that he is a person. I asked him if his Father was a person, and had a form like himself. Said Jesus, ‘I am in the express image of my Father’s Person.’ ” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, 74.
“Those who realize the greatness and majesty of God, will take His name on their lips with holy awe. He dwelleth in light unapproachable; no man can see Him and live.” Early Writings, 122.
At the present time, angels behold the Father’s face, but we cannot. However, the time is coming when, as a result of the plan of salvation, all the redeemed of the Lord, because they have been restored to perfect holiness, will be able to see and openly communicate with both the Father and the Son.
“There is the New Jerusalem, the metropolis of the glorified new earth. . . .
“The people of God are privileged to hold open communion with the Father and the Son. ‘Now we see through a glass, darkly.’ 1 Corinthians 13:12. We behold the image of God reflected, as in a mirror, in the works of nature and in His dealings with men; but then we shall see Him face to face, without a dimming veil between. We shall stand in His presence, and behold the glory of His countenance.” The Faith I Live By, 363.
If you have a Bible question you would like answered, e-mail it to: landmarks@stepstolife.org, or mail it to: LandMarks, Steps to Life, P. O. Box 782828, Wichita, KS 67278.