the face of god

Doug Wilson on seeking the face of God:

One of the ways the Bible describes repentance and true godliness is with some variation on the phrase “seeking God’s face.” We see this in multiple places (1 Chron. 16:11; 2 Chron. 7:14; Ps. 24:6; Ps. 27:8; Ps. 105:4).

But of course this is a metaphor—God the Father is spirit, and those who worship Him must do so in spirit and truth. He has no body, and therefore He has no face. So how do we seek His face? The Scriptures teach us that we must do this through the gospel.

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). We seek the face of God by seeking the face of Jesus Christ. We seek the face of Jesus Christ, not because He is here physically, but rather because God has made a way for us to seek His face through the light of regeneration that is shining in our hearts.

Because this light is shining there, we come to the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. In other words, when the gospel word is declared—like this—God works powerfully, as powerfully as He did at the creation of the entire cosmos. So then, here is the Word that causes this to happen.

Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, lived a perfect sinless life on behalf of everyone needed that life lived on his or her behalf. He went to the cross, suffered, bled, and died, was laid in a tomb for three days, and then rose from the dead. After this He ascended into Heaven, and poured out His Holy Spirit upon us. There. That is the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.