In the Gospel of John, it is said that “No man hath seen God at any time.” John 1:18. I’ve thought a fair amount about this declaration over the years. Is it a repetition of God’s statement to Moses when God is reported to have said, “Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live?” Exodus 33:20. Taken together, both the Old and the New Testament imply that God has never been seen nor can be. Some may suggest that this sounds depressing. I have come to believe, however, that it is quite the opposite.

Perhaps, what is being said here is that God can never be an object outside of ourselves. Human beings have very active minds and are constantly creating objects and then looking for comfort in an external reality. The truth is, there can be no comfort in an external reality because, sooner or later, that reality breaks down. God transcends all man-made realities.

The good news is that the teachings of Jesus help with this dilemma. He showed us how to live and gave us the example of how a perfect reflection of God acts. In all that he said and did he reflected love. That love does not exist in an external reality because it lives deep within our hearts. It is there that we experience being in relationship, in communion with everything that is. In other words, in relationship with the Divine. Being in relationship is not seeing, it is feeling.

Each of us can experience this oneness. It is experienced in the love of our fellow human beings as well as the love for all sentient beings that we share this planet with. Although God has never been seen, God dwells in us if we love one another. That is the whole purpose of Christian life and the quintessential teaching of Jesus.

— Reflections appears regularly on the religion page. The column features a variety of local writers, coordinated through the Monroe Area Clergy Group. Charles Wellington is a lifelong student of the teachings of Christ Jesus and regularly meditates with the Great Plains Zen Center in Monroe.