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THE KING’S BUSINESS
saw th e b a ck o f y ou r own h e a d in th e glass th a t you m ean th a t you saw th e reflection o f th e b a c k o f you r h e ad in th e glass. In th e one case you see th e reflection; in th e o th e r case you see th e reflection o f th e re flection. A n d in b o th cases w h a t you actually see is th e th ing th a t w as re flected. So it is in th e case b e fo re us, G o d in H is e te rn a l essence is “ invisible” ( “un seeab le” 1 Tim . 1 :1 7 ). No m an h a th seen H im no r can w e see H im (1 T im . 6 :1 6 ) . But G o d h as m an ifested H im self in visible form , such a m an ife sta tion o f G o d Moses a n d th e seven ty elders saw, a n d Isaiah saw, a n d in describ ing these m an ife sta tion s th a t th ey h a d seen th ey cou ld p ro p e rly say, “ I saw th e L o rd .” Jesu s C hrist H im self w as th e crow ning m an ifes ta tio n o f G od . “ In H im dw elleth all th e fullness o f th e G o d h e a d b o d ily ” (Col. 2 :9 ) , a n d so Jesus could say to Philip w ith p e rfe c t p r o priety, “H e th a t h a th seen Me h a th seen th e F a th e r” (J o h n 1 4 :9 ). H e could say, “H e th a t seeth Me seeth ,Him th a t sen t Me” (J o h n 1 2 :4 5 ). But G o d in H is invisible, in sc ru t able, essence no m an h a th e v e r y e t seen. T h a t this is th e m e an ing of J o h n ’s w o rd s h e re is b ro u g h t out v e ry cle a rly in th e G reek. T h e w o rd tra n sla te d “G o d ” is w ith o u t th e a r ticle an d b y th is m o d e o f expression th e th o u g h t is d ire c ted to th e d ivine n a tu re ra th e r th a n to th e d iv ine p e r son. T hese w o rd s o f J o h n cou ld b e a c cu ra tely p a ra p h ra se d “No one h a th e v e r y e t seen G o d as G o d .” T h e th eo p h an ie s in th e o ld d ispen sation d id n o t com e u n d e r this head , th ough th ey w e re re a l m an ife sta tions o f G od . W e h av e h e re one of th e countless illu stration s o f th e v e rb a l exactness o f th e Scriptures, th e w ho le th o u g h t tu rn s up o n th e om ission o f a little w o rd (th e G reek article om itted in th e G re ek te x t).
By th e use o f th e w o rd s “ ev e r y e t” John seem s to p o in t fo rw a rd to th a t o p en vision o f th e D eity which shou ld b e g ra n te d to all tru e b e liev ers h e re a fter. (M a tt. 5 :8 ; 1 J o h n 3 :2 .) W h ile Moses a n d no o th e r m an h a d e v e r y e t seen ' G o d a t an y tim e a n d th e re fo re cou ld n o t m ak e know n th e full tru th reg a rd in g H im , b u t on ly fragm en ts o f th e tru th , th e e te rn a l W o rd w ho b e c am e in c a r n a te in th e O nly B ego tten “ is in th e bo som o f th e F a th e r,” th a t is in th e closest, te n d e re st a n d m o st in tim a te com p an ion sh ip w ith H im a n d th e re fo re knew H im fully a n d cou ld m ak e H im fully know n. -T he expression, “ In th e b o som ,” is n o t m erely a fig u re ta k e n from friend s reclining side b y side a t a feast as in th e case of ou r L o rd Jesu s an d J o h n him self (cf. Jo h n 1 3 :2 3 ), b u t ra th e r from th e m o re in tim a te relation sh ip of m o th e r a n d ch ild (Num . 1 1 :1 2 ), or h u sb an d an d wife. T h e G re ek w o rd tra n sla ted “ in” m ean s literally in to ,” an d th e w ho le p h ra se is no t strictly “ in th e b o som ,” b u t “ into th e bo som o f th e F a th e r.” T h e th o u g h t seem s to b e o f th e S on as ev e r sinking d e e p e r an d d e e p e r into th e fellow ship o f th e F a th e r, a th o u g h t closely allied to th a t we n o te d in ou r com m en t on v e rse 1, w h e re w e saw th a t th e G re ek p re p o sition th e re tra n sla te d “w ith ” w as n o t th e G re ek p rep o sition o rd in arily so tran sla ted , an d th a t th e th o u g h t w as th a t th e w ho le b e in g o f th e W o rd w as c en te red in G o d a n d d i re c ted tow a rd G od . T h e fo rm of th e v e rb tra n sla te d “ is” is also sig nificant, ind icating n o t m erely th a t th e W o rd w as a t th a t m om en t in th e b o som o f th e F a th e r (in which case th e expression m igh t p o in t to th e ex alta tio n o f th e . asc end ed C h rist) b u t ind icating a con tinuou s ab id in g relation, te a ch ing us th a t th e Son is ev e r in th e b o som o f th e
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