view like a comet with a long tail, but it also goes by like a comet and
disappears.
[ 2 ] To put it briefly, faith in a God who cannot be seen is actually
blind faith, because the human mind that has this type of faith does not
see its God. Because the light of this faith is not both spiritual and
earthly, it is a faint, deceptive light. Its light is like the light of a firefly,
the light at night over swamps and marshes that contain sulfur, or the
light in rotting wood. Nothing stands out in this light except imaginary
things that you think you see, but they do not exist.
Faith in a God who cannot be seen gives no light, especially when
people think of God as a spirit, and think of a spirit as being like the
ether. People then view God the way they view the ether. They look for
him in the universe, and when they do not find him there, they believe
that nature is the god of the universe. This is the origin of the materialist
philosophy that is prevalent these days.
Yet the Lord said that no one has ever heard the voice of the Father or
seen what he looks like (John 5 : 37 ). He also said, “No one has ever seen
God; the only begotten Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, has
revealed him” (John 1 : 18 ). “No one has seen the Father except the One
who is with the Father. He has seen the Father” (John 6 : 46 ). Also, no one
comes to the Father except through him (John 14 : 6 ). And furthermore, if
we see and recognize him, we see and recognize the Father (John 14 : 7 and
following).
[ 3 ] Faith in the Lord God our Savior is a different kind of faith.
Because he is both divine and human, we can turn to him and see him in
our thoughts. This is not a faith with no object. It has an object from
whom and in whom we have faith. If we have seen an emperor or a
monarch, every time we remember that person an image of him or her
comes to mind; in the same way, once we accept this faith it remains.
The gaze of this faith can be compared to looking at a shining white
cloud with an angel in its midst who is inviting us to enter it and be
raised into heaven. This is how the Lord looks to people who have faith
in him. The Lord comes closer to us all as we recognize and acknowledge
him. This occurs as we come to know and follow his principles, which
are to abstain from evil things and do good things. At last he comes into
our house and makes a home in us along with the Father who is in him,
as the following words in John indicate:
Jesus said, “The people who love me are those who have my command-
ments and follow them. Those who love me will be loved by my Father,