There is no contradiction—no one has seen the invisible Godhead, but God the Son has appeared visibly throughout the Bible.
Scripture says that God is invisible and that no man can see Him and live. Yet the same Bible reveals that Christ is the image of the invisible God, and that God the Son appeared to people in the Old Testament and took on flesh in the New Testament. So the people who saw God were seeing God the Son, not the invisible Trinity.
Exodus 33:20 — This verse states the rule that no man can see God and live, which forms the apparent contradiction.
Genesis 32:30 — Jacob declares that he saw God face to face, which seems to contradict Exodus 33:20.
Colossians 1:15 — This verse identifies the Son as the image of the invisible God, explaining how God can be both invisible and seen.
John 1:18 — This verse affirms that no man has seen God at any time, while the only begotten Son has declared Him.
Exodus 33:20 declares, 'And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.' John 1:18 repeats the truth: 'No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.' Yet the same Bible records that Jacob said, 'I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved' (Genesis 32:30), and that 'the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush' (Exodus 3:2). Scripture resolves the apparent tension by showing that the Son of God is 'the image of the invisible God' (Colossians 1:15). No man has seen the invisible Godhead; the God who has been seen is the Son, who reveals the Father.
Les Feldick teaches that the apparent contradiction between Exodus 33:20 and the accounts of people seeing God is resolved by the distinction between the invisible Trinity and God the Son. The triune God—Father, Son, and Spirit—was Spirit and invisible. Out of that invisible Godhead, the Son stepped out and became visible in temporary appearances throughout the Old Testament, as at the burning bush and in Jacob's wrestling match. No one has ever seen the invisible Godhead itself. In the New Testament, the Son became permanently visible when He took on flesh and dwelt among men.
Les teaches that the angel of the LORD in the burning bush was God the Son. The voice that spoke from the midst of the bush was the voice of Jehovah. While Moses may not have seen Him bodily the way Abraham did, the voice came from Jehovah God.
When Jacob named the place Peniel because he had seen God face to face, Les explains that Jacob was seeing God the Son, not the invisible Trinity. The Bible's statement that no man has seen God refers to the invisible Godhead. God the Son appeared again and again in the Old Testament, as He did to Abraham in Genesis 18 and to Moses at the burning bush.
Paul's language in Colossians 1:15 identifies Christ as the visible image of the invisible God. Les explains this by saying that the triune God is Spirit and invisible, but the Son stepped out of that invisible Godhead and took on flesh. Therefore, when men saw Jesus, they saw the very God who created them.
Moses at the Burning Bush
Les identifies the angel of the LORD in the burning bush as Jehovah, God the Son, and explains that the voice speaking to Moses was the voice of Jehovah.
Christ Is the Image of the Invisible God
Les teaches that the triune God is invisible, but out of that invisible Trinity the Son stepped out and became visible temporarily in the Old Testament and permanently in the New Testament.
Jacob Saw God Face to Face
Les explains that Jacob saw God the Son, not the invisible Trinity, and that the statement that no man has seen God refers to the invisible Godhead.
The Son Is the Visible Form of the Invisible God
Les uses Colossians 1:15 to show that the Son is the visible appearance of the invisible God; the invisible Godhead stepped out and took on flesh.
God Became Visible in the Flesh
Les explains that God permitted Himself to become visible in Christ so that man could worship a God he could see.
The Old Testament Was Vague About the Trinity
Les notes that the Trinity is a mystery that the Old Testament is vague about, which is why Jewish rabbis have not recognized the triune nature of God.
The Son Is the Visible Image of the Invisible God
Les ties Colossians 1:15-16 to Genesis 1, showing that the Son is the visible image of the invisible God and the Creator of all things.
Genesis 1:26-27: Who Are "Us"? The Trinity in Creation
As we pointed out a few weeks ago, He was an invisible Spirit being. Now, you can't very well make an image of something that's invisible, but yet God did. And I think the point taken is that you and I, as members of the human race, even though we think of ourselves as someone that we can see and we're a visible image, yet the real you, the real me, is invisible.
Exodus 33:20: And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
This is God's direct statement that no man can see His face and live.
Genesis 32:30: And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
Jacob's declaration records that he saw God face to face, yet survived.
Colossians 1:15: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Paul identifies Christ as the visible image of the invisible God.
John 1:18: No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
This verse confirms that the invisible God has never been seen, while the Son reveals Him.
Exodus 3:2: And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
This is the account of the angel of the LORD appearing to Moses in the burning bush.
The Bible distinguishes between the invisible Godhead and God the Son. People like Jacob and Moses encountered God the Son, who revealed the invisible God visibly. The triune Spirit God has never been seen.
Les Feldick teaches that the angel of the LORD at the bush was God the Son. The voice speaking from the bush was the voice of Jehovah.
No. No man has ever seen the invisible Trinity. What people saw in the Old Testament were temporary appearances of God the Son, and in the New Testament the Son took on flesh.
Watch the Teaching: The Burning Bush & The Angel of the Lord: Who Did Moses Really See?