Dan Eakin/Contributing writer
Many years ago, the late Dr. W.A. Criswell, longtime pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, preached a powerful message titled, “Loving the Unseen Christ.”
His text was I Peter 1:8: “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”
None of us who are alive today on earth have ever seen Christ. Yet many of us love him, because of what we have read about him in the Bible, and through personal spiritual experiences with him through prayer.
It is interesting that no one knows what the most influential man the world has ever known looked like. The Bible was careful not to tell us. Maybe it was for the best. If we knew what he looked like, then maybe those with features similar to his would get undue gratification.
It was said that Cassius Clay, who later called himself Mohammed Ali, said he became a Muslim because he didn’t want to worship a blond headed, blue-eyed Jesus. He had seen paintings by someone who thought maybe they knew what Jesus had looked like.
A missionary to black people in Africa was approached by a native who asked him if Jesus was black or white. The missionary replied, “Neither. I think his skin was brown.” The native smiled and said, “Then he can belong to both of us.”
Why do so many people love a Christ whom they have never seen?
1. We love him because of his loving sacrifice. He had said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13. Yet he went a step further and laid down his life for his enemies. “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled by the death of his son, even more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” Romans 5:10. We also love God the Father for sending his son. John 3:16 Romans 5:8.
2. We love him because of his loving personality. Anyone who reads the gospel will read about the loving personality of Jesus. He literally loved everybody. He loved the rich. He loved the poor. He loved the moral. (Nicodemus in John 3) He loved the immoral (The woman at the well in John 4). He loved the old and he loved the young. He said, “Let the little children come unto me and forbid them not…” Matthew 19:14. He even loved those who nailed him to the cross and prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34.
3. We love him because he first loved us. I John 4:19. There is a wonderful old song, “Blessed Redeemer,” which says:
“O how I love him, Savior and friend, how can my praises ever find end?
Through years unnumbered on Heaven’s shore, my tongue shall praise him forevermore!”
Then comes the question, how can we trust in an unseen God?
The Bible says “No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” John 1:18. Jesus said, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” John 14:9. Some people interpret that to mean that Jesus was claiming to be the Father. But no, he was saying that he had all the characteristics of his father.
No, none of us haver ever seen God. Neither have we seen the wind. Yet we know it is there because we have seen the flags flying and the leaves moving in the trees. Psalm 19:1: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.” Psalm 14:1 “The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.”
So, what can we trust God for?
1. We can trust God to forgive our past sins. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9
2. We can trust God to meet our present needs. “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 As the Lord is our shepherd, he promises to feed us (Psalm23:1), to lead us (Psalm 23:2,3), to protect us (Psalm 23 4) and to comfort us (Psalm 23:4).
3, We can trust God to meet our future needs. “Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”
It is important to note that the promises of God may only be available for those who love him. Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God….”
The Bible talks a lot about trusting God for the unseen. That’s what faith is. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1.
God is unseen. Jesus to us today is the unseen Christ. Heaven is unseen, at least by us who are still in the flesh. The future is unseen.
The old song says, “The end I know is nearing, by faith I look away to yonder home supernal, the land of endless day; I’ll cling to him forever, and look beyond the skies, and spend the endless ages in glory bye and bye!”
Meanwhile, let’s keep loving the unseen Christ and trusting in the unseen God!