Loving an Invisible God
By Dr. Nicholas J. Schaser
The writings of Jesus’ earliest followers confirm that God is usually invisible to human beings. Colossians says that Yeshua is “the image of the invisible (ἀοράτου, aorātou) God, the first born of all creation” (Col 1:15). Similarly, 1 Timothy 1:17 refers to God as both “immortal” and “invisible” (ἀοράτῳ, aorāto). Since God “dwells in unapproachable light” (1 Tim 6:16), human beings cannot see the deity—just as the Israelites “saw no form” when God was obscured by fire on Sinai (Deut 4:12, 15). Sometimes, it can be difficult to build a relationship with a being unseen by the human eye. Yet, ancient Jews identified love for one’s neighbor as a visible manifestation of love for God.
The first letter of John formulates this association between love for God and neighbor, saying, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his fellow, he is a liar; for he who does not love his fellow whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his fellow” (1 John 4:20-21). John’s words bring together the two Torah commands that Jesus deems most important according to Matthew 22:37-40: love of God (Deuteronomy 6:5) and love of neighbor (Leviticus 19:18). The logic here is that if one has difficulty loving a visible human being, then that person cannot properly love an invisible God. Put positively, interpersonal love on earth is a blueprint for loving God in heaven.
The first-century Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria says something similar to what we find in the letter of John. Speaking of the commandment to honor parents, Philo states, “parents are the servants of God for the propagation of children, and he who dishonors the servant dishonors also the master…. And it is impossible that the invisible God can be piously worshiped by those people who behave with impiety towards those who are visible and near to them” (The Decalogue 119-20). Philo’s rhetoric reflects the Johannine notion that love of one’s fellow human being is a prerequisite for the proper worship of God. Ancient Jews agreed that a good indicator of our love for God can be seen in how we love our neighbors.
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