Originally posted by robbie carrobie
interesting and yet no man has seen God at any time, are you saying that no man saw Jesus at any time? John 1:18, so either your assertion that Jesus is God is untrue or that the Bibles assertion that no man has seen God is untrue, which is it?
John 1:18 needs to be taken into account through context.
John 1:10-20
King James Version (KJV)
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
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.
19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
The writer here is speaking about John the Baptist and who he was, it is the account of John if you will (a third party speaking). I am not saying 'no man has seen Jesus', Jesus was seen by men as recorded in the Bible. My assertion that Jesus is God is not mine, but is recorded in the Bible. Man has seen God because man has seen Jesus. You have to take into account when things are recorded along the timeline.
For example...
If I had kept a journal of my life, when I was 10 I might say something like, i don't know...
01/01/1974 - I heard today that someone spotted a UFO, I never saw a UFO, but I would like to see a UFO.
fast forward to 01/01/1994...
01/01/1994 - Today I saw a UFO for the first time.
If someone was reading my journal some years later and read my entry 01/01/1974, they would see that I said, "I never saw a UFO". When they read my entry for 01/01/1994 they would read "Today I saw a UFO for the first time".
So the question is... did I see a UFO, did I say I saw a UFO? It depends. Well yes I did, in 1994 not 1974, so what is the time frame and who is speaking. Context is important.
I hope my silly example helps you to get the gist of it and that this clears up any confusion.
John 14:6-7
King James Version (KJV)
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also:
and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
I believe what Jesus said (these are Jesus' words), don't you? Do you read this differently?