What Does God Look Like?
The question, What does God look like?, is both natural and deeply theological. Human beings are visual creatures, often wanting to see, touch, and describe what they worship. Yet Scripture teaches that God is spirit and cannot be reduced to an image (John 4:24). The Bible is clear that no one has seen God at any time (John 1:18). Still, God has chosen to reveal himself. The ultimate answer to the question, “What does God look like?” is found in Jesus Christ, who is the image of the invisible God.
This article will examine what the Bible says about the appearance of God, how his invisibility is connected to his divine nature, how Jesus perfectly reveals him, and what this means for humanity’s restored identity and purpose.
1. God Is Spirit and Invisible
At the most basic level, the Bible answers the question What does God look like? by affirming that God does not look like anything in the way humans expect. God is spirit (John 4:24), eternal and uncreated. Paul describes him as the one “who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see” (1 Timothy 6:16). The Old Testament echoes this truth when God tells Moses, “You cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live” (Exodus 33:20).
This means that God has no physical body, form, or limitation. Attempts to picture God in human terms inevitably fall short. Idolatry in Israel was condemned because it reduced the invisible Creator to a carved image (Deuteronomy 4:15–19). Asking What does God look like? must begin with humility, recognizing that God transcends human categories of sight and form.
2. Glimpses of God’s Glory in the Old Testament
Although no one can see God’s essence, the Bible records several moments when God manifested his presence in ways people could perceive. These appearances, called theophanies, were never full revelations of God’s being but partial accommodations to human sight.
Examples include:
The burning bush where Moses encountered God (Exodus 3:2–6).
The cloud and fire that led Israel through the wilderness (Exodus 13:21).
The vision of Isaiah who saw the Lord high and lifted up, with the train of his robe filling the temple (Isaiah 6:1).
Ezekiel’s vision of the glory of God, with dazzling light, wheels within wheels, and a throne above (Ezekiel 1:26–28).
Each vision pointed to God’s majesty and holiness but did not reveal his full likeness. These glimpses raise the longing question—What does God look like?—a longing that finds its fulfillment in the coming of Christ.
3. Jesus Christ Reveals What God Looks Like
The clearest biblical answer to What does God look like? is Jesus Christ himself. John’s Gospel begins with this declaration: “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (John 1:18).
Jesus explained this directly to his disciples. When Philip asked, “Lord, show us the Father,” Jesus replied, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). In other words, if God the Father could be seen, he would look like Jesus.
Paul reinforces this truth in Colossians 1:15 by calling Jesus “the image of the invisible God.” The Son has always shared the Father’s glory (John 17:5), but in the incarnation he took on human flesh so that the unseen God might be revealed. Jesus is not a partial glimpse or a symbolic vision—he is the perfect, visible revelation of God’s character, nature, and purpose.
4. Jesus as the Archetype of Humanity
When we ask, What does God look like?, the answer in Christ also sheds light on humanity’s purpose. Humanity was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26–27), but sin distorted that image. Jesus, the true image of God, is also the archetype for restored humanity.
This means:
Jesus shows us God’s character. His compassion, justice, purity, and holiness reveal what God is like.
Jesus shows us God’s rule. As the Son of Man, he embodies the dominion humanity was created to exercise, ruling not through oppression but through service.
Jesus shows us God’s love. His self-giving death reveals the heart of God’s eternal plan of redemption (Romans 5:8).
Jesus shows us humanity’s destiny. Those who are in Christ are being renewed in his image (Colossians 3:10).
Thus, seeing Christ is not only seeing God but also seeing who we were created to be. The question What does God look like? finds its answer both in divine revelation and in human restoration through the gospel.
5. The Future Vision of God’s Glory in Christ
Scripture promises that one day believers will behold God’s glory in a way that far surpasses our present experience. But this vision is not of the Father’s invisible essence made visible. Properly speaking, the Father cannot be seen. Instead, the future hope of the church is to behold Christ in his unveiled majesty.
John writes, “We shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). Revelation 22:4 promises that God’s people “will see his face,” which is a way of describing direct fellowship with God in the glory of the Lamb. To see Christ exalted is to see the fullness of God revealed, for in him the invisible Father is perfectly known.
This hope guards us from misunderstanding. The beatific vision is not a change in the Father’s nature, but a change in us: glorified humanity will be able to look upon the radiance of God revealed in Christ without fear. The Spirit unites us to the Son, so that in beholding Jesus, we behold the Father’s glory.
Conclusion
The Bible teaches that God the Father is invisible, spirit, and beyond human sight. The Old Testament gives partial glimpses of his glory through theophanies, but the full answer to What does God look like? is found in Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God.
In Christ we see the Father revealed, the true nature of humanity displayed, and the future hope of glory secured. The beatific vision is not of the Father’s essence becoming visible, but of believers beholding the glory of Christ, who perfectly reveals the Father.
To ask What does God look like? is ultimately to be pointed to Jesus, the Son of God, who makes the Father known now and will be seen in glory at the end of the age.
Bible Verses on What God Looks Like
“No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” (John 1:18)
“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24)
“You cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” (Exodus 33:20)
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (Colossians 1:15)
“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)
“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” (Colossians 2:9)
“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.” (Hebrews 1:3)
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)
“They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” (Revelation 22:4)
“We shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)
