“No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us” (1 John 4:12 ESV).
The apostle John wrote this letter to believers in the late first century, correcting false doctrine and teaching them how to have assurance of salvation. In this verse, he reminded them that although God had never been seen with physical eyes, His presence was truly experienced when His people loved one another. John taught that God made His invisible presence known by abiding in those who believed in Christ, and that His love reached its intended goal—was “perfected”—when it flowed through them in practical, sacrificial love, to others. Divine love was never meant to stop with them; it was meant to flow from God to them and then through them to others. In this way, the unseen God became visible in the life of the Christian community.
We may not be able to see God with our natural eyes, but we are not left without a real expression of His presence. When we love one another with the love He has given us in Christ, we actually participate in making the invisible God visible. His love abides in us, and it is brought to completion when it moves outward through us. Christian love is not merely a feeling—it is a visible testimony that God is truly among us. Therefore, we must seek to embody this love in our relationships, our families, our churches, and our communities. As we do, we discover that the unseen God is wonderfully present, shaping our hearts and revealing Himself through our unity, forgiveness, service, and kindness. Let us allow God’s love to be perfected in us by flowing to us and through us to others. This is how we can see the unseen God and make His presence known to others.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we thank You for Your great love that pursued us in Christ. Help us to abide in that love and let it flow to us and through us to one another. Make Your invisible presence known among us as we love as You have loved us. In Jesus’ name, amen.