“who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen” (1 Timothy 6:16),
1 Timothy 6:16 may be a difficult verse to reconcile when we consider it in light of some other Biblical passages. For instance, the verse quoted above tells us that God “…dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see.” This seems to conflict with the experience of Adam and Eve, the first human couple who clearly interacted with their Creator in a visible manner (Genesis 2:15-16, 3:8-10).
We also have the following portion of Scripture from the Biblical book of 1 John: “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). Then there is Jesus’ promise from Matthew 5:8: “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.”
We can resolve theses issues (at least in part) when we stop to remember that God is Spirit (John 4:24) and therefore invisible to human beings. Words like immaterial (something that exists without a material form) and incorporeal (something without physical substance) also define this aspect of God’s existence. The Old Testament book of Job expresses this idea as well: “If He goes by me, I do not see Him; If He moves past, I do not perceive Him” (Job 9:11).
We should also consider the fact that God is so powerful, radiant, glorious, and morally pure that His presence would overwhelm a sinful human being. This explains why the Lord said to Moses, the Biblical patriarch, “…You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live” (Exodus 33:20).
One Biblical scholar offers some additional insights that can help us understand and reconcile these passages…
“As spirit, God is ‘invisible’ to our physical eyes (1:17). Yet God condescends to make His glory visible to sinful human beings while at the same time shielding them from the full manifestation of His divine being, lest they be destroyed by His consuming holiness (Gen. 32:30; Ex. 24:10, 11; 33:18–23; Num. 12:6–8; Is. 6:1–5).
Paul refers here to the overpowering radiance of God’s divine being in Himself, which we His sinful creatures cannot perceive apart from the mediation of Christ the divine Son (John 1:18; Rev. 22:3–5). In glory, however, once all sin has been removed from us, we will see the Lord as He is and view Him face to face (1 Cor. 13:12; 1 John 3:2).” (1)
(1) Sproul, R. C. (Ed.). (2015). The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (pp. 2163–2164). Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust.