When the invisible becomes visible

 My mind has often run away with the notion of trying to put a face to my God and Father in a visible way. There’s something deeply human about wanting to see what we worship — to make the unseen relatable, to put a visual to a thought. It helps us unpack a reality too vast to grasp.

If God is omnipresent — everywhere at the same time — which He is, that concept makes sense to my mind. After all, air is everywhere around our planet. Wherever we go, there is space — a vast, invisible chasm that surrounds us. Yet that space, though real, holds no apparent power to the naked eye.

The Bible confirms this truth: God is everywhere, and nothing escapes Him.

“Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.” — Jeremiah 23:24

But here’s where the mystery deepens — though God fills all things, He also chooses, at certain moments, to reveal Himself in a form.
In the Garden of Eden, He walked with Adam in the cool of the day.
He spoke to Moses through a burning bush that was not consumed.
He descended upon Mount Sinai in fire and thick smoke.
And ultimately, He came as a man — the Lord Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, full of grace and truth.

These moments remind us that while God’s presence fills the heavens, His heart draws near enough to be seen, heard, and touched.

 

When God Walked with Adam

“And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day…” — Genesis 3:8

This is one of the most mysterious and intimate moments in Scripture. The phrase “the voice of the Lord God walking” suggests not only sound but movement — the Word of God Himself manifesting among His creation.

The Hebrew word for voice, qol, can mean “sound,” “noise,” or “thunder.” This wasn’t merely Adam hearing a voice from afar — it was a tangible presence, a manifestation of God moving in the garden. In that, we glimpse the pre-incarnate Christ, the “Word” who was with God and was God (John 1:1).

Before sin, this was not unusual — God’s presence among His creation was normal. The phrase “in the cool of the day” (ruach hayom) means “the wind or breath of the day,” suggesting a calm breeze at sunset. It implies communion — a daily meeting between Creator and creation. Adam and Eve knew His steps; they recognised His approach.

But after sin, everything changed.

“And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God…” — Genesis 3:8

The same presence that once brought peace now produced fear. Fellowship turned into avoidance. Yet, God still came walking — still seeking.

“And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?” — Genesis 3:9

This wasn’t a geographical question but a relational one — “Where are you in fellowship with Me?” That question has echoed through time, reaching every generation until Christ answered it at the cross.

From Eden onward, God’s desire has always been to walk with man.

Enoch walked with God — and was taken (Genesis 5:24).
Noah walked with God — and found grace (Genesis 6:9).
Abraham was commanded, “Walk before Me and be perfect.” (Genesis 17:1)
His presence led Israel in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21).
Jesus — Emmanuel — walked among men. (Matthew 1:23)
And in the end, “the tabernacle of God will be with men.” (Revelation 21:3)

Sin broke the walk, but grace restored it.

“I will dwell in them, and walk in them.” — 2 Corinthians 6:16
“If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.” — 1 John 1:7

The same God who walked among trees now walks within hearts — the invisible once again becoming visible through transformed lives.

 

Why God Reveals Himself in Form

If God is Spirit and fills all creation, why would He choose to take on form? The answer lies in His desire to be known. From the very beginning, God has not hidden Himself from His creation — He has revealed Himself in ways that human senses can perceive.

When Moses cried, “Show me Your glory,” the Lord answered,

“You cannot see My face, for no man shall see Me and live.” — Exodus 33:20

Yet, God allowed Moses a glimpse — “You shall see My back.” (Exodus 33:23)
It wasn’t His full essence, but a merciful revelation that man could endure.

Later, God Himself said of Moses,

“With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord.” — Numbers 12:8

This “form” was not a physical limitation but visible mercy — God’s invisible nature made visible, not by ceasing to be Spirit, but by stooping to reveal Himself.

All these manifestations — the bush, the pillar of fire, the cloud, the glory — pointed to one ultimate revelation:

“Who, being in the form of God… took upon Him the form of a servant.” — Philippians 2: 6 - 7
“He is the image of the invisible God.” — Colossians 1:15
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” — John 1:14

In Christ, the invisible became visible. God, who fills heaven and earth, stepped into time and space to walk once again among His creation.

 

When the Image Was Distorted

When God said,

“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” — Genesis 1:26

He revealed that humanity was designed to reflect both His invisible nature and His visible expression.

Man was created with reason, will, emotion, and dominion — reflections of divine attributes. But the very form of man was patterned after Christ, “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). Adam’s shape was prophetic — a shadow of the One who would later take on flesh.

Being made in His image is more than just appearance — it’s identity. We were made to reveal God’s righteousness, wisdom, and love on earth.
Though sin distorted that image, Christ came to restore it.

“We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image.” — 2 Corinthians 3:18

Sin fractured what once reflected glory.
Adam and Eve, once clothed in light, now hid in shame.

“And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God…” — Genesis 3:8

Yet even in judgment, God promised restoration — “the seed of the woman” (Genesis 3:15).
The divine image would return — not in Eden’s innocence, but in Calvary’s redemption.

 

False Worship: Man’s Attempt to Replace the Invisible God

When humanity lost direct fellowship with God, it didn’t lose its instinct to worship — it only misdirected it. Instead of walking with the living God, man began to craft gods in his own image.

“They exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image made like corruptible man, and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.” — Romans 1:23

This is the tragedy of idolatry: trying to make the invisible God visible through lifeless things.

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image… You shall not bow down to them nor serve them.” — Exodus 20:4–5

Idols are the shadows of man’s attempt to control the divine — false reflections that promise presence but offer emptiness. They cannot see, speak, or save.

“They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not.” — Psalm 115:5

True worship is not found in carved stone or ritual, but in Spirit and truth.

“God is Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” — John 4:24

Only in Christ do we find the true image of the invisible God — living, breathing, redeeming.
All idols distort the image; Christ restores it.

 

The Brilliance of Christ — God Made Visible

In Christ, the invisible became visible.
He is not a reflection of God — He is God revealed.

“He is the image of the invisible God.” — Colossians 1:15
“For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” — Colossians 2:9
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” — John 1:14

In Him we see the heart of the Father, the authority of the Creator, and the humility of the Redeemer.
Every act of compassion, every word of truth, every miracle performed was the visible outworking of divine nature.

Christ restored what Adam lost.
The first Adam hid from God; the second Adam revealed Him.
The first brought death; the second brought life.
The first was driven from the garden; the second opened the way back into fellowship.

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts,
to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” — 2 Corinthians 4:6

The brilliance of Christ is not only in who He is but in what He accomplished.
He fulfilled the law, defeated sin, conquered death, and restored divine fellowship to humanity.
The One who once walked with man now walks within man through His Spirit.

“I will dwell in them, and walk in them.” — 2 Corinthians 6:16

Salvation Can Only Be Found in Christ

From Eden to Calvary, the message has never changed — God seeks to restore what was lost.
But restoration could not come through law, religion, or human effort.
It could only come through Christ, the visible image of the invisible God.

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” — Acts 4:12

There is no other way because only Christ bore the fullness of the divine image and the full weight of sin.
Through Him, the Creator became Redeemer.
Through Him, man walks again with God — not in Eden’s innocence but in Calvary’s redemption.

Salvation can and will only ever be found in Christ.
He is the way back to the walk that was lost in Eden.
He is the face of the invisible God — the Word made flesh, the glory revealed.
And when His Spirit lives within us, the invisible becomes visible once again.

 

All hail King Jesus for now and forevermore, Amen and Amen!

 

Signing off,

Tyrone