How Could Moses See God Face-To-Face If God Has No Body?

Christians believe God to be invisible—without a body, while Latter-day Saints believe that Heavenly Father has a glorified body. As Christians, we derive this belief from 1 Timothy 6 refers to the God

“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 6:15-16).

Yet the Bible tells us that Moses spoke with God face-to-face! Doesn’t that mean that Moses saw God’s face? Then how can Christians say that God has no physical body?

Moses Spoke To God Face-To-Face

Exodus 33:9-11 says

“When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend…” (Exodus 33:9–11).

So what’s going on here? Is Moses seeing the Father’s physical face when he enters the tabernacle? Here are a couple reasons why Christians say no:

If Moses had really seen the face of God, he would have died

A couple verses after Exodus 33:11, Moses asks God if he could see the His glory, God responds

““I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” (Exodus 33:19–20)

Moses wrote down in Exodus 33:11 that he spoke with God face-to-face, and then wrote down in verse 20 (just a few verses later) that no one can see God’s face and live. I don’t think Moses just forgot what he had just written, Moses never actually intended to communicate that he saw God’s literal face.

Jesus Revealed the Father in the Old Testament

Yet there are some times in Scripture where it seems like God DOES physically manifest Himself to us—sometimes in a great cloud of fire (Exodus 13:21), other times in the form of a man who struggles to win a wrestling match (Genesis 32:22-32). What do Christians do with this if God is invisible and doesn’t have a body?

Sometimes, these manifestations are an angel who physically appears (as one representing God)—like a messenger who carries the authority of the King with him. Other times, it’s actually Jesus before His Incarnation—that is, before He permanently took on flesh.

John’s Gospel says

“No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” (John 1:18).

In this verse, John explains that no human being has ever seen the God the Father. However, “the only God” (referring to Jesus (John 1:1-4)) has “made the Father known.” This is really significant, because it recontextualizes those times in the Old Testament when God physically manifested Himself. According to this verse, those manifestations weren’t the Father being seen…but the Son who reveals the Father (Hebrews 1:1-2).

When Jesus’ disciple Philip asks Jesus if He can show the Father to the disciples (John 14:8). Jesus responds by saying,

““Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:9)

The Apostle Paul even describes Jesus as the “image of the invisible God”. In other words – the God who cannot be seen is imaged in the Son (Colossians 1:15). So in those unique times when God does seem to physically manifest Himself to mankind—it’s JESUS who is revealing the Father to us.

What Does It Mean That Moses Spoke To God face-to-face?

The phrase “face-to-face” is an idiom that indicates personal interaction. Exodus 33:11 even clarifies what this expression means

“Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend…” (Exodus 33:11).

Look at what Numbers says about Israel seeing the formless pillar of cloud and fire,

“…For you, O Lord, are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them and you go before them, in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.” (Numbers 14:14).

When Israel came to the foot of Mount Sinai, Scripture records that they saw,

“…thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast…Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire.” (Exodus 19:16–18).

Deuteronomy 4:12 clarifies:

“Then the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice.” (Deuteronomy 4:12)

Yet Deuteronomy also says of this event at Mt. Sinai:

“The Lord spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire” (Deuteronomy 5:4).

The expression “face-to-face” in these verses does not mean that Israel saw God’s human face on the mountain, but that they personally interacted with Him.

In Conclusion — No one has ever and can ever see God (1 Timothy 6:16). He is spirit (John 4:24), and spirits don’t have flesh and bones (Luke 24:39). While Moses did personally and uniquely relate to God, he did not see a physical face. John 6 says