Biblical Concept: Not seeing but believing
(Explanatory parentheses are
mine.) (Conclusion at end.)
NAS Psalm 95:9 "When your fathers tested Me, They tried Me,
though they had seen My work. (Seeing
but not believing.)
NAS Psalm 97:6 The heavens declare His righteousness, And all
the peoples have seen His glory. (God
consciousness = spiritual sight potential.
See Biblical Concept: God Consciousness. Also Romans 1:20 below.)
NAS Matthew 12:38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered
Him, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." 39 But He answered and said to them,
"An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the
sign of Jonah the prophet; (Signs? No, repent or be judged.)
NAS Matthew 13:17 "For truly I say to you, that many prophets
and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it; and to hear what you hear, and did
not hear it. (Believing but not seeing.)
NAS Matthew 16:4 "An evil and adulterous generation seeks
after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah."
And He left them, and went away. (Signs? No, repent or be judged.)
NAS Matthew 24:24 "For false Christs and false prophets will
arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible,
even the elect. (Seeing signs and
wonders can spiritually mislead.)
NAS Mark 15:32 "Let this
Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may
see and believe!" And those who were crucified with Him were casting the
same insult at Him. (Not seeing, not
believing.)
NAS Luke 10:13 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you,
NAS Luke 10:23 And turning to the disciples, He said privately,
"Blessed are the eyes which see
the things you see, (Seeing and
believing.)
NAS Luke 19:37 And as He was now approaching, near the descent
of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise
God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, (The spiritual obligation of seen
miracles—note 19:41-44.)
NAS Luke 23:8 Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he
had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him
and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. (Not seeing, not believing.)
NAS Luke 24:16 But their eyes were prevented from recognizing
Him. (Prevented from seeing and
spiritually seeing. See 24:31.)
NAS John 1:18 No man has seen God at any time; the only
begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
(Equal humanity: Not seeing God.)
NAS John 1:50 Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I
said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see
greater things than these." (Seeing
and believing.)
NAS John 2:11 This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory,
and His disciples believed in Him.
(Seeing and believing.)
NAS John 2:18 The Jews therefore answered and said to Him,
"What sign do You show to us, seeing that You do these things?" (Seeing and not believing.)
NAS John 2:23 Now when He was in
NAS John 3:2 this man came to Him by night, and said to Him,
"Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God
is with him." (Seeing in part.)
NAS John
3:36 "He who believes in the Son has
eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life,
but the wrath of God abides on him." (See the afterlife through belief in Jesus.)
NAS John 4:48 Jesus therefore said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe." (See 4:46-54, seeing and believing.)
NAS John 5:37 "And the Father who sent Me, He has borne
witness of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. (Equal humanity: Not seeing God.)
NAS John 6:30 They said therefore to Him, "What then do
You do for a sign, that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform?
(See 6:36, seeing and not believing.)
NAS John 6:36 "But I said to you, that you have seen Me,
and yet do not believe. (Seeing and not
believing.)
NAS John 7:31 But many of the multitude believed in Him; and
they were saying, "When the Christ shall come, He will not perform more
signs than those which this man has, will He?" (Seeing and believing.)
NAS John 9:16 Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying,
"This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." But
others were saying, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such
signs?" And there was a division among them. (Seeing and believing, seeing and not
believing.)
NAS John 9:39 And Jesus said, "For judgment I came into
this world, that those who do not see may see; and that those who see may
become blind." (Seeing and
believing, seeing and not believing.)
NAS John 11:40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you, if
you believe, you will see the glory of God?" (Faith leads to spiritually seeing.)
NAS John 12:37 But though He had performed so many signs before
them, yet they were not believing in
Him; (Seeing and not believing.)
NAS John 12:40 "He has blinded their eyes, and He hardened
their heart; lest they see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and
be converted, and I heal them."
(The obligation of seen miracles.
See 12:37 above.)
NAS John 20:29 Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen
Me, have you believed? Blessed are they
who did not see, and yet believed." (Belief is superior to seeing.)
NAS Acts 14:3 Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was
bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be
done by their hands. 4 But the
multitude of the city was divided; and some sided with the Jews, and some with
the apostles. (Seeing and believing,
seeing and not believing.)
NAS Acts 28:26 saying, 'Go to this people and say, "You
will keep on hearing, but will not understand; And you will keep on seeing, but
will not perceive; (Seeing and not
believing. See 28:23-26.)
NAS Romans
1:20 For since the creation of
the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have
been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they
are without excuse. (God consciousness =
spiritual sight potential. See Biblical
Concept: God Consciousness.)
NAS Romans 8:24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is
seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees? 25
But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for
it. (Spiritual hope is superior to
seeing.)
NAS Romans 11:8 just as it is written, "God gave them a
spirit of stupor, Eyes to see not and ears to hear not, Down to this very
day." (Jewish spiritual sight
failure.)
NAS 1 Corinthians 1:22 For indeed Jews ask for signs, and Greeks search
for wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ
crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, 24 but to those who are the called,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (Seeing and believing, seeing and not
believing.)
NAS 1 Corinthians 2:9 but just as it is written, "Things which eye
has not seen and ear has not heard, And which
have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who
love Him." (God’s spiritual plan is
superior to sight.)
NAS 1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face
to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I also have
been fully known. (Spiritual maturity =
spiritual sight. See 13:8-13.)
NAS 2 Corinthians 4:4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the
minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of
the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (Satan attacks spiritual sight.)
NAS 2 Corinthians 4:18 while we look not at the things which are seen,
but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are
temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (Eternal spiritual vision is superior.)
NAS Ephesians 1:18 I pray that
the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the
hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the
saints, (Spiritual vision is superior to
seeing.)
NAS 1 Timothy 6:16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in
unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. (Equal humanity: Not seeing God.)
NAS Hebrews 2:4 God also bearing witness with them, both by signs
and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according
to His own will. (This second generation
Christian Hebrews author recognized that after the Apostolic Age it was back to
not seeing but believing.)
NAS Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of
things not seen. (Faith and hope are
superior to seeing.)
NAS Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds were
prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things
which are visible. (Spiritually seeing
creation.)
NAS Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for
the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an
heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. (Faith is superior to seeing.)
NAS Hebrews 11:13 All these died in faith, without receiving the
promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and
having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. (Faith is superior to seeing.)
NAS Hebrews 11:27 By faith he left
NAS Hebrews 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and
perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Not seeing but believing.)
NAS 1 Peter 1:8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him,
and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with
joy inexpressible and full of glory,
(Faith is superior to seeing.)
NAS 2 Peter 1:3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us
everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him
who called us by His own glory and excellence.
(God has provided the believer with the ability to spiritually see.)
NAS 1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has
not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall
be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. (Eternity is for seeing God.)
NAS 1 John 4:20 If someone says, "I love God," and
hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom
he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. (Seeing and loving, not seeing and loving.)
NAS Revelation 16:14 for they are spirits of demons, performing signs,
which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the
war of the great day of God, the Almighty.
(Satan attacks spiritual sight.)
NAS Revelation 22:4 and they shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. (Eternity is for seeing God.)
Conclusions:
Generally, humanity is required by God to not see but believe—this is a
divine purpose for humanity—to not see but believe. (Note: Angels see and believe or
disbelieve. Humans do not see and
believe or disbelieve.) God has granted
the advantage of God consciousness for potential spiritual seeing. From the Divine perspective: