“I’LL BELIEVE IT when I see it.” It’s a common way of expressing our skepticism. We believe something to be true about a situation or person, like That guy is a total jerk! And then a mutual friend tries to tell us otherwise: “Actually he’s really nice when you get to know him.” We cling to our own perception, of course; after all, hasn’t that guy offended us more than once? But we also trust our friend, believe them to be sane, and don’t want to call them delusional. So we leave the door open just a crack, shaking our head doubtfully and saying, “Well, if you say so. But I’ll believe it when I see it.”

It’s understandable. The problem is, it doesn’t always work that way. We’d like to believe we’re perfectly rational and objective human beings, basing what we believe on the evidence in front of us. But the truth is that often, we don’t just believe something because we see it, but rather see it because we’re willing to believe it. In other words, if we’re not willing to believe that Mr. Jerk-Guy has another side to him, if we can’t admit the possibility that we might be wrong, then we won’t accept or possibly even notice the evidence that contradicts our prejudice against him.

Something similar can be said of those who are skeptical about the existence or goodness of an invisible God. Consider, for example, what the apostle John says near the beginning of his gospel:

No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. (John 1:18, NIV)

The man Jesus made God known in a tangible way. But did that mean that everyone who encountered him believed? Some did: they heard his words or saw his works and believed that he was from God. But others saw the same signs and continued to ask for more, demanding that Jesus prove himself to their satisfaction. The problem wasn’t that they couldn’t believe; the problem was that they were unwilling to believe.

And yet God chose to reveal himself in that way. So the question is: how is the invisible God made visible now?

AS WE’VE SEEN, in his letter, John returns repeatedly to the words of Jesus in the Upper Room. Thus far in chapter 4, he’s already repeated the commandment of Jesus twice, in verses 7 and 11: “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. …Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” Then immediately after, John says this in verse 12:

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (1 John 4:12)

“No one has ever seen God,” John says, echoing the words we read from his gospel. There, the suggestion is that God revealed himself through the person of Jesus. But here in his letter, John seems to be saying that God now reveals himself through his people. Or to put it more specifically: because God is by very nature love, then that nature is revealed through the love his people show toward one another.

This isn’t just happenstance, as when someone stumbles over new and unexpected evidence. The revelation of God’s love through the mutual love between believers is by divine design. That’s what John means by saying that “his love is made complete in us.” It’s not because God’s love was somehow incomplete or imperfect in itself. Rather, the endgame was always for God’s love to be made visible in and among his people.

THINK FOR A moment what this means for the life, mission, and ministry of the local church. We may put a great deal of effort into outreach and evangelism, and rightly so; people need to hear the message of God’s love and grace in Jesus. But what happens next, when people come through the doors of a congregation? What will they find?

Compelling preaching? Check. Great music? Check. Programs and activities for people of all ages and stages? Check. There’s nothing wrong with any of this, and these are some of the common reasons that people visit and stay.

One of the reasons people leave, however, is not because of what a congregation has, but what it lacks: love. Someone may greet you at the door with a sunny smile; people may smile and say, “Good morning!” as they pass. People are attracted to friendly congregations. But friendliness is not the same thing as love, not a substitute for having people who know you for who you are and are there for you anyway.

It’s one thing for the person in the pulpit to preach love; it’s another for the whole community to show it, to live it, to embody it. Do I believe that God is revealed through the spoken word? Absolutely. I wouldn’t be doing what I do if I didn’t believe that. But John is telling us that God’s plan is to make his loving nature visible through our love for one another in community.

Do you believe it? Then let’s see it.