I recently conducted a funeral service for a former church member. As I was preparing for that service, I came across a quote by William Barclay which said: “The man who sees the light and keeps straight on to it also endures as seeing the invisible” That really got me thinking. How does one “see the invisible?” Isn’t that a contradiction in terms? Isn’t the very definition of “invisible” something that cannot be seen? How does this work?

There are some things that are very real, although they are not visible to the naked eye. Bloodstains at a crime scene, for example, might be very difficult or even impossible to see with the naked eye, but they become very visible when an ultraviolet light is shined on them. There are other things which are even more real than merely physical things, because they are eternal, but they cannot be seen with our physical eyes. Paul wrote, “We live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Cor 5:7)

The Bible talks about seeing the invisible. Consider for example Heb.11:27 “By faith he (Moses) left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible”. The Apostle Paul, in a letter to Timothy, wrote, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Tim 1:17), and in his letter to the Colossians he wrote, “He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” (Col 1:15-16).

The ability to see eternal and spiritual things, things which are invisible to our mortal eyes, requires the gift of eternal life. Fortunately, this gift is freely given by our gracious and loving Heavenly Father. Paul wrote, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 6:23) And Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16-17).

Therefore, it can be said that one of the aspects of the gift of eternal life is the ability to see the invisible.