Can God's face actually be seen (Genesis
32:30)?
In Genesis 32:30 Jacob said, "I saw God
face to face, and yet my life was spared." Mormons sometimes cite
this verse with a view to proving that God the Father has a physical
body with a face that can be seen.
This is a faulty interpretation. To begin,
it is possible for a blind person to speak "face to face" with
someone without seeing their face. The phrase "face to face" in the
Hebrew mindset means "personally," "directly," or "intimately." Moses
had this kind of unmediated relationship with God. But he, like all
other mortals, never saw an actual "face" of God. We must not forget
the Bible's emphatic statement that "God is a spirit" (John. 4:24).
And "a spirit does not have flesh and bones" (Luke 24:39). So, again,
God does not have a physical face. Being "face to face" with God
simply refers to being in God's direct presence in an intimate
way.