Question: Genesis 32:30 says, “I have seen the face of God” and John 1:18 & 1John 4:12 says, “No one has seen the face of God”. Is this a contradiction?
IMO, the answer lies in the understanding of the context and words used in Jacob’s encounter!
All my Translations use the same terms; Jacob wrestled with “a Man”, I.E. God Who can take any Form He wishes, and in this case He wished to confront a human (Jacob) and not to destroy him!
This concept makes peace with all the other refs’ in the Bible, because as always is the case, God will not self-destruct when He wishes to lay a foundational principle etc. ; which has to be accepted by humans!
The case in point with Jacob is shown by the words used when Jacob questions “the Man”; and gets the response which is still in play at this present time (2024); which shows that the nation that Jacob fathered, has to arrive at a point where they as “Israel”, will be called “Jeshurun” (ideal Israel) (or; “loved upright people); Isa.44:1–2!
At the present time, they are clearly not arrived at that honoured status, and cannot be until they acknowledge Christ Jesus as their Messiah; which according to prophecy cannot be until the events of Zech.12:10; which will undo the condition they got themselves into at the point of Acts 28:25–28, which was prophesied by Isa. 6:9–10!
That stage also makes them again Ammi; and they will have stopped looking for a human messiah; and will become “the Kingdom of Priests” unto Almighty God; which was prophesied in Exodus 19:6, and repeated in 1Peter 2:9 and Rev. 1:6!
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