[John 1:18 NASB] No one has seen God (θεὸν theon) at any time; the only begotten God (θεὸς theos) who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

[John 1:18 KJV] No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

The fight over God went in the wrong direction. Gentile Christians wanted their own God really bad, they just couldn't accept the "Jewish" God because they disliked and even hated the Jew. So how could they believ in a God of a disliked people? This paradox has to do with sober minded logic and the emotional realm of the soul, which the Greek PSYCHE amalgamated into one entity mixing rationality with emotions. As a result it is quite difficult for a non-Jew to separate the mind from the soul and much less to rule over the soul with the power of mind.

So that's the psychological bind which deals with self-definitions, self-importance and even self-worship, which God taught the Jew to part with and to overcome. An overblown attachment to self comes from self-love, and self-love comes from the lack of self-criticism, which the Jew was taught from the beginning. Tearing down the earthly and prideful self-identity is typical to a Jew and untypical to a Gentile; hence these two divergent characteristics will always stand in contrast and even clash.

The humbling of self and pride results in salvation and one becomes a Christian. The confession of sin is the mechanism that humbles the pride of life of which John spoke (1Jn. 2:16), and which is necessary for salvation and even a life's transformation. Apostle Paul went even further by saying, [Romans 11:17-18] But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.

The cultivated Olive Tree is Israel into which a gentile Christian as a branch has been grafted; hence one becomes a partaker of the blessings of Abraham, Isaac and Israel. This understanding Paul gave to the Roman church. Shouldn't Christians use it as the humbling of pride catalyst? To bow one's head before the Almighty Creator is easier than to bow one’s head before His people. But how does one bow his or her head? Should not a Gentile be at least a little bit interested in what the Jew went through? How God dealt with the Hebrews and how God sought to eradicate pagan tendencies in His chosen ones? How God kept the Lamp of Judah from which house comes the Jew for David’s sake? How God kept the Jew in a ‘blessed bondage’ to His will regarding the copying and preservation of God’s word until the present form known as the Bible? Shouldn't a gentile be grateful to God but also to the Jew who paid and still pays the price for being chosen? And finally, should not the gentile learn from the Jew his thought processes, temperament, behavior and the God given logic in order to understand Scripture?

[John 1:18] Θεὸν (theos) οὐδεὶς ἑώρακεν πώποτε· μονογενὴς θεὸς (huios) ὁ ὢν είς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο.

It is my opinion that these three translations make most sense:

Weymouth New Testament
No human eye has ever seen God: the only Son, who is in the Father's bosom--He has made Him known.

World English Bible
No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.

Young's Literal Translation
God no one hath ever seen; the only begotten Son, who is on the bosom of the Father -- he did declare.

"No one has physically seen God" should the text read because spiritually we have seen God just as Isaiah did (Is. 6) when he saw the LORD by way of angels, smoke, the train of His robe and exaltation. Jesus said in John 4:22-24 that God is Spirit and Jesus spiritually represented Him; hence, [Hebrews 1:3] He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation (Greek χαρακτήρ charaktēr the instrument used of engraving or carving, expression) of His nature.

So the altarnate rendition of John 1:18 could be, No one has physically seen God at any time but only His firstborn Son, who proceeded from the Father, He introduced Him to us.

Now, which rendition makes more sense and encapsulates all other scriptural references?

He has declared Him (ἐξηγέομαι exēgeomai, which means to lead out, go before or unfold a teaching) is a very good rendition of the Greek text.

Jesus taught about the Father revealing His true nature to us. This correlates with this verse written by Matthew [Matthew 11:27] (…) no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

Thank God that we are not deprived of the hope of having the Father revealed to us. The door is wide open. His Son will reveal the Father to whomever He wills.

Theologians of NIV and NASB Bible translations maintain that the original text reads “ho monogenes theos” (the unique, or only begotten God). The theologians of the KJV of the Bible claim that the original text was “ho monogenes huios” (the only begotten Son). Because these two Greek texts differ (can God be begotten?) the KJV theologians argue that their translation is correct. (I tend to agree with them.)

To a Jew a fully human and a fully divine being smackes of Greek mythology, which was used to Hellenize the Jewish people. Those that were Hellenized and returned to the Jewish fold were no longer Kosher. A Kosher Jew is someone who sees God without any form, human or otherwise. No wonder that Jesus said to the Samaritan woman [John 4:22] Salvation os of the Jews. He also said these profound words, [John 20:29] Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed. And that is taken out of this [Deuteronomy 4:15-16] So watch yourselves carefully, since you did not see any form on the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire, so that you do not act corruptly and make a graven image for yourselves in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female.

Here are many translations of John 1:18. You decide which rendition rings truer.

New International Version (©2011)
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.

New Living Translation (©2007)
No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father's heart. He has revealed God to us.

English Standard Version (©2001)
No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (©2009)
No one has ever seen God. The One and Only Son-- the One who is at the Father's side-- He has revealed Him.

International Standard Version (©2012)
No one has ever seen God. The unique God, who is close to the Father's side, has revealed him.

NET Bible (©2006)
No one has ever seen God. The only one, himself God, who is in closest fellowship with the Father, has made God known.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English (©2010)
No man has seen God at any time; The Only Begotten God Who is in the bosom of The Father, he has declared him.”

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
No one has ever seen God. God's only Son, the one who is closest to the Father's heart, has made him known.

King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.

American King James Version
No man has seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.

American Standard Version
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him .

Douay-Rheims Bible
No man hath seen God at any time: the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Darby Bible Translation
No one has seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

English Revised Version
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Webster's Bible Translation
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.