Image of God

Image of God

Words of Faith 10-4-19

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2019

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

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Colossians 1

   [15] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  

        One of the big problems in Colosse was that there were some who had relegated Jesus to just another layer or level on the Gnostic angel-ladder.  Nothing could be further from the truth, and Paul wanted them to know the difference.

        We might wonder why it is that the identity of Jesus as the Christ is not more clear.  Paul wrote that the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4).  He is the image of God!  Yet this great deception was going on in the time of the Colossians and continues today.  Jesus is, in fact, the very image of the invisible God and the firstborn over all creation.

      Paul used the Greek word eikon translated "image" here.  The word expresses two ideas. One is "likeness" meaning that Christ is the exact likeness of God, like the image on a coin or the reflection in a mirror.   The writer of Hebrews put it this way-- The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word (1:3).

      The other idea in this word is manifestation. That is, the nature and being of God are perfectly revealed in Christ, the image of God.  John put it this way in his Gospel-- No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known (1:18). God is manifested-- made known-- in Christ.

       It is because of this that Paul says we have "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2Cor 4:6) and that believers, reflecting the Lord's glory, "are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory" (2Cor 3:18).  There was no place for the vague emanations and shadowy abstractions so prominent in the gnostic system that was invading the early church.

      Paul also made it clear that in relation to the universe, Christ is "the firstborn over all creation."  This truth is woven throughout the testimony of Scripture-- For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers (Romans 8:29)  and when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him" (Hebrews 1:6) ,

      The phrase Paul used may mean either priority in time or supremacy in rank.  Christ is before all creation in time. He is also over it in rank and dignity. The major stress, however, seems to be on the idea of supremacy.

     There is also an image here that reflects the ancient custom whereby the firstborn in a family was accorded rights and privileges not shared by the other offspring. The firstborn was his father's representative and heir.  The management of the household was committed to him. In the same way, Christ is his Father's representative and heir and has the management of the divine household-- all creation-- committed to him. He is thus Lord over all God's creation.  He is head of the house.  We will get to that later.

       What is the point of all this?  We need to know Jesus!  Sometimes we shape Jesus into an over-familiar "buddy" that we are comfortable with, and we assume He is comfortable with us.  We miss the remarkable truth of His image and supreme place in creation.  We tend to either "dumb down" Jesus or redefine him into an image that reflects our culture or our wants instead of the truth. 

         Our real goal in worship and study is to get to know God and enjoy and glorify Him.  We get to know God in the real person of Jesus-- not in some cultural cardboard cut-out.  He is much bigger than that. 

      Father God, I want to know You.  I want to discover all of You that I can in the person of Jesus.  Help me to apprehend the grandeur of Your image and supremacy. In Jesus' Name.

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, and our website, and our church app, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.  

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