The Image of the invisible God

Colossians 1:15 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

As I continued in my Bible Study of Colossians, the lesson explained that claiming that the person and revelation of Jesus, by His Spirit, were insufficient for the knowledge of God that empowers Christian living, false teachers in first-century Colossae advocated a non-Scriptural “deeper” spirituality that depended on “works” like the proper observance of food laws, festival days, and asceticism (a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals), as well as the worship of angels. To defend the gospel against such perversions, Paul wrote a letter to teach and apply practically the true doctrine (teachings) of Christ, especially His preeminence in all things. In Colossians 1:15–20, the apostle gives us one of the most marvelous expositions of the identity of Jesus in the entire New Testament. Read in your Bible and be blessed.

This lesson points out that the Apostle Paul begins his description of Jesus in today’s passage as “the image of the invisible God”. We think immediately of Genesis 1:26–28, which tells us humanity is made in God’s image, reflecting the sovereign Creator through our task as stewards of the earth for God’s purposes. Yet though we reflect the glory of the Almighty within the created order, there is still a limit to what we, as mortals, reveal about God. After all, Scripture teaches that we are made in the image of God — not that we are the image of God, at least not in the same way as Jesus. Paul explains that the Savior is God’s image, and those to whom he first wrote would have understood him to mean that Jesus is a picture of the Creator and that He embodies in human form the same identity as the One He images. In other words, human beings need not look anywhere else to see the Almighty, for Jesus is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature” (Hebrews 1:3). In Christ He [God] shows us His righteousness, goodness, wisdom, power, in short, His entire self. We must, therefore, beware of seeking Him elsewhere, for everything that would set itself off as a representation of God, apart from Christ, will be an idol.

The lesson clarifies that Jesus is also called “the firstborn of all creation,” and, contrary to what many cults teach, Paul is not saying that God’s Son is a created being. The Son of God — one of the three eternal persons of the triune God — acquired humanity (“became flesh,” God incarnate) through the Virgin Mary, but He has always existed as a divine second person of the trinity. “Firstborn of all creation” designates His status: just as the firstborn son in an ancient family held a privileged rank in his clan, so too does God’s Son over all creation.

 The lesson on Colossians 1:15 concludes that it is easy and not very costly to admire Jesus as a great moral teacher, but the proper response to Christ is not mere admiration but worship. We are called not simply to follow His guidelines but to throw ourselves at His feet in adoration, honor, glory and praise. Consequently, if we want others to have a proper view of the Messiah, the blessed Redeemer,  the Savior of the world, then we need to be careful and always speak of Him as God incarnate, who rules over all. The Image of the invisible God

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.