VERSES: “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.”
— Colossians 1:15-16
He is the image of the invisible God, …”
We come to a grand and lofty section of Colossians. The Holy Spirit presents the Son of God in all his towering preeminence.
Verses 15-20 presents the glory of Christ.
Jesus is unique in seven distinct ways. These distinctive attributes qualify him to have the supremacy (v.18). In seven strokes the Holy Spirit sets forth the imposing superiority of the Son of God:
1. The Image of God
2. The Firstborn Over All Creation
3. Creator of the Universe
4. Head of the Church
5. Firstborn from the Dead
6. The Fullness of God
7. The Reconciler of all Things
This is why he is King Jesus, the sovereign King of the world. We can also view His superiority by seven descriptions:
I. He is the image of God
II. He has priority over all creation
III. He is the Creator
IV. He antedated everything and everyone
V. He personally holds the universe together
VI. He is the Lord of the church.
VII. He is the originator of the church by rising from the dead.
“He is the image of the invisible God”
First, Christ is the image of the invisible God. “Image” means more than that Jesus is like God; he is the representative and manifestation of God. “Image” denotes not only the image but pattern, the original which sets forth likeness or resemblance of God. Jesus represents the Father like the picture on a dollar bill represents the President (Heb. 1:3). If we have seen Jesus, we have seen the Father (John 1:14;14:9). He is not made in the image of God as man is made in the image of God. He is the “express image” of God (Heb 1:3). Since he is God he reflects all that God is.
The “Son” is the exact image, not the derived image of God. He does not merely resemble but represents God (Rom 8:29; I Cor. 15:29). He has all the essence of deity. He is sovereign, eternal life, omniscience, omnipotence, immutability, etc. He is God himself (II Cor. 4:4). The Son is essentially and eternally the image of God. We see God best in the person of Christ. He is the highest form of special revelation. We see God in Christ like we see images from rays of light. The Son is the revealer of God.
His image is that of the “invisible God.” The Son is the only person of the trinity that is manifest to man (John 1:18; 6:46; I Tim 6:16; I John 4:12). He is the revealer of the trinity. God is perfectly seen in Christ.
“Image” implies that there is a prototype of which the image is a copy. As a Son to the Father he is an exact derived reproduction of God (Heb 1:3; Phil 2:6). The next verse demonstrates that Paul is speaking of the Son as prior to all creation.
Principle:
Jesus is all of God that we will ever see (John 10:30; 14:9; Col. 2:9).
Application:
The Lord Jesus is the great, grand and glorious theme of Scripture. He is both the center and the circumference of the Word of God. The Old Testament predicted his coming, the gospels announced that he came, the remaining Scriptures predict his coming again. Delete the Lord Jesus from the Bible and you have a theme without a plot, music without harmony and a car without a motor. In this passage Jesus is set forth in all his towering superiority.
Jesus stands set apart from David, Solomon, John, Peter and Paul. He is incomparable to any human being. He is far removed from a simple human being. To put Jesus on the same level with men infuriates God, “And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Mark 9:7). Peter, James and John had just made a comparison of Jesus with Moses and Elijah. The Son is absolutely unique and shares his glory with no man.
Are you beginning to realize how wonderful the Lord is?
—-——
Author: Dr. Grant C. Richison came from non-Christian home but came to Christ in his late teens. Dr Richison and his wife, Joyce, met in jail—that is, while they ministered in Macomb County jail in Michigan!
Grant quit sports while in high school to attend Bible college in the evenings. He accepted Christ in a church that taught the Bible verse-by-verse in Hazel Park Michigan. The application of the principles of Scripture to experience radically changed his life. This was the cause for a life-time of teaching the Bible verse-by-verse. For this reason, Grant and Joyce went to Dallas Theological Seminary, a seminary noted for Bible exposition.
Following seminary, Grant pastored three churches (Detroit, Iron Mountain Michigan and Winnipeg Manitoba). The church in Manitoba became the largest Baptist church in Canada. Over 500 adults came to Christ per year.
Grant is a Bible expositor who is dedicated to a lifetime of studying and teaching God’s Word. Dr. Richison has been senior pastor of three churches from 1965 to 1992. His most recent pastorate was at Grant Memorial Baptist Church, Winnipeg, Manitoba, where, for a 20-year period, he had oversight of a ministry that expanded from a church of 300 to one of the largest churches in Canada.
During the period of his pastorates, Grant taught at William Tyndale College (Detroit MI), Providence Theological Seminary (Manitoba), Northwest Baptist Seminary (Vancouver), International School of Theology (Vancouver extension), and Briercrest Graduate School (Saskatchewan). He taught Greek, Advance Greek grammar, exegesis courses and theology. His website Verse-by-Verse Commentary is read in most countries of the world (versebyversecommentary.com). The blog has over 11,000 pages of material written by Grant.
Grant was the Interim President of Campus Crusade Canada. He also served as a speaker, writer, and theologian for Campus Crusade.
His book is available : https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/grant-c-richison/941830/
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