The statement that Jesus is the image of the invisible God is found in Colossians 1:15, which says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” This profound verse teaches us several key truths about who Jesus is in relation to God the Father.
Jesus fully reveals God
First, when it says Jesus is the “image” of God, it means He fully reveals God’s nature and character. An image is a visible representation of something or someone. Jesus came to show us exactly who God is and what He is like. John 1:18 says, “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.” Jesus displayed the invisible attributes of God visibly through His life and ministry.
Jesus shares God’s divine nature
Second, Jesus shares the exact nature and being of God. He is not merely a created representative of God, but the Son who shares the divine nature fully with the Father. This is hinted at in the name “Son” which implies shared essence with the Father. Hebrews 1:3 says Jesus is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.” So Jesus is the perfect image of God because He shares the same divine nature as God and expresses it fully.
Jesus and God are inseparably united
Third, Jesus and God cannot be separated but are completely united as part of the triune Godhead. Since Jesus shares God’s nature, He cannot be divided from God or exist independently from Him. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). The relationship between Jesus and God is like the relationship between the image in a mirror and the object it reflects. The two are inseparable even though they are distinct.
Jesus came from the Father
Fourth, the fact that Jesus is the image of God also establishes that He has eternally existed with the Father before taking on human flesh. An image has never existed apart from that which it images. Since Jesus is the image of God, He must have eternally proceeded from the Father in His pre-existence before the incarnation. As John 1:1 states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Jesus is the visible member of the Godhead
Fifth, by calling Jesus the image we understand that He is the visible member of the Godhead who reveals God to us. While God remains unseen and invisible, Jesus became the visible manifestation of God’s glory and presence. To see and know Jesus is to see and know God in essence because He is the perfect imprint of God in bodily form. As Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).
Jesus is distinct from the Father
Sixth, even though Jesus is one with the Father in nature, He remains a distinct person within the Trinity. An image is never identical to that which it images. This verse thus upholds Jesus’ divine individuality even while equating Him with God. Jesus is of one substance with the Father, and yet remains the distinct Son, relating to the Father in love.
Jesus is supreme over all of creation
Seventh, the verse goes on to call Jesus the “firstborn over all creation.” This means several things. Jesus was preeminent in status over all created things as the Author and Heir of creation. He is first in rank as the supreme Lord of all. Calling Jesus firstborn also means He preceded the rest of creation and is supreme over it as God (see also Revelation 3:14).
In summary, Jesus as the image of God reveals God fully, shares His divine nature exactly, is inseparably one with God, eternally proceeded from the Father, is the visible member of the Godhead, is personally distinct from the Father, and is preeminent over all of creation as Lord. This profound description of Christ in this verse teaches us so much about His divine majesty, glory, and oneness with the Father.
Jesus reveals the invisible attributes of God
As the perfect image of God, Jesus makes visible all the attributes and qualities of God that we cannot detect with our physical senses. For example, God’s holiness, righteousness, justice, love, mercy, patience, goodness, and truth are all attributes that have no physical form. Yet Jesus demonstrated these heavenly virtues perfectly in a way we could perceive and understand through His life and ministry. Through witnessing His moral perfection and sinless example, we see reflections of God’s glory.
Jesus displays God’s character in human form
Furthermore, Jesus lived as the tangible representation of God’s character to humanity. All the character traits of God were expressed in Christ’s human form. What is God’s personality like? Jesus shows us – He cares for sinners, values humility, speaks truth, forgives offenses, welcomes children, brings hope to the hurting, prefers serving over being served, and sacrifices Himself for others. By observing Jesus’ life and words, we gain a glimpse of God’s wonderful personality.
Jesus embodies all the fullness of God
In addition, Scripture teaches us that Jesus embodies the very fullness of deity in bodily form (Colossians 2:9). While God is infinite, Jesus is God focused and confined to a human existence. Though veiled in flesh, Christ expressed the limitless perfections of divinity – like omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, immutability and eternity. His miracles over nature, sickness, demons, and death displayed God’s power over all things. His knowledge of people’s hearts and thoughts revealed God’s all-knowingness. Jesus embodied the fullness of God.
Jesus is the way to see God’s glory
Moreover, Jesus told His disciples that to see Him was to see the Father – to know Him was to know God (John 14:7-9). He claimed that no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). So to encounter Christ by faith is to behold the unveiled glory of God. While we cannot perceive the infinite invisible God directly, we can see God in the face of Jesus Christ. He makes God known and enables us to connect with Him.
Jesus and God share the same divine attributes
The fact that Jesus is the image of God means He fully shares the divine attributes with God the Father. Just as God is self-existent from eternity, all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere present and unchanging, so is Jesus. The Son does not merely copy or represent some of God’s characteristics, but the very same eternal excellencies belong equally to Jesus as to His Father. They share the same divine nature.
Jesus radiates the glory of God
Furthermore, Scripture says that Jesus is “the radiance of God’s glory” (Hebrews 1:3). A radiance is the light that shines outward from its source. Jesus is like the beaming radiance that emanates from the sun. Similarly, Christ reflects the brilliant, magnificent glory of God. John testified of Jesus “we have seen his glory” (John 1:14). When we spiritually behold Christ by faith, we see the very splendor and majesty of God emanating from Him.
Jesus makes God known to humanity
Additionally, Jesus makes God known to humanity. He is the divine Word and communication of God to man. No one has ever seen the infinite transcendent God who dwells in unapproachable light. But Jesus entered the world to declare and interpret Him – making His ways, words, works, will, heart and mind known to us. Jesus said to His disciples, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father…I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (John 14:9-10).
Jesus is the visible God we can relate to
Furthermore, Jesus makes it possible for us as finite humans to know, relate and connect with the infinite God. If God remained solely Spirit, unseen and invisible, we could not interact with Him. But in Christ, God took on human form and entered into our world. This allows us to connect with God through Jesus in a way we never could with God in His spiritual essence alone. Jesus is God wrapped in skin so we can fully relate to Him.
Jesus has all authority to represent God
Moreover, since Jesus shares the identical essence and nature as God, He has full authority to represent God. As the Son of God, Jesus is a member of the triune Godhead and completely united with the Father. This means His words, actions, commands and revelations flawlessly represent God’s words, actions, commands and revelations. Jesus said, “I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment” (John 12:49).
Jesus reveals God through His claims
Additionally, Jesus revealed God not just through His holy life but through His astonishing claims. He made statements about His identity that could only be true if He was God. For example, Jesus claimed to exist eternally (John 8:58), be one with the Father (John 10:30), forgive sins (Mark 2:5-10), receive worship due to God alone (Matthew 14:33), and hold authority over all creation, including the power to raise the dead and grant eternal life to others (John 11:25). Such bold claims reveal His divine nature.
Jesus reveals aspects of God we would not know otherwise
Furthermore, Jesus reveals aspects of God’s nature and character that we could never know otherwise. For instance, God’s humility and servant heart are seen in Christ’s willingness to take the form of a slave and die to save us. The severity of God’s wrath and judgment is glimpsed at the cross as Jesus endures condemnation for sinners. God’s ability to sympathize with our weaknesses is found in Christ’s sufferings. God’s desire for relationship with people is evident in Christ coming to live among us. His patience, mercy and grace toward sinners is ultimately seen at Calvary. God reveals Himself in Christ.
Jesus is the Father’s ultimate self-revelation
In fact, the Son of God is the climax of God’s self-disclosure. God spoke partially through prophets, priests and kings in the Old Testament, but has spoken definitively through His Son. The author of Hebrews began his letter by saying, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2). Jesus is God’s full and final revelation.
Jesus is the perfect imprint of God’s nature
Not only does Jesus reveal God, but He is said to be the “exact imprint” of God’s nature (Hebrews 1:3). An imprint, stamp or imprint is an exact duplicate or representation of the original. Jesus represents the being, attributes and substance of God flawlessly. God’s character is perfectly reproduced and expressed in His Son, who is the flawless facsimile of God’s eternal nature and attributes.
In conclusion, the fact that Jesus is the image of the invisible God means that God’s fullness, glory, character and divine attributes are perfectly revealed, expressed and made known in Jesus Christ. As the Son of God, Jesus shares the Father’s divine nature and perfectly represents Him before humanity. In Christ, the invisible God becomes visible and known to us.