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Based on Heb. 1:3
This verse does not merely say that Jesus was like God, or that he was a reflection of God’s nature, but it says He is the exact representation of His being. It is not approximate, but the exact representation of His being. In other word, Jesus is exactly like God. He is the greatest image of God we can have because we have in Jesus exactly what we have in God the Father. Like Father, like Son, for they are like identical twins. When you see Jesus you see the Father. God had forbidden that His people ever worship any idol that was built to supposedly represent Him. There is nothing on earth or in heaven that can represent God, and so it was folly to ever have anything to be an image of Him. But when God came into history in the person of His Son He was here in person. It is now legitimate to have an image of God to worship when that image is the person of Jesus Christ. To worship His is to worship God, for they are one and the same. It sounds like heresy, but the reality is that we, as Christians, worship an image of God, and that image is Jesu
When you have a seal that can make a mark on paper, that mark is an exact copy of the original seal. It may be a seal that is used to put its mark on clay or wax, but it is always just like the original. The reason all our coins look the same is because they are made from the same mold that stamps them as identical to the original. There can be nothing different from the original in the copy. The point is, God is represented perfectly in the copy of Himself, which is Jesus. There is no difference between God the Father and God the Son. Any characteristic you find in Jesus will be a characteristic of the Father, and vice versa. As Pink says, “All that God is, in His nature and character, is expressed and manifested, absolutely and perfectly, by the incarnate Son.” In Col. 1:15 we read it again, “He is the image of the invisible God…” All that we cannot see of God because He is invisible, we can see in Jesus who is His image. We know exactly what the original seal looks like because we have the image and impress of it. We know exactly what God is like because we have an exact copy in Jesus. He is the visible manifestation of the invisible. J. B. Phillips put it, “Jesus is God in focus.
This is Christology at its highest level, for in essence it is saying that Jesus is God. Paul spelled it out even more clearly in Col. 2:9 where he says, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form…..” Jesus is the fullness of Deity means that He is fully God. Those who do not accept the New Testament revelation that makes clear that Jesus is God are not New Testament believers,
Pastor Worthen writes, “The Greek word used for exact representation is (charakter) which is where we get our English word character, which could mean a symbol used to describe a particular letter of the alphabet. And so by inference they're interchangeable. If I say the letter A, you think of the character which has two slanted lines coming together at the top with a vertical line in between connecting the two slanted lines. If I were to show you this character you would immediately think of A. (One and the same)
His point is, just as when you see the character A you know that it is A, so when you see Jesus you know it is God you are looking at. He is the character that represents God, for He is the image of God. All people are made in the image of God, and this means that even though fallen with a marred image they still have some of the characteristics of God that no other creature has. But Jesus has them all in perfection and fullness. He is the exact representation of God
What this means is that all the virtues, graces and attributes of God are combined in Jesus in complete harmony. He is all that man was meant to be in perfection, for He has all of the image of God in fullness and completeness. Every attribute of God that we can study equally applies to Jesus. No one can compare with him — not Mohammed, not Krishna, not Buddha and not Confucius. Not even Moses can compare with Jesus. As with all of the other statements in these first three verses of Hebrews, comparison is impossible, for there are no others in any of the categories where Jesus is exalted. He is the ultimate and the greatest in every category, and this is certainly true for this category of being the exact image of God
Jesus was a character. We often say this about someone who is strange and unusual in behavior. This certainly fits Jesus, for He was always doing something out of the ordinary. He was not your usual personality. He was a character, for He was God in human flesh. We would expect God to be somewhat unusual and different from the average person. He loved people that others hated and wanted nothing to do with. He healed people who others would just avoid and say they deserve what they suffer. He befriended people that were rejected by society. He violated the legalism of the religious leaders of his day. He spoke in private with a woman, and let women follow him and even supply the money needed to keep his group in operation. He was a radical in numerous ways, but when he had the power to escape from his enemies he voluntarily went to the cross to lay down his life, and while dying forgave those who nailed him there. He was a real character, for He had the character of God. God’s character was stamped on Jesus’s very being, and so He had to be as different as God is different from fallen man
It was because man is fallen they could not see who Jesus was. Paul says it in II Cor. 4:4, “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.” It should not be surprising that there are so many who are not impressed with Jesus. He is still despised and rejected by many who will not see Him as anything but a religious fanatic. But for those who are enlightened, He is the greatest character that ever walked this earth, and He is the greatest image of God because He was God in human flesh
One commentator adds to our grasp of what this means in these words: “Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:4 and in Colossians 1:15 says, "Christ is the image of God." And he uses a different word, the word is eikon which means "an exact reproduction, an exact image or a precise copy." So whether it's charakter or whether it's eikon, Jesus is the stamp of God, the mark of God, the seal of God, the image of God, the reproduction of God, the precise copy of God. And may I hasten to add that those words even at their best come short of the reality of the truth because it's impossible to express that He is in fact the very essence of God in any analogous way without losing something. I think it's best expressed in Colossians 2:9 where Paul says, "In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
Another commentator has put the Father and the Son side by side showing how Jesus is an exact reproduction and representation of the Father. Some of the parallels are weak, but over all it is clear that Jesus and the Father are one.
God Jesus God is the only Saviour.
"I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour." Isaiah 43:11
To the only wise God our Saviour... Jude 1:12
God our Saviour. Titus 2:10
...we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour. I Timothy 4:10
God my Saviour. Luke 1:47 Jesus is the only Saviour.
...the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 1 John 4:14
...our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. II Peter 3:18
...God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. II Peter 1:1
...the Christ, the Saviour of the world. John 4:42
...the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour. Titus 1:4
a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11
Neither is there salvation in any other (than Jesus): for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. --Acts 4:12
...salvation... is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
--2 Timothy 2:1
...captain of their salvation [Jesus] perfect through sufferings. -- Heb 2:10
[Jesus]...author of eternal salvation...-- Heb 5:9 God Jesus God created the universe and earth by Himself.
I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself. Isaiah 44:24
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1 Jesus Christ created the universe and the earth. [U]nto the Son he saith...Thou, LORD, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands. Hebrews 1:1
[B]y him (Jesus) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth...all things were created by him, and for him. Colossians 1:16
All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. John 1:3 God Jesus God is the Word.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God John 1:1 Jesus is the Word.
...the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us...John 1:14 God Jesus God is the first and the last
I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he. Isaiah 41:4 Jesus is the first and the last
Jesus said, "Fear not; I am the first and the last:" Revelation 1:1
God Jesus God forgives sins.
[T]he Lord..forgiveth all thine iniquities... Psalm 103:2-3
"[W]ho can forgive sins but God only?" Mark 2:
Jesus forgives sins.
Jesus...said..."Son, thy sins be forgiven thee." Mark 2:5 God Jesus God is our redeemer
[T]hou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer.. Isaiah 63:1
Jesus redeemed us.
[T]the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ...gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity.. Titus 2:13-14 God Jesus God is one
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD. Deuteronomy 6:4 Jesus and God are one
I and my Father are one. John 10:30
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...All things were made by him...He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not...And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us John 1:1, 3, 10, 1
Jesus saith...he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? John 14:
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 1 John 5:7 God has a Son
[T]he LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Psalms 2:7 Jesus is God's Son
... [Jesus] said also that God was his Father... John 5:18
God
Jesus God is the Holy One
Psalms 71:22 I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth,O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel
Psalms 78:41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel
Psalms 89:18 For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king
Isaiah 10:20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth
Psalms 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Messianic Psal
Jesus is the Holy One.
Acts 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption
3:13-14 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you
13:34-35 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. God Jesus Only God is worshipped
... Then saith Jesus unto him... Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Matthew 4:10 Jesus is worshipped
While [Jesus] spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him... Matthew 9:1
And again, when [God] bringeth in the firstbegotten [Jesus] into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. Hebrews 1:
And Thomas answered and said unto [Jesus], My Lord and my God. John 20:28
God Jesus God is Messiah.
...unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder...and his name shall be called... The mighty God, The everlasting Father... Isaiah 9:6 Jesus is Messiah
The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. John 4:25-26 God Jesus God is from everlasting.
The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved. Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting. Psalms 93:1-2 Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) is from everlasting.
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah...out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Micah 5:2
God Jesus Only God is glorified.
I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another... Isaiah 42:8 God glorified Jesus.
And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. John 17:5
[A]ll men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. John 5:23
But unto the Son he [God] saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Hebrews 1:8 God Jesus God is 'I am'.
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. Exodus 3:14 Jesus is 'I am'.
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. John 8:58 God heals all diseases.
Bless the LORD...who healeth all thy diseases. Psalms 103:2 Jesus heals all diseases.
[Jesus] healed all that were sick. Matthew 8:16 God is the Judge of the whole earth.
O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself. Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud. Psalms 94:1-
[Abraham to God]...Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? Genesis 18:25 Jesus is the Judge of the whole earth.
[T]he Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: John 5:22 God has life in Himself
[T]he Father hath life in himself; John 5:26 Jesus has life in Himself. so hath [God] given to the Son to have life in himself;
In [Jesus] was life; and the life was the light of men. John 1:4 God raises the dead
[T]he Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; John 5:21 Jesus raises the dead
[T]he Son quickeneth whom he will. John 5:21 You can see what Jesus meant in John 14:9 where he said, “He who has seen me has seen the Father.” If God looked into a mirror He would see Jesus, and Jesus doing the same would see the Father. They are identical. If you see Jesus full of compassion and love for those with any need, you are seeing God responding to people with acts of love. If you see Jesus forgiving the sinner, you are seeing the grace of God being expressed. Every good thing you see in Jesus is a picture of the mind and heart of God. I have tried to say this in poetry
Jesus is the exact image Of the Majesty on high.
He is the Lord of every age, But He stooped for us to die.
There is no one who is like Him, For He’s just one of a kind.
Victories like His none can win, Nor a better Savior find.
He’s exactly like the Father, No one can tell them apart.
To divide them do not bother, They are One in mind and heart.
Jesus is the visible manifestation of the invisible God. He is the paradox resolved, for God cannot be seen, but we do see Him in Jesus. Jesus shows us God. Jesus explains God. Jesus reflects God. Jesus reveals God. Jesus is God. And that is why He is the exact representation of God, and why He is the greatest image in the universe. He, and He alone, is the perfect image of God, and He alone is the perfect image of Man made in the image of God. There can be no comparison with other great religious leaders and founders, for He is truly unique and one of a kind. No one else is exactly like God, for no one else is God but Jesus. In Him we see God, and I express it in poetry to end this message
We cannot see God the Father;
The Holy Spirit leaves no trace.
These facts our faith need not bother,
For in Jesus God has a face.
God has a face that we can see
In both time and eternity.
He joined the human race just so
His heavenly Father we could know.
The eyes of man are so finite
There’s much of God in shades so dim,
But Jesus came to give the light
That we might get a glimpse of Him
You cannot see and live to tell
If God’s glory comes your way,
But Jesus came and bore our hell
And by it tore the veil away.
He let the light of heaven shine
On this dark world of sin and shame.
He took away your sin and mine,
To show love was his aim.
He came to show to our blind eyes
What can be found no other place.
He made it clear as sunny skies,
That God has a loving face.
God has a face and we can see it,
If we in his light will run.
God has a place and we can find it
If we say “Thy will be done.”
God has a grace and we can feel it,
If all evil ways we shun.
God has a space and we can fill it,
If we make Him number one.
God has a face and we can see it
In the person of His Son.
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...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
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