Bible Studies
Hebrews 1:3 – “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the majesty in heaven.”
Thesaurus Fun:
Radiance – issuance, emanation, luminosity, manifestation, brilliance
Exact – precise, accurate, faithful
Representation – image, depiction, demonstration
God’s Glory Revealed
“God is spirit. (John 4:24)”. From our earthly perspective, God is invisible, intangible, and unknowable. The spiritual is not something that most of us would ever claim to understand or even think about it too much. It is other-worldly to us and seemingly distant. These things would be true of God also if it were not for Jesus, God’s only begotten Son. The gospel of John says, “no one has ever seen God. The only Son who is the same as God, He has made Him known (John 1:18)”. And again Scripture says, “Only God is eternal! He lives in light that no one can come near. No human has ever seen God or ever can see him. God will be honored, and his power will last forever. Amen. (1 Timothy 6:16)”. When Moses asked to see God's glory he was, told, “...No one may see me and live (Exodus 33:20)”. When ever someone talked to God face to face (and this does not include visions, that's something else altogether), it was either Jesus (pre-incarnate or otherwise) or “an angel of the Lord”. Neither one was a particularly common occurrence. Thus, for us to know anything about God and His will, He had to reveal Himself to us and in a way we could understand and embrace. This He did first through His Word. Scripture is more than something written by men but, “all Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16)” and “...prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:21)”. In the Bible we can see who God is, discern His character, and know His will. This is an amazing thing and is not to be taken for granted! Too many people are trying to know God apart from His revelation in Scripture and that can be dangerous. Our experiences are subjective and should always be in submission to the authority of the Scriptures. Therefore, know God's Word!
Though all Scripture reveals God and His will to us, in the New Testament we get to know the One who is the ultimate revelation of God and it is to Him that all Scripture points – that is Jesus Christ. More than “a good man”, more than “a revered teacher”, more than a “shining example”; He is the Word made human (John 1:14), He is God made flesh (Hebrews 2:14), He is God with us – Emmanuel (Matthew 1:23). Everything He did, everything He said during His ministry, were the very words and actions of God. Jesus said, “the Son does nothing of Himself. He does only what He sees His Father doing. What the Father does, the Son also does. (John 5:19)”, and “the words I say to you do not come from Me but Father who remains in Me does His own work. Believe Me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me. If not, then believe Me because of the things that I do. (John 14:10-11)”. There is no tension between Jesus the Son and God the Father, no differences of opinion or separation of heart, but as Jesus said, “the Father and I are one (John 10:30)”. We all know that Jesus came to die for our sins, but what about the three years of His public ministry? He went about healing the hurting (Matthew 4:23-24), raising the dead (Lazarus and others see: John 11:1-44, Matthew 9:18-24), performing wonders (wedding in Cana see; John 2:1-11), teaching the people (Matthew 9:35), and demonstrating mercy (adulterous woman see: John 8:3-11). More than dieing for us, He came to give us the fullest and clearest picture of who God is. This is why Scripture says, “The Son is… the exact representation of (God’s) being (Hebrews 1:3)”. Do you want to know who God is? Then look to the Son. He is, “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being (Hebrews 1:3)”.
Radiance
Let’s take a closer look at that word “radiance”. It means: issuance, emanation, manifestation. Think of the star at the center of our solar system which we call the sun (coincidence?). Now the sun, like any star, is essentially a ball of burning gas. In general, gas is invisible, un-smellable, and intangible. The only reason that we can see the sun is that it burns, therefore radiating light and heat. We aren’t really seeing the sun itself, but rather the light that radiates out as it burns. This light travels through space, is filtered by our atmosphere, and illuminates our world. For good reason Jesus said of Himself, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness. (John 8:12)”. Like the radiant light of the sun as it reaches earth, so is the life of Jesus when He walked on this earth. He is all the glory of God veiled in flesh, that we might be illuminated and not destroyed. The Son is the out-raying, the visible manifestation, of all the glory of the person of God and is so exactly like Him in character and essence that Jesus also said, “If you really knew Me you would know My Father also. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him... He who has seen Me has seen the Father. Why then do you say, ‘show us the Father’? (John 14:7&9)”. The gospels describe to us the character and teachings of Jesus more than the rest of the Bible. There we see who God is- full of sacrificial love, mercy, grace, and unbending truth. He knows the hearts and thoughts of men (Matthew 9:4, Mark 2:8, Luke 5:22). He confronts the self-righteous and the hypocrite (Matthew 7:5&15:7&16:3, ). He feeds the hungry (John 6:1-15) and mends the broken. Do not make the mistake of thinking that God is different between the old and new testament. It is not possible, for God does not change (James 1:17). He is the same “yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8)”. He has always been and will always be righteous and holy, abounding in mercy, grace, and faithful love (Exodus 34:6, Numbers 14:18). Hallelujah!!
Point to Ponder
Do you believe that Jesus is more than a good man or moral teacher, but rather the Son of God and God in the flesh? If so, how is this evidenced in your life? Those who belong to God are to become like Jesus. Your life should radiate with God’s glory just like the life of Christ. For He not only called Himself the light of the world, but He has said to His people, “you are the light of the world…( Matthew 5:14)”. Are you shining with His light?
Let’s pray, “Lord Jesus, thank You for coming down to us – to take away our sins and make us righteous, and to show us the very character and nature of the Father. May we never take for granted the revelation of You in the holy Scriptures that You have given to us and in Your own person. Lord, may we shine with Your light as You shone the light of the Father. May we shine so constant and so bright that people would look at us and see You. May our light so shine before men that they would see our lives and glorify the Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). Let Your light fill every part of our lives, our hearts, and dispel any darkness that tries to hide in us. May we always live for Your glory alone. Amen.”
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 1061 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Dionne Stratton or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 1061 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.