He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn over all creation.
For by Him all things were created
that are in heaven and that are on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers. all things
were created through Him and for Him.
and He is before all things and in Him
all things consist.
Colossians 1:15-17
No man can see God for God is a Spirit and God is all power, that is, everything moves and is alive by His power and might. God can be seen though by and through Jesus Christ is the very image of God. The hard to understand and digest is that God came to earth to be found in the body of a man. It is not as those who teach Sabellianism, that God was at times Father, and at times Jesus Christ, and at times the Holy Spirit, as God determined the need. God did not die on the cross, Jesus Christ did, therefore God was not Jesus Christ and had left behind His Fatherhood. The notion of a Trinity may be hard to understand if we simply use man's understanding without the aid of what God has revealed about Himself in Scripture. The Greek word for image is: είκών, means that to resemble from which it is drawn. This word denotes the idea or representation and manifestation and from the context in which it is used we can determine any distinction between the imperfect and the perfect likeness. The relationship between Jesus Christ and the Father, and man is; of man as He was created as being a visible representation of God, a being corresponding to the original man, Adam. Now, Adam fell from grace and sinned, so Jesus did not come to be in this sinful condition, rather to correspond to the unfallen man, to represent man as God had intended man to remain as, rather Jesus came to earth, that is, in regard to man who sinned and now was and is indebted to God, to bear the responsibility of fallen man, Jesus with His Godlike qualities being unsinful could provide the grace and love of God to accomplish what Adam had lost. Jesus Christ is and was the Wisdom of God, and God clothed His Wisdom in flesh to accomplish His justice, that is, to have this debt owed to Him paid. Man cannot do this, but God can and did through His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is essentially the image of God, the absolutely perfect expression and representation, the archetype of God the Father. Jesus Christ is not another god, but God who is essentially God in every possible way for Jesus is just part of the Godhead that is the Father, the Son (Wisdom) and the Holy Spirit, all God, all of the same essence. This is then a unique and perfect relationship of the Godhead and Jesus Christ represented God as God here on earth: "he that hath seen Me hast seen the Father" John 14:9).
Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of God, created all that is created. Jesus Christ is the firstborn of the dead that provides by means of His blood, that is, His death on the cross, forgiveness of sins. Jesus Christ was before all things: "In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men" John 1:1-4). Jehovah Witnesses have denigrated Jesus Christ by adding the letter "a" before God in the last part of verse one, a letter that makes Jesus Christ just to be another god, as those who believe in such religions as Buddhism, or Hinduism. What they, and others, cannot bring themselves to see is that the Word, Jesus Christ had to exist before all things for He created all things and if He was just another god, then who created Him. No where in Scripture is said that God created another god. Paul makes this so very clear: "And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist" (vs. 17). We have two witness to this fact: Jesus Created all things and all things exist due to Him and that this is possible because Jesus Christ is God, the Second Person of the Trinity.
Authentic Christians are to become the image of Jesus Christ, therefore, as Authentic Christians you are a representation of God, not just as Jesus was, in this sense, Jesus Christ is God therefore His representation is perfect, you are still in your sins, forgiven, yes, but still imperfect, Jesus Christ was and is perfect. But, you are still to become the image of Jesus Christ, do His work, that is, to bring to the world the Gospel. You have no other important work to do. Yes, some of us will work in secular jobs, but there too is a place to represent Jesus Christ, so much so that others will see Jesus in you. Let us get this one thing straight. You are going to die! All you have done will not benefit you in any way. Oh! Your children and others may benefit for a time until they die but as with you their benefit is temporary. The only eternal benefit is to be a witness for God for not only do you benefit by God, His blessing however He decides to impart to you some blessing, the work you do spreading the Gospel is not a temporary work with temporary results. You business maybe will last for a time, but there is no assurance of this, but the Gospel is assurance of that which will never cease to benefit.
Do your part: bring the Gospel everywhere you go, be the representation of Jesus Christ for by doing so you are representing not just a man Jesus Christ, you are representing God, doing God's work, as did Jesus who came to earth to be found as a man to bring to this world propitiation and to satisfy the justice of God. What a privilege that God would use you, and me, in this work to bring knowledge of Him to this world, what He has done for man. Won't it be wonderful to hear God say: "Well done faithful and discreet slave?"
I will declare Your name to My brethren;
iln the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
You who fear the LORD, praise Him!
All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,
and fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!
Psalm 23:22-23
You are Spiritual Israel
Richard L. Crumb
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