Christ, the Image of God
Col. 1:15
Christ: the image of God
Intro
Col. 1:15-20 is one of the great Christological passages of the NT. This passage is considered by many commentaries to be an early church hymn about Christ. It basically has two stanzas: Christ is Lord over creation (1:15-17, and Christ is Lord over the Church or the new creation (1:18-20). Note the parallelism in these two parts:
Firstborn of all creation (v. 15) Firstborn from the dead (v. 18)
All things created through Him (v. 16) All things reconciled through Him (v. 20)
Heavens and earth (v. 16) heavens and earth (v. 20)
Paul begins this hymn with a marvelous and spectacular statement describing the very nature of the person of Jesus Christ, He is the image of the invisible God.
I. GOD IS INVISIBLE.
A. God?s person is infinite.
Omnipresence
Immensity
God is here.
B. God?s person is invisible.
John 1:18 No man has seen God at any time;
1Tim. 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
1Tim. 6:16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see.
C. Those in error deny this.
Mormons
TBN
II. CHRIST IS THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD.
A. The word "image" is used for making a representation of something else.
B. Where do we see the reflection of God?s character?
1) In creation we see His invisible attributes. Rom. 1:20
2) The image of God in man. Gen. 1:27. Adam reflected the image of God in these ways:
through his natural endowments -
through his moral endowments -
through his dominion over the lower creation -
What about our physical body? This image of God in man has been perverted by sin, though it remains to some degree.
3) Christ is the perfect image of the invisible God.
Heb. 1:3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature
Jn. 14:9 He who has seen Me has seen the Father
2 Cor. 4:6 the glory of God in the face of Christ.
John 1:18 No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
C. Two inescapable conclusions.
1) Jesus is _____________ (cf. 1:19, 2:9).
2) Jesus had to share our nature as the image of God in order to_______________.
III. WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW THIS TRUTH ABOUT CHRIST?
1)
2)
3)