Jesus Christ, The Image of God!

We read, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15). While the church at Colossae was spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, heretics were sowing the seeds of Gnosticism! One of their heresies was that Christ wasn’t fully God but simply a low-ranking emanation in a series of emanations from God! Today, there are some who profess to be Christ followers (Jehovah's Witnesses) who hold the belief that Christ was created by God, thus, He’s not God at all! The seeds of Gnosticism still exist! The Gnostic belief that all material substance was evil caused them to wrongly believe that God would not manifest Himself in a body! Contradicting that heresy, Paul wrote Colossians 1:15. The word “image” means “an exact representation of an object or person.” When we see a reflection of the sun in water, we see an exact representation of the sun! In other words, the image isn’t just similar to the sun; it’s a manifestation of the sun! Here’s the good news! When Christ came to earth in human form, He was the exact representation of the invisible God! Christ Himself taught this same truth! We read, “Jesus *said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:9). If a person wants to know what the invisible God is like, he must observe Jesus Christ! If a person wants to know the invisible God’s redemptive grace, mercy, and love, He must come to know Jesus Christ! We can know the full range of the invisible God’s personal characteristics and His plan of salvation ONLY through Christ and the Scriptures! We read, “The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7). This word "testimony" comes from the root "to bear witness." It bears witness to its author, Jesus Christ! Call out to Christ today! It’ll be the most important call you will ever make! Be encouraged!