Read Colossians 1:15-23

“[Jesus Christ] is the image of the invisible God…” (Colossians 1:15)

This is a profound statement about the Lord Jesus Christ. If you look carefully at your Bible, you'll notice that this is the first of three "He is" statements found within the context. It's almost poetic. First, He is the image of the invisible God. Second, in verse 17, "He is before all things,” and third in verse 18, “He is the head of the church."

In other words, Christ is the divine creator, the eternal sustainer and resurrected victor. Amen!

We as mankind have been prohibited from making any image of God — this was God's second great commandment:

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth…” (Exodus 20:4)

But God Himself is certainly free to make for Himself an image! And He has chosen to do so in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is Himself the image of the invisible God… Therefore, as Paul says in Philippians 2:9-11,

“God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9–11)

The Greek word translated into image meant more literally to be an exact copy. Christ is not, of course, a copy of God but is Himself the very God of very God, and His humanity presented God Himself in visible splendor! Jesus proclaims:

“He who has seen me Has seen the Father." (John 14:9)

And again —

“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” (John 14:7)

God is, in all practical understanding of the word, invisible — because God is Spirit (see John 4:24). He is not material or made of parts. He simply is. He is the I AM. But because they had seen Jesus, they had seen God, for Christ is the image of God in the form of a man.

“Christ is the image of God..." (2 Corinthians 4:4)

Beloved, this is exactly what Christianity is all about. It’s about glorifying the person of Jesus Christ as God Himself, for He is God Himself. Christianity isn’t about being part of something social. It’s not about good morals. It’s not about following the teachings of some ancient Jewish Guru. Christianity is about surrendering our lives over to Christ and submitting to Him as the Preeminent One — as God.

I fear, however, that some of us esteem our own names more than the name of Christ. I fear that we can too easily forget how truly preeminent and superior the person of Jesus really is.

Dear friend, does this describe you? Is the person of Christ lower in your estimate than He ought to be? Have you left your first love? Return to Him and exalt Him! Christ’s pierced hands are always graciously extended to you, His bride. He will renew your wavering love even this day, place your feet upon the Rock, and He will reveal Himself to you even this day.

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” (Hebrews 1:1–3)