Sunday, November 24th 2024
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome DSc DSc DD
Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature (Colossians 1:15).
The Greek word translated “image” in the scripture above is “eikōn,” which is where the English gets the word “icon.” It means resemblance or profile. God is invisible, but if you want to know what He looks like, Jesus is the image, the profile of the invisible God.
This helps us further understand the words of Jesus in John 14:8 (NKJV) when Philip said to Him, “…Lord, show us the Father, and it uis sufficient for us.” Jesus replied him, “…Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” (John 14:9). This is amazing!
For their religious minds, this was too huge because Jesus had been talking so much about the Father. He talked about His oneness with the Father and that He would return to the Father. They wanted to see the Father, but He told them, “…he that hath seen me hath seen the Father…” (John 14:9). In Hebrews 1:3, we get another powerful description; it says, “Who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person….” The Greek word translated “express image” here is “charaktēr,” and it means exact copy, perfect imprint or facsimile.
Jesus is the exact representation of God’s essence. If you want to see the perfect imprint of God’s person, it’s found in Jesus. Jesus displayed the divine nature, essence, and character of God. No wonder John 1:18 says, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” The Greek word for “declared” here is ‘exēgeomai,’ meaning to display or rehearse.
Jesus didn’t merely talk about God; He rehearsed and displayed the divine nature. The great and mighty works He did are proofs of His divine essence and oneness with the Father. He said, “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me, or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves” (John 14:11 NKJV).
PRAYER
Dear Father, I thank you for revealing your essence and nature through Jesus Christ, the perfect imprint of your being. As I behold the image of Christ through the Word, I see you, for He is the exact representation of your character, your love and your glory. I rejoice that through Christ, I have come to know the Father. I am transformed into the image of your dear Son. Thank you for your boundless love expressed so perfectly in me. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY:
|| John 1:18 NIV
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. ||
|| John 14:9-10 MSG
“You’ve been with me all this time, Philip, and you still don’t understand? To see me is to see the Father. So how can you ask, ‘Where is the Father?’ 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you aren’t mere words. I don’t just make them up on my own. The Father who resides in me crafts each word into a divine act. ||
|| Hebrews 1:3 AMPC
He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God’s] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high, ||
DAILY SCRIPTURE READING
1-Year Bible Reading Plan=>
1 Peter 3 & Ezekiel 31-32
2-Year Bible Reading Plan=>
Jude 1:12-25 & Hosea 1-2
Extract From Rhapsody of Realities Daily Devotional
Hello Beloved.
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