Image of God
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers – all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly bodythrough death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him – provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel.
Colossians 1:15-23
Merry Christmas! God, the eternal One, the holy Creator, surrendered His heavenly glory and came to earth as a baby human – fully divine and fully human – to show us how to live and to teach us about God and to provide the path for our reconciliation with God. Today we celebrate His birth, and worship and praise Him for who He is, and thank Him for everything.
Jesus’ entire existence on earth was characterized by the revelation of God’s glory. He was conceived through the miraculous touch of the Holy Spirit. Heavenly glory was revealed through His angelic birth announcement. He continuously revealed God’s glory through His life on earth – His healing touch, authoritative teaching, holy compassion, resurrection, ascension to heaven, His fulfillment of all the prophecies foretelling His coming, and so much more. God’s power, authority, mercy, love, light and life were displayed through His being on earth. God came to earth to save sinners and every step along His earthly walk, He demonstrated that He is truly God and He was truly God Incarnate. Jesus reveals God to us in profound ways.
As one of His many remarkable statements explaining that He is God, Jesus says, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Paul describes Jesus as “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15). John begins his presentation of the gospel writing,
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 came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.…. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known. John 1:1-3 & 18
Jesus is God. He has always been and will always be. He existed before time, space and anything physical existed, and through Him all things came to be. He is the holy, eternal One, the Creator, and He chose to come to earth as a human. He created the world and then He entered His creation so that we might know Him and so that we might be saved through Him.
So why does Paul describe Jesus as “the firstborn of all creation…” (Colossians 1:15)? It has to do with status, not timing. Jesus is God and He entered creation as a human being, but He was not the first human to be born. He was the “firstborn” in the sense that He possesses the highest status among all humans to ever be born because He is God. He was conceived of the holy and of the flesh, and during His time on earth He was fully human and fully God.
At verse 20 Paul writes, “and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:20). Through His deity, holiness and humanity, only He could provide reconciliation with God, and through Him, all things are reconciled.
So what are we to do with all this glorious information? Paul concludes the passage above reminding us that we were each once estranged from God, hostile to God, doing evil deeds, but through Christ Jesus we are reconciled with God, and through Christ Jesus we have this amazing opportunity to present ourselves to God, to approach God as “holy and blameless and irreproachable before him” (Colossians 1:22). So what are we to do? Praise his holy name. worship Him. Stand firm on the truth of the gospel, stand firm in faith, stand firm on the hope, seize His promises, breathe in His joy and, like Paul, become a servant of the gospel by showering the world around you with His light, love and life.
Merry Christmas!