How lovely God is Pt 13: The visible image of invisible God

Colossians 1:15-23                15The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  16For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.  17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.  19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.  21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.  22But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.  This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Context

Many of us are aware of what Jesus thought of the leaders of the Jewish culture in His day.  The Pharisees, particularly, were criticized by Him because of their aloof attitude and superior air.  Their adherence to the letter of the Law rather than the spirit of the Law led them to criticize any deviation from strict obedience to the Law’s commands.

The believers at the church of Colossae were beginning to fall under a similar influence.  They were beginning to fall into old Jewish ways of adherence to rules and regulations which are, of course, powerless to change lives.  Paul wrote this letter to them to address these false teachings, to lift our eyes from the pressures of the world, and to root us in the One who is before all things, holds all things together, and reconciles all things to God.  In short: if you want to know what God is like—look at Jesus.

The visible image of the invisible God

To say Jesus is the image of the invisible God is profound.  At the very beginning, Paul redirects the Colossian mind off created things to the Creator of things.  Those of us who are electronically minded have images of ourselves on our phones and computers, and little images which we click to start applications.  These are called icons which is a word we have derived from the Greek word Paul uses for image.  Contrary to our use of icon, which is only a symbol of the thing it represents, the Greek word suggests perfect representation and full manifestation.  This means Jesus is not merely similar to God—He is God made visible.  Jesus isn’t a reflection like a mirror; He is the exact imprint of God’s nature.  When God the Father desired to make Himself known in human form, He did not send an angel, a prophet, or a symbolic vision—He came Himself in the Son.

The previous creation

We might ask ourselves, “Why is Jesus’ visibility important?”  The reason Jesus can perfectly reveal God is that He is the One through whom everything came into being.  Think about the range Paul gives us:  Heaven and earth; Visible and invisible; Thrones, powers, rulers, and authorities.  Nothing is excluded.  Every reality in the universe—from the size of galaxies to the intricacies of DNA—exists in Him, through Him, and for Him.   But even more than that, everything is not only created through Jesus but for Jesus.  He is the goal, the destination, the purpose behind creation itself.  This means our lives exist for Him, our gifts, work, and purpose are found in Him, and the universe is not random; it is Christ-centered.

In verse 17 Paul says  “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together”.  Jesus is not only Creator—He is Sustainer.  Gravity holds because Christ holds.  Time continues because Christ continues.  The universe is not running on natural processes alone; it is upheld by the personal Word of God.

He is firstborn from among the dead

Do you want to know who God is?  Paul says: Look at the One who created, sustains, and defines all things.  But Jesus is not done creating.  Earlier Paul called Christ “firstborn over all creation.”  Now he calls Him “firstborn from among the dead.”  The term firstborn means “supreme,” “preeminent,” and “first in rank.”  It does not mean Jesus was created—Paul has already made clear He is the Creator.  The term here means Jesus is the first in the resurrection order, the pioneer of new creation.  Christ is the first human to rise from the dead never to die again.  His resurrection is the guarantee that all who belong to Him will also rise—body and soul—to eternal life.  As Paul says elsewhere: “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20).

Jesus is supreme in creation and in resurrection.  He reigns over the universe, and He reigns over the new humanity God is forming in Him.  His resurrection is the hinge of history.  Through it, God began His work of making all things new.  Let’s think about this:

·       Original creation began in Christ.

·       New creation begins in Christ.

·       Everything begins and continues in Him.

This means our hope is not grounded in optimism or human progress but in a resurrected Savior who has already broken the power of death.

The fullness of the Father is in Him

When people encounter Jesus, they are encountering the fullness of God Himself—not a portion, not a glimpse, not a partial revelation.  All the fullness of deity dwells bodily in Christ (Colossians 2:9).  But what Does “fullness” mean? 

In Paul’s day, false teachers used the term fullness to describe a supposed series of spiritual powers or emanations between God and creation.  Paul counters this directly:  There is no ladder to climb; no spiritual hierarchy to navigate; no other mediator necessary.  All that God is dwells in Christ.  You don’t come to God through angels, rituals, visions, or hidden knowledge.  You come to God through His Son, who is Himself fully God.

Notice the phrase: “God was pleased.”  The Father delights to reveal Himself in His Son.  It brings God joy to make Himself known, seen, heard, and touched in Jesus.  Think of Jesus’ words:  “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).  When Jesus forgives a sinner, touches a leper, calms a storm, or washes His disciples’ feet, He is showing us the heart of the Father.

And the thing is—the expression of fullness does not stop with Father and Son.  Through union with Christ, we share in His life.  The One who contains the fullness of deity gives fullness to His people—not making us divine—but filling us with the life and power of God through the Spirit.  So if you ever wonder what God is like, or whether God cares, or whether God sees—look at Jesus.  Everything the Father is, He has revealed in Him.

We have now been reconciled

From eternity past God has known the only way to bring His people out of the separation caused by sin and into close communion with Him was reconciliation through His Son.  Here is another way in which the Son reveals the Father.  Reconciliation is relational restoration.  The word means “to bring back into harmony.”  Sin fractured the relationship between God and humanity, and between humanity and creation itself.  Jesus came to heal that fracture.  Paul says God reconciles all things through Christ:  The relationship between God and humanity; the relationship between people; the relationship between creation and its intended order.  At the Cross, everything broken by sin was and is being restored through Christ..

God did not reconcile us by ignoring sin but by dealing with it fully in His Son.  Justice and mercy meet in Christ’s blood.  This reconciliation, this peace with God, is not cheap peace, or “sweep it under the rug” peace.  It is peace purchased at infinite cost through Jesus’ sacrificial death.  Isaiah foretold this:
“The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him” (Colossians 2:10).

Look at the contrast:

                                                Once                                          Now

                                             Alienated                                       Reconciled

                                             Hostile in mind                              Made holy

                                             Doing evil things                           Blameless

                                                                                       Above accusation

Beloved believer, this is not self-improvement; it is divine intervention.  God reconciles us not merely to forgive us but to transform us—“to present you holy in His sight.”  The God who created and sustains all things is also the God who purifies and renews His people.  And Paul adds: “if you continue in your faith … not moved from the hope held out in the gospel” (v. 23).  This doesn’t mean salvation is unstable but that salvation is lived out through perseverance.  Those whom God has reconciled He strengthens to remain steadfast.

What about me?

When we put all these pieces together, Colossians 1:15–23 gives us a portrait of Jesus that is nothing short of awe-inspiring:

• He is the image of the invisible God.

• He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things.

• He is the firstborn from the dead, the Lord of the new creation.

• He is the fullness of the Father.

• He is the One who reconciles us through His blood.

• He is the head of the church, the beginning, the center, the goal of everything.

And this Christ—supreme over creation, supreme in resurrection, supreme in the church—is the same Christ who holds you, loves you, and brings you into the Father’s presence, holy and without accusation.

The invisible God has become visible; the Creator has become our Redeemer; and the fullness of God has come to dwell with us—forever—in Jesus Christ.