“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15-17).
To understand that Jesus is the manifestation of the Father, that He is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, we need look no further than His own words. “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” He is, therefore, God in human flesh. Paul tells us that “in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” (Colossians 1:19). The ESV translates Hebrews 1:3 as Jesus having “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.” Other translations read that Jesus “expresses the very character of God” (New Living Translation), the “exact representation of [God’s] nature (Berean Study Bible), and the “representation of [God’s] essence” (NET). It is important for us to realize that the attributes of Christ are, therefore, the exact representation of the essence of the Father. In Mark 12:29 Jesus answered a scribe when asked which commandment was most important, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” He is One with the Father, an exact representation, the Father’s essence.
An in-depth study of the Scripture is the foundation of our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Knowing Jesus intimately has an incredible impact on our daily walk and in our lives. Through the Word we come to know Him and all His attributes. We see him as fully man and fully God. We see Him and His eternal, never-ending love for His Flock. We see Him as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11,14). We see Him as the light of the world. We know that to follow Him we will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12). We take comfort and have an inner peace because He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), who brings tranquility into our tumultuous lives. He is our spiritual Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4), the immovable and secure base who we can trust to keep us safe and secure.
He is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Mark 10:27). Our salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). It is though Him that “God will meet all [our] needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). As we worship together we are told that the peace of Christ is to rule in our hearts, since as members of one body we were called to peace (Colossians 3:15). He is the Shepherd over His flock, His Bride the Church.
He intercedes for us with the Father “for there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). Through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to us. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin (Acts 13:38-39). He will do whatever we ask in His name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Christ is the lynchpin in God’s plan of salvation for all those that believe. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John3:17).
How is this all possible? It is because “he was in the form of God, [and] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8). Did you get that part about being in the form of God? Do you understand the sacrifice that God and Jesus made on our behalf? Jesus is able to accomplish all the purposes of the Father because He is of the same essence. He has the same attributes. He, as is the Father, is Eternal, Omnipresent, Omniscient, Omnipotent, Merciful, Righteous, Sovereign, Full of Grace, and Faithful.
The Eternal Christ
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58).
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 were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:1-3).
The Omnipresence of Christ
“Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'” (Matthew 28:18-19).
The Omniscience of Christ
“But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him). (John 6:64).
“Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” (John 16:30).
The Omnipotence of Christ
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” (Philippians 3:20).
The Mercy of Christ
“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7).
“…keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” (Jude 21).
The Righteousness of Christ
“The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth.” (Acts 22:14).
“As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:11).
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land.” (Jeremiah 23:5).
“But with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.” (Isaiah 11:4).
“But of the Son he says, Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. (Hebrews 1:8).
The Sovereignty of Christ
“For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere, ‘What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet.” “Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control.” (Hebrews 2:5-8).
The Faithfulness of Christ
“If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself.” (2 Timothy 2:11-13).
The Grace of Christ
“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14).
Who is this Jesus?
I recently read the following quote in John MacArthur’s Commentary on Hebrews. I subsequently have found it quoted by many, many other sources. Although unattributed by all it sounds like the work of S. M. Lockridge with the last two sentences being an exact quote from his “That’s My King” sermon which I have feature below.
“Someone has said that Jesus Christ came from the bosom of the Father to the bosom of a woman. He put on humanity that we might put on divinity. He became Son of Man that we might become sons of God. He was born contrary to the laws of nature, lived in poverty, was reared in obscurity, and only once crossed the boundary of the land in which He was born—and that in His childhood. He had no wealth or influence and had neither training nor education in the world’s schools. His relatives were inconspicuous and uninfluencial. In infancy He startled a king. In boyhood He puzzled the learned doctors. In manhood He ruled the course of nature. He walked upon the billows and hushed the sea to sleep. He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His services. He never wrote a book and yet all the libraries of the world could not hold the books about Him. He never wrote a song, yet He has furnished the theme for more songs than all songwriters together. He never founded a college, yet all the schools together cannot boast of as many students as He has. He never practiced medicine and yet He has healed more broken hearts than all the doctors have healed broken bodies. This Jesus Christ is the star of astronomy, the rock of geology, the lion and the lamb of zoology, the harmonizer of all discords, and the healer of all diseases. Throughout history great men have come and gone, yet He lives on. Herod could not kill Him. Satan could not seduce Him. Death could not destroy Him and the grave could not hold Him.”.
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