Invisible Image

The Son in the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ~ Colossians 1:15

The word firstborn is a little confusing in this verse as it is not referring to birth order, but rather signifies Jesus’ position over God’s creation.  The firstborn in biblical times had many great privileges, rank and rule compared to the rest of the siblings.  Being firstborn comes with supremacy, power and great responsibility; it is more than birth order.  Jesus was, is, and always will be.  Jesus’ existence was established before creation as He became part of the Holy Trinity.  Therefore, if Jesus was the image of the invisible God and part of the Holy Trinity (God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit), He was established long before the creation of Adam and Eve.  While down here on earth, Jesus was able to demonstrate how we are to treat each other, how we are to love each other and how we are to behave as ambassadors for the kingdom of Christ.  Years later, we can still look and follow Jesus’ example of how to live a life that is pleasing, right and good all for the glory of God.  The human race was created in the image of God.  Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”  With this being said, we can assume that God created humanity very different from the animal world for a specific reason and purpose.  We were created to be perfect, but at the fall of Adam and Eve when sin entered the world, we became tainted.  Being the perfect image-bearer of God, Jesus also became the only perfect and blameless human to be the sacrificial lamb to bring God’s people back to Him.  Jesus was “God in a bod” who than became the perfect firstborn to give His followers wisdom, guidance and goodness through the cross.  Let us try our best to be great representatives and image bearers of our great God for this broken world. ~ Amen