PERFECT IMPRINT OF GOD – Hebrews 1:3
By Glenda Ward
McDowell County
Two distinct descriptions of Jesus, Him being appointed heir of all things. Who is a representation of the “brightness” of God’s glory, an exact imprint of the Father’s nature.
What does this mean for us?
Jesus is the brilliance, the “radiance” of the Father that shines in our lives, manifesting the Love of God, illuminating our way to the Father. He describes Himself as the light of the world; the One we have been called to follow. We are to become a just representation of Him as He reflected the Father to us. Jesus is the brilliance of God’s glory. John 1 says, “In Him Jesus was life, and that life was the light of men.” Without the Spiritual Light of God, we would be lost in spirit and in “the shadow of death”. When Jesus came to earth, He brought to us the spiritual light of God illumining our way which frees those who take it in, delivering them from death.
But Jesus is more than the Spiritual Light. He is also the imprint of God’s nature, a visible representation of God our Father. He presented God in a way that we, as humans, could understand. We see a Father who cares enough to seek out the lost and patiently guide them into His arms. When being at our worst God has a spiritual eye to see the goodness and possibilities in everyone. We see it in the wisdom and truth that are ours to receive from Him. Discovering God’s nature is an adventure that we’ll spend an eternity experiencing. As we grow closer to Jesus, we can increasingly radiate God’s Spirit to others in this life.
God speaks to us through Christ. Jesus Christ is an exact imprint of God. His nature is identical to that of God. Christ is divine, exactly as God is divine. The reference of Jesus Christ sitting at the “right hand” of the Father is symbolic of honor and power. One that is considered trustworthy and given the power of that of a King. Jesus seated at the right hand of God the Father shows absolute power and authority. The book of Hebrews supports Jesus Christ as being superior to all other beings and all other things. We can understand God by looking at Jesus.
Jesus told His disciples a few days before His crucifixion; “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him” (John 14:6-7). Jesus told the people that He was the Son of God and He did only what He saw God doing and what God told Him to do and by that, they have seen God by seeing Him. Jesus is the perfect imprint of God’s nature manifest in the flesh. “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory” (Hebrews 1:3), the visible demonstration of our divine God. To understand God’s full nature, we must understand and know who Jesus is and what part He had to play in history. Jesus shows us the exact image of God by the work He has done, by showing us the Father in both the creation and purification for sins.
Jesus is salvation: God sent His light to us – Jesus is the source of eternal life, and when we take Jesus into our lives, we start to be filled with the brightness and radiance of God. The Bible says that we are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). As believers in Christ Jesus, we get to share in the glory of God and reflect His nature as well. We bring God glory as we authenticate the hope of Christ to the world. (Reference John 15:8). We are all showing our face, beholding the glory of God as we are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18). We are being used to leave an imprint, a distinct impression that validates the message of God’s Word is genuine, and that our love for one another demonstrates our Christian faith. Jesus was talking to His disciples in (John 13:34-35) when He said, “A new command I give you: Love one another, as I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”. We, ourselves are to bear evidence of Jesus’ message of hope – God’s Word. We should always be prepared to answer to anyone who asks us to give the reason for the hope we have in Jesus Christ. (Reference 1 Peter 3:15-16)
It is the Christian who can confess that Jesus died for me. Christ’s death on the cross for you and me is the focal point of the entire Christian faith and without it, there is no hope! Christ’s death on the cross for worldly sin took care of God’s wrath against all humanity. He arose again on the third day, overcoming death and the grave. Because Christ lives, we also will live if we believe in His life, His purpose, death, and resurrection. Because of His resurrection, our resurrection is assured. Christ Jesus has won the ultimate victory and invites us to share in that victory by accepting Him as our personal savior. We will never reflect Christ perfectly, but we must strive to reflect Him to others so that we can leave an imprint of Christ each day of our life journey, wherever we go.
Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory of eternal life through Jesus Christ!
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Glenda Ward is a member of Grand View Baptist Church in McDowell County. She is the mother of five grown children. Glenda is a Christian writer/author of “Something to Think About” – weekly Christian Articles. She writes Church Programs & Bulletins, VBS Material, Christmas and Easter Programs; all material based on the KJV of the Bible. Also testing the field in tributes, individual memorial writings, etc. You can read more good Christian news from Glenda HERE.
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