Thoughts on Today’s Text
Paul describes Christ as “the image of the invisible God.”
“Image” means “likeness.” It is the same word from which we get our word English word “icon,” referring to a statue.
The same word is used in Matthew 22:20 of Caesar’s image on a coin, and in Revelation 13:14 of the statue of Antichrist.
Paul is teaching that Christ is the adequate and essential expression of the divine nature. He fully represents God because in Him dwells the fullness of deity.
In fact, He is the sole revealer of God, actually manifesting the invisible. His character is the true revelation of the divine glory.
Now remember that Man is created in the “image” of God (Genesis 1:26-27).
That means that like God, man has intellect, emotion, and will, by which we are able to feel, think, and choose.
However, man is not a perfect “image” of God because God is holy and sinless and man is unholy and sinful.
We are human, not divine. Christ on the other hand, is perfect, holy, the absolute, accurate “image” of God (Hebrews 1:3).
In Christ, “the invisible God” literally became “visible.”