Jesus: The Visible Image of the Invisible God || Hebrews 1:3 || Manna for the Mind #197

Hebrews 1:3

NASB	NLT	VOICE
3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,	3 The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.	3 This is the One who – imprinted with God’s image, shimmering with His glory – sustains all that exists through the power of His word. He was seated at the right hand of God once He Himself had made the offering that purified us from all our sins.

Not only is Jesus the exact humanlike representation of God, but he is also God himself. He is the same God that spoke to the Israelites. He is the same God who help created the world and humanity. He is eternal. He is the full revelation of God. To learn everything about God, we can look to Jesus’ life and ministry to understand who God is, how God operates, and what God is about.

We are called to be LIKE God. We are not called to be God. I make this point of emphasis on the grounds of the savior complex that arises in some of us. We want to do everything for everyone at all times, but that is just not possible. God calls us to be his hands and feet. God calls us to share the same grace and mercy that he gives us. However, we cannot divinely intervene. We are called to plant the seeds and sow the soil to help, but we have to allow God to do his work one-and-one with the person and allow the relationship to begin, grow, and/or blossom from there. It’s hard. We want the control, and we do not want to see anyone suffer, but we have to allow God to his work without us being the way. Do what we need to do and then trust that God will do the rest.

The book of Hebrews links God’s creative power with his saving power. The power the brought the universe into being and that keeps it moving forward is the same power that cleanses us of our sins and takes them off of our souls. There is never a situation where God will not forgive us. No sin is too big for the ruler of the universe. He can and will forgive when to come to him through Jesus. If we believe wholeheartedly that the sacrifice of Jesus made on the cross was to cleanse us of our sins and make us new and right with God, then we know that our sins are removed and that the power of our heavenly Father is with us.

John 14:9

NASB	NLT	VOICE
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?	9 Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you?	9 I have lived with you all this time, and you still don’t know who I am? If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father. How can you keep asking to see the Father?

Jesus is the visible, tangible image of the invisible God, as mentioned earlier. Jesus explained to Philip, who wanted to see the Father that to know Jesus is to know God. The search for God, for truth, and for reality, end with Jesus. Jesus showed us who God is, what God is about, and how God created us to live. Jesus states that he is the Truth. He is the embodiment of the teachings of God and taught how to apply said teachings and wisdom into daily living. We learn about the reality of life and how our acts today lead to our place in eternal life. All of this can be found through the embodiment of Christ.

Next slice of manna: Manna for the Mind #198