Chapter 7: The Image of God

The Lord Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God. This has far more meaning than Jesus being made in the physical likeness of God. It means Jesus is the presence of God. When the Father speaks to Phillip, Have I been so long with you and you still don’t know me,” this far exceeds the connotation of Adam being made in the image of God. Adam was made from the ground and an earthen element, wind.

Jesus was begotten by God, which means that His soul was joined with God. Thus, he that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit.

Paul understood this great mystery and expounded on it.

This verse insists that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. This really means that He is the physical form God took to come to the earth. So what we have here is an Invisible God made visible and tangible.

1 John 1:1-3

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us ;)

3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

The Apostle in his writings to the Philippians also confirms this when he said in Philippians 2:5-8; Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Paul saw Jesus as the Son of man. However, the soul of the man was hidden in God. Nevertheless, there was a point in time, when he understood what it meant to be the Son of God.

Philippians 2:6-8

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

Jesus found himself to be Deity. His Father is the God of the universe. How could He be anything less than a god? Thus when accosted by the Pharisees and Scribes, Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? John 10:34. This quote was taken directly from Psalm 82:6; I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

7 But made himself of no reputation… Let us not forget that it was the soul of Jesus that went to hell to pay for the sins of the world. The thing that made Him worthy to do so was the fact that He never sought after those things that can be defined as vainglory; nor did He seek to exalt Himself, … and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. It is a fact the Lord from Heaven took on flesh and blood. His form was that of a man.

However, God is a Spirit, who lives in eternity. Therefore, that which comes out of God must likewise be spiritual and eternal. These are the innate characteristics of the Son of God. He is not the Son because He was birthed into the world. He was in the Father before the world was ever framed. In other words, the birth of Jesus by Mary was not His beginning; instead it was His manifestation.

This almighty God was unapproachable. When Moses brought the children of Israel up out of Egypt to worship God at the foot of the mountain, it quaked and roared with great thunder and lightning that made the children of Israel afraid. One man was allowed to come into His presence to receive the law. Moses, however, was so affected by the light of God until they had to place a veil over His face so men could speak with him. Nevertheless, God wanted to commune and communicate with man, as a Father desires to interact with his Sons. Therefore, the longing in the soul of the Father was to be satisfied by wrapping itself up in flesh and walking among men.

To further understand this great mystery we must look at the scriptures from the position of the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 15:46-47

46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

In the making of man, God first formed the body. This body was made of dust and had no power to do or feel anything. It was created inanimate; to be strictly used as clothing for the soul. When God blew the breath of life into it, man became a living soul. Adam’s soul was made from the wind and it was made alive or given expression by the body in which it was placed. These are foundational principles but nevertheless are important to be understood in order to be enlightened of the work of the Father at salvation. A short overview of what we have discussed thus far concerning the body and soul would be:

SOUL BODY

The real person The tool of expression for the soul, a housing.

Has emotions, feelings, etc. Has no emotions or feelings of itself Invisible and intangible Visible and tangible Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; refers to Jesus and Adam. But this verse lends itself to their manifestations. On the earth Adam was manifested first, and then Jesus came. However, Jesus was before Adam. He was in the Father, a hidden mystery waiting for His time to be manifested in the world. Furthermore, Jesus is the express image of God.

Hebrews 1:2-3

2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Paul reiterates his message of Jesus being the image of the invisible God. He doesn’t hesitate to say that he is the express image of God’s personage. In other words, the physical body of Jesus is the form God chose for himself as a dwelling place on the earth. Therefore, Jesus is the personage of God. Adam was made in the image or likeness of that personage and called a man. Again, Jesus was before Adam, but manifested Himself on the earth after Adam.

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. There are three that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost, and these three are One. God is therefore a triune being; three-in-one. The only expression of the Father’s heart and mind is His Word. It is the only place that the personality of the Father can be seen. But even His Word is Spirit. (Ephesians 6:17). In the wilderness, the children of Israel pitched the tabernacle wherein was the Holy of Holies. This was the place in which God came down once a year and hovered over the Mercy Seat. However, no one was allowed to enter that room at that time save the high Priest, who had to make sure he offered a burnt offering beforehand to cover his sins. Nevertheless, the people whom God loved so much were unable to entertain their God on a personal level.

All they knew of God was His power. They had been exposed to it in His effort to bring them out of Egypt. They could only describe Him as great and powerful. This was not the sum of the intent of the Father. Leviticus 26:12: And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. This expresses the true sentiments of the Father. He wanted to be among His people. But He also wanted them to know Him as He is.

The giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai was to give the people a glance at His character. They would discover through divers ordinances, His holiness and divine righteousness. But even this was not enough to express or truly define His nature.

THE GODHEAD

1 John 5:7

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

The word triune means three in one. So just as the Father is three in one, He also created man in a triune fashion. However, this likeness extends far beyond the simple fact that both the Godhead and man consist of three parts; but through Adam, God has greatly revealed Himself.

We established earlier that the soul is the life of the body. The soul is the part which has personality and character, likes and dislikes. The soul is the essence of the man. With that being said I would like you to examine the following scriptures.

Leviticus 26: 11-12

11 And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.

12 And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.

Judges 10:15-16

15 And the children of Israel said unto the Lord, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day.

16 And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the Lord: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

Psalm 11:5

The Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.

Jeremiah 6:8

Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited.

These are a few of the many scriptures which declare that God the Father has a soul. Therefore, if the soul is where personality and character is found; where in the Godhead do we find the character of God?

The Word is the embodiment of who God really is. The Word is to God as the soul is to man. It houses the thoughts, desires, likes, dislikes, perspectives, ways and emotions of the Father. But like as Adam needed a body to express the desires of His soul, so did God prepare Himself a body to express His soulful disposition. Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. Therefore, He is an expression (image) of God. He is God in the flesh; He is the soul of God given expression. This man called Jesus is the form of God which is able to dwell among His people.