Smoodock's Blog

In Part One of this series I was showing how Jesus is the ‘Image of God’ by pointing to the similarities in creation, specifically in Adam and Eve. Just as Eve, and for that matter all humanity, was first in Adam, so the Church was found in Christ! The Church is the whole new creation. Like Eve, the Church is the mother of us all (Galatians 4:26; cp. Genesis 3:20), and we are in Christ:

Romans 12:5 NASB  so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. (emphasis mine)

The Church in the world came out of Christ, just as Eve was taken out of Adam. Just as Adam was put to sleep before Eve could be presented to him, so Christ had to die before the Church could be brought forth into a new creation. One may say this may sound good, and the Scriptures may appear to support what is being said, but how is this the image of God or the Trinity?

Scripture says Jesus was the only begotten of the Father, dwelling with him (John 1:18). This verse says a great deal more than what it may seem at first, so we’ll look at several translations of John 1:18.

John 1:18 KJV  No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

John 1:18 WmsNT  No one has ever seen God; the only son, Deity himself, who lies upon his Father’s breast, has made him known.

John 1:18 MSG  No one has ever seen God, not so much as a glimpse. This one-of-a-kind God-Expression, who exists at the very heart of the Father, has made him plain as day.

John 1:18 NASB  No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, he has explained him.

John 1:18 AMP  No man has ever seen God at any time; the only unique Son, or the only begotten God, Who is in the bosom [in the intimate presence] of the Father, he has declared him [he has revealed him and brought him out where he can be seen; he has interpreted him and he has made him known]. [Proverbs 8:30] (emphasis mine throughout)

First of all notice that the text says no one has ever seen God. Yet, Scripture is very clear that Moses saw God (Exodus 24:9-11). Abraham saw God (Genesis 17 and 18). Jacob wrestled with God (Genesis 32:24-30). What does this mean that “No man has seen God,” for Scripture is very plain that man has seen his Creator. The clause means that no one has ever seen the Father. Jesus (the Word) is the God of the Old Testament. To get a clear picture of my understanding of this fact, one may wish to read my blogs: The God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob; The Angel of the Lord; Who Appeared to Moses in the Bush or just click on the Studies Menu bar above and click on How Did Ancient Israel View God.

As we continue to magnify John 1:18, notice that it says the Son or the only begotten God is in the bosom or the intimate presence of the Father. Exactly what does this mean? One Scripture that expresses this thought is found in Timothy:

1 Timothy 6:13-16 KJ2000  I give you charge in the sight of God, who brings all things to life, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;  (14)  That you keep this commandment without spot, irreproachable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:  (15)  Who in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;  (16)  Who only has immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man has seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen. (emphasis mine)

Notice that the above text says Jesus alone has immortality, and it is he who dwells in the unapproachable Light. Moreover, Scripture plainly says that God is Light (1John 1:5). If Jesus dwells in unapproachable Light (1Timothy 6:16) and the intimate presence or the bosom (position) of the Father (John 1:18), then Jesus (the Word) is the only begotten God, eternally radiating or springing from the Father (Light). He emanates from within the Father and brings to pass all that the Father wills. Hebrew 1:3 puts it “who (the Son) being the brightness of his (the Father’s) glory” [KJV], or “he is the radiance of his glory” [NASB], or “who being the effulgence of his glory” [EMTV]. This is who the Word (Jesus) is, and this is what Adam was supposed to image. He did not, so God formed Eve to force Adam to acknowledge his counterpart.

Being the express Image of God, Jesus brought forth his own counterpart in this world, the Church. The Church is the Body of Christ and expresses him to the world. That is, she causes the world to see and react to Jesus. It is she who brings spiritual sons and daughters into being, in obedience to the will of Jesus and through the power of the Spirit dwelling within her. It is Christ who commands, and she brings it to pass through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. This is the Image of God.

In the beginning it was God, the Father, who commanded, and it was God, the Son (the Word), who brought it to pass (cp. my blog:  Ancient Jewish Literature and the Godhead), as it is implied in the first chapter of Genesis. Today, it is Christ who commands and the Church, which was brought forth from him, brings his will to pass through the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus, we participate in the “image” of God, just as he intended in Genesis 1:26-27)