How can Jesus be the image of the invisible God in Colossians 1:15?
God is essentially invisible spirit, and the Old Testament Elohim or Trinity was that invisible Godhead. Out of that invisible Trinity, one person of the Godhead, God the Son, took on flesh and became visible. Paul therefore calls Him the image or visible appearance of the invisible God, existing before all creation.
Les explains that the pronoun who refers back to the Son in Colossians 1:13-14, whose blood was given for redemption and forgiveness. He then asks about verse 15: Who is the image of the invisible God? Les says God is invisible; the Trinity, the Elohim of the Old Testament, was that invisible Godhead, its spirit. But out of that invisible Trinity stepped one person of the Godhead, and He took on flesh and became visible. This is what Paul is talking about: this God, the Son, Lord Jesus as we know Him, is the image or visible appearance of the invisible God. He is also the firstborn of every creature, meaning He is before anything else has ever been. By Him, by God the Son, all things were created in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers—everything was created by Him and for Him.
Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
More Questions
What does Paul mean when he says Jesus is 'the image of the invisible God' in Colossians 1:15?
Paul's phrase 'the image of the invisible God' means that God the Son, the Lord Jesus, is the visible appearance of the invisible God.
Who is the image of the invisible God according to Colossians 1:15?
God the Son is the image of the invisible God, the Godhead, and the firstborn of every creature.
How do we know that Christ is the image of the invisible God?
We must take by faith that Christ is the visible manifestation of the invisible God, because it cannot be proven by laboratory experiment but is stated in Scripture.