The Image of God

The Image of God

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31

Colossians 1:15-20

            No one has ever seen God.  Of all the people in the Bible, Moses came closest.  On Mount Sinai he asked to see God.  Since seeing God’s face would result in death, Moses was allowed to see God’s back.  Even that view was enough to make Moses’ face glow in a manner that frightened the Israelites.

            It’s interesting how frequently New Testament Scriptures parallel Old Testament Scriptures.  We know Jesus quoted biblical texts—obviously Old Testament passages, since the Hebrew Scriptures were the only Bible that existed at the time.  We know Satan quoted Scripture when he was tempting Jesus in the wilderness.  Paul and the other epistle writers frequently quoted the Old Testament to help their readers understand that Jesus was indeed the fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures.

            But quoting isn’t what I’m referring to here.  I’m talking about parallel thoughts, ideas or concepts, the same concept or idea expressed in similar language in both Old and New Testaments.  We have a good example here.

            The writer of this portion of Proverbs (most likely Solomon) speaks in chapter 8 about Wisdom.  He personifies Wisdom, giving the concept character—in this case a female character.  In so doing, the sacred writer stands in the European/Middle Eastern tradition of the time.  Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, was said to have sprung full-grown from the head of her father, Zeus.  Maat was the European goddess of truth, order, justice and harmony—attributes associated with wisdom.  Certainly the Israelites would have been exposed to this idea during their time in Egypt.  Wisdom, in Proverbs is personified as a female who stands in public places and cries out, calling people to follow her path.

            In the latter part of this chapter we see Wisdom’s place in creation.  Wisdom is with God as the master builder, working alongside God to bring the universe and everything in it to fruition.  Wisdom was God’s delight, entertaining God during creation.  Christians believe this passage refers to Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the Master Builder.  Jesus is God’s Delight.  Jesus was begotten before creation began, and worked alongside God.

            Now look at what Paul writes to the Colossians.  He says, “He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible…all things were created through him and for him.  And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

            Paul speaks of Jesus Christ as the head of the church—and more.  “He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”  Jesus not only was begotten of God at the beginning (sprung, if you will, full-grown from God), but was also the firstborn of the new beginning, the resurrection from the dead.

            “For in [Jesus] all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell”—all the fullness of God.  No one has seen God, but we have seen Jesus.  We know Jesus is Wisdom—Wisdom beyond all human wisdom.  “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing,” Paul tells the Corinthians (1:18), “but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 

            And so the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments present the same concept.  Jesus Christ is the Wisdom that helped at creation, that began the resurrection, and that shows us God.