People have been capturing the image of real life since the early 1800s. Due to massive developments in technology, almost every person on the planet has access to a camera of some sort. We use our cameras to save memories, to catch beautiful sunsets, or admire a sleeping cat. Lives are lived out through pictures on Instagram.
The purpose of a camera is to save real life images, freezing a moment in time so it can be seen in the future. Pictures can remind us of events or help us see or experience things that we have never seen ourselves. Did you know that God has given us a picture of Himself?
God has revealed Himself through creation and His Word in the Bible. While those are excellent ways to get to know God, this is still not the full picture of Him. So God sent Jesus Christ to be "the image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15) so that we see Him perfectly.
We have just noted that one of the purposes of a captured image is to show us something we've never seen before. When the apostle Paul wrote that Jesus was the image of God in Colossians, he was showing us how we can "see" someone we've never seen.
As Jesus lived here on earth, His every thought, word, and action was a display—an image—of God. Jesus said, "Whoever sees me sees Him who sent me," (John 12:45) and "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). In Jesus, the invisible God of creation and the Old Testament became visible to every eye.
The full glory of God had never been seen with the naked eye, but He has been clearly manifest in Jesus Christ. If we want to see who God is and what God is like, now we can know by looking at Jesus. The Bible gives a clear image in the record of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection—not to mention all the other truths about Him that are explained in the rest of the New Testament.
One of the most important aspects of choosing a camera is getting the highest quality image as possible. We might want sharp details and incredible accuracy. However, generally speaking, no no matter how good the camera is, no image will be ever perfectly represent a firsthand experience.
There is one exception to this rule: Jesus Christ. He is the exact, entirely accurate, and fully true image of God. He can be this because He is God Himself. Through Christ, we can know both who God is and what He is like. And and we can have a living, personal relationship with Him today.
Go and see Him for yourself today!
As Jesus lived here on earth, His every thought, word, and action was a display—an image—of God. Jesus said, "Whoever sees me sees Him who sent me," (John 12:45) and "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). In Jesus, the invisible God of creation and the Old Testament became visible to every eye.
M. A. Craig loves the outdoors (not great when you live in rainy Northern Ireland). He is a follower of Jesus, husband to Chloe, theologian, writer, and "father" to Lucy the pug.
