Hebrews 1:3 ESV
“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”
“He is…the exact imprint of his nature,”
John 14:9
2 Corinthians 4:4
Colossians 1:15
Barclay paraphrased this clause with ‘just as the mark is the exact impression of the seal’.
Of course, the author of Hebrews is repeating the idea just given as ‘the radiance of the Glory of God’. But here he has become more specific; here our author is moving one step closer to the reality and further from the metaphor.
The word ‘nature’ here is directly translated as ‘substance’ (anyone here remember your 2nd year philosophy?). In English today we translate this idea with either ‘essence’ or ‘nature’: ‘that which makes God who He is’. So, Christ is the imprint, the mark made by the die of ‘that which makes God who He is.’ The author of Hebrews could not have been clearer using any words: the only way you could be the exact mark left by God is to be, in fact, God. This is Who we have in Christ.
The other verses listed above merely give additional testimony worded in a slightly different manner to this reality: the Son is God, while at the same time (mysteriously) not the same as God the Father (they are one is substance, but two in Person). My head is spinning again. Praise Jesus! If He were merely a god I could understand then He might be a god worth fearing, but not a God worth worshipping, not a God worth basing my entire life and all my decisions upon. Praise Jesus He is so much more than I can understand.
Praise You Father for being infinitely higher than my comprehension.
Praise You Son for coming to earth so that I may have understanding.
Praise You Spirit for revealing the truth I can understand so that I may give you glory.
Glorifying our incomprehensible God together with you,
Pastor Greg
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