Have you ever wondered about what these words at the beginning of our Bible mean?
I think Mike Ratcliff’s post I’m reading today helps us understand this.
The image of God can mean both the physical which we see with our eyes, but also the spiritual and character which we are called to put on or take on as we experience this in Christ’s demonstration when he took on flesh.
I made a few notes of Scriptures as I read Mike’s Post.
Seeing God
Exodus 33:11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.
Exodus 34:33 And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face.
Exodus 34:5-6 And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Exodus 33:21-23 And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: 22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: 23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
Exodus 34:29-35 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. 30 And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. 31 And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. 32 And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai. 33 And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. 34 But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. 35 And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
Matthew 17:2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
Mark 9:3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.
Colossians 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
after the image of him that created him; the new man; for this is a creation work, and so not man’s, but God’s; and is made not after the image of the first man, no not as innocent, and much less as fallen; but after the image of Christ, to which the elect of God are predestinated to he conformed, and which is stamped in regeneration; and more and more appears by every transforming view of Christ, and will be perfected in heaven, when they shall see him as he is, and be perfectly like him, who is not only the pattern, but the Creator of it, even the author and finisher of faith. Gill
2 Corinthians 3:13-18 And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: 14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. 15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. 17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
2Co 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Heb 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
Ephesians 4:23-24 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Col 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
Col 3:14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Mike Ratliff…
The term “Full of grace and truth” probably refers to Exodus 33&34. On that occasion, Moses requested that God display His glory to him. The Lord replied to Moses that He would make all HIs “goodness” pass before him, and then as he passed by God declared “The Lord…compassionate and gracious, slow to anger. abounding in lovingkindness and truth” (Exodus 33:18,19; 34:5-7). These attributes of God’s glory emphasize the goodness of God’s Character, especially in relationship to salvation. Jesus as Yahweh of the Old Testament (8:58: “I am”) displayed the same divine attributes when He tabernacled among men in the New Testament era (Colossians 2:9.
We are taught, thirdly, that it is Christ alone who has revealed God the Father to man. It is wreitten that “no man has seen God at any time – the only begotten Son, who is the bosom of the Father, he as declared him. “
The eye of mortal man has never beheld God the Father. No man could bear the sight. Even to Moses it was said, “Thou canst not see my face:for no man shall see me and live” (Exodus 33:20). Yet all that mortal man is capable of knowing about God the Father is fully reveled to us by God the Son. He, who was in the bosom of the Father from all eternity, has been pleased to take our nature upon Him and to exhibit to us in the form of man all that our minds can comprehend of the Father’s perfections. In Christ’s words, and deeds, and life, and death, we learn as much concerning God the Father as our feeble minds can at present bear. His perfect wisdom — His incomparable holiness — His hatred of sin, could never be reprresented to our eyes more clearly than we see them in Christ’s life and death. In truth, “God was manifest in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16) when the Word took on a body. “He was the brightness of the Fahter’s glory, and the express image of His person”(Hebrews 1:3). He says Himself, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). “He that has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). “In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the God head bodily” (Colossians 2:9). These are deep and mysterious things. But they are true.
Rainbow Trout 