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by Mr. Whitney V. Myers
Photo source: FreeBibleImages.org
The Lord Appeared to Abraham (Genesis 18:1) - with Colossians 1:15 - Sweet Publishing / FreeBibleImages.org - Used under license
This lesson teaches that when God has been visible to people in the Old and New Testaments, it was God the Son, the timeless second person of the Trinity.
Consider. Although the Father is unseen, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was (and still is) the visible image of God throughout the Old and New Testaments.
Bible verse quotations in this lesson are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless noted otherwise (Ref. 1).
In John 6:46, Jesus said, "Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father."
In the Old Testament, when God visibly appeared to people it was God the Son, the timeless, pre-incarnate second person of the trinity. Consider the following examples from scripture. Note where the One appearing is interchangably called the "Angel of the Lord," "Lord," and "God."
Hagar -- Genesis 16:7-13
Abraham -- Genesis 17:1-22, Genesis 18:1-33
Moses -- Exodus 3:1-6, 13-15 (burning bush, John 8:58), Exodus 13:17-22 (pillars of cloud and fire), Exodus 33:9-11 (face to face), Exodus 33:17-23 (Moses sees the Lord's back)
Gideon -- Judges 6:11-24
Manoah and his wife (Sampson's parents) -- Judges 13:2-24
Elijah -- 1 Kings 19:9-18 (the Lord speaks with Elijah)
Hagar -- Genesis 16:7-13
Abraham -- Genesis 17:1-22, Genesis 18:1-33
Moses -- Exodus 3:1-6, 13-15 (burning bush, John 8:58), Exodus 13:17-22 (pillars of cloud and fire), Exodus 33:9-11 (face to face), Exodus 33:17-23 (Moses sees the Lord's back)
Gideon -- Judges 6:11-24
Manoah and his wife (Sampson's parents) -- Judges 13:2-24
Elijah -- 1 Kings 19:9-18 (the Lord speaks with Elijah)
"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).
"See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority" (Colossians 2:8-10).
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation" (Colossians 1:15).
Helps Word-studies tells us, "Image then exactly reflects its source (what it directly corresponds to). For example, Christ is the very image, (supreme expression) of the Godhead (see 2 Cor 4:4; Col 1:15)" (Ref. 2).
Jesus said to Philip, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?" (John 14:9)
Helps Word-studies tells us, "Image then exactly reflects its source (what it directly corresponds to). For example, Christ is the very image, (supreme expression) of the Godhead (see 2 Cor 4:4; Col 1:15)" (Ref. 2).
Jesus said to Philip, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?" (John 14:9)
"What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us" (1 John 1:1-2).
"God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power" (Hebrews 1:1-3, italics added).
The Greek word translated as exact representation in Hebrews 1:3 is charaktér (Ref. 3). Christ exactly represents and reflects the character of God because he is God.
The Greek word translated as exact representation in Hebrews 1:3 is charaktér (Ref. 3). Christ exactly represents and reflects the character of God because he is God.
Let us be thankful that we have a God who has visibly revealed himself to us in his Son, Jesus Christ. Out of God's great love for us, Jesus the Son of God, fully God and fully human, gave his life as a sacrifice to atone for our sins. Let us listen to him that we may understand God's character. Let us believe in him that we may have eternal life (John 3:16).
Apply. Believe in (put your faith in, put your confidence in) the Lord Jesus Christ, who was and is the visible image of God to mankind.
Related Lessons
"Who Is the Angel of the Lord?" - Judges 6:12
"Who Is Jesus? (The Same God Who Spoke with Moses)" - John 8:58
"Who Is the Angel of the Lord?" - Judges 6:12
"Who Is Jesus? (The Same God Who Spoke with Moses)" - John 8:58
Thank you for your question.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the Word (John 1:1, John 1:14) and is the visible expression of who God is (Colossians 1:15). When people have seen God, whether in the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-6, 14), in his appearance to Gideon (Judges 6:11-22), or when Jesus walked the earth during his ministry, this was the second person of the Holy trinity. He was the visible expression of God. When people saw Jesus, they saw God (John 14:9). Deuteronomy 6:4 says, "The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!" Jesus said, "I and the Father are one!" (John 10:30).
The written word of God is divinely inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and reveals to us who God is and how we should live. People can visibly see the written word of God. However, Jesus emphasized that it is more important not just to see the written word of God, but to hear it and to act upon it (Matthew 7:24).
I hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Mr. Whitney V. Myers