The Majesty Of The Father Shining Through His Son
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being … He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Hebrews 1:3
Painters have tried. Sculptors have tried. Poets have tried. Yet all have failed, for only one picture of God has ever been accurately rendered.
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Jesus Christ alone is the “exact representation of God’s being.” In Jesus, God became a man so that all the human race might see God.
If your picture of God is a bit fuzzy, the opening verses of Hebrews will sharpen your focus, and John Calvin’s words will help you better appreciate the picture.
WALK WITH JOHN CALVIN
“The Son is said to be ‘the radiance of God’s glory’ and the ‘exact representation of his being’; these are words which borrow from created things to describe the hidden majesty of God. But the things which are evident to our senses are fitly applied to God, that we may know what is to be found in Christ and what benefits he brings to us.
“When you hear that the Son is the brightness of the Father’s glory, think that the glory of the Father is invisible until it shines forth in Christ, and that he is called the ‘exact representation of his being’ because the Father’s majesty is hidden until it shows itself impressed on the Son’s image.
“The writer’s purpose is to build up our faith so that we may learn that God is made known to us in no other way than in Christ. Thus it follows that we are blind to the light of God until in Christ it shines on us.”
WALK CLOSER TO GOD
God is light. So is Jesus: “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).
God is truth. So is Jesus: “I am … the truth” (John 14:6).
God is God alone. So is Jesus: “I am” (John 8:58).
“In these last days he [God] has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:2). Therefore, you are no longer “in the dark” about God when you have met the Savior.
And that’s a thought to brighten any day!
