Hebrews 1:3 – He, who was 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 at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
What a blessing to behold Jesus. Oh, and thanks to Christ, you and I can know exactly 'who' and 'how' God our Father is! It's amazing to know that Jesus is the brightness of God's glory and the express, exact, precise image of God's being.
Look, the Greek word ἀπαύγασμα (apaugasma) means a reflection, a radiance, and Jesus is the exact reflection and radiance of God's brightness, glory, and opinion. But that's not all, because Jesus is also the express Image, the character χαρακτὴρ (charaktēr) of God, meaning how God is and who God is!
The Greek word χαρακτήρ (charaktēr) means just that: 'character'.
Sadly, many people still believe lies and twisted opinions ascribed to God and rely on religious and theological formulated doctrines and traditions and customs to describe God, whereas the only true absolute perfect reference, reflection and radiance of His glory and character is Christ the Son.
Why would anyone want to keep wondering about who God is and how God is if we can then fully hear and see Him in Christ?
No thought or remark outside of Christ Jesus, even if its beautifully formulated, should form or manipulate our belief in who God is and how God is, because Christ is our only true reference.
Only Jesus is the perfect brightness of His opinion, glory and splendour, and only Jesus is the express image, the character of God's being.
I share this wonderful news with you this morning because I am well aware of how many opinions and thoughts about God you may carry daily that are not the brightness or express image of the truth, not the blueprint of how God is and who God is, and therefore you don't go to Him and rely upon Him and trust Him and love Him and seek Him.
Thanks to Jesus, we see His heart towards us all, for through Christ we can come boldly to the throne of grace, despite all the mess and tragedies and problems and challenges we experience, because through Him we know how glorious the glory of God is, and through the Son we know how glorious the character of God is.
You see, when we come through the Son and go to the throne of grace, we obtain mercy AND grace to help us in times of need (Heb 4:16), because that is who God is and what God does.
Amen