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Colossians 1:15-20 17

there are elements in man which he did not lose — elements having to do with the image of
God as a person or personality — traits such as self-consciousness, self-determination, sup-
eriority over nature, creativity, and the like. The restoration (a process) of these human
powers plus original righteousness awaits the new creation, the new birth, the indwelling of
Christ, so that a Christian may say with Paul, ‘It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives
in me.’ The hope of the Christian faith is the full attainment of that new nature...after the
image of its creator."

So what does it all mean? Yeshua is the image of YEHOVAH in that he possesses the righ-
teous attributes which YEHOVAH gave man in the beginning, this is how YEHOVAH made man
in His image (Genesis 1:26), he made him righteous and holy, living a life of love. After man sinned
he lost those attributes, he is not therefore in the image of YEHOVAH anymore. But through
Yeshua, YEHOVAH has given us the opportunity to discard the old self and put on the new self, a
new creation which is again in the image of YEHOVAH, as Yeshua is.

Colossians 3:10: “Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its
practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the im-
age of its creator.”

This is why we are told to conform to the image of YEHOVAH’s Son. To be righteous and
loving like Yeshua. When we reach that point, then we also will be in the image of YEHOVAH.

Romans 8:29: “For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image
of his Son.”

1 Corinthians 15:49: “Just as we have born the image of the earthly one, we shall also
bear the image of the heavenly one.”

2 Corinthians 3:18: “All of us are being transformed into the same image from glory to
glory as from the Lord (Jesus).”

1 Corinthians 11:7: “A man, on the other hand, should not cover his head, because he is
the image of God.”

Ephesians 5:1: “So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love as Christ
loved us.”

If we took this verse to mean that because the Messiah is the image of YEHOVAH he is
therefore God, then we would also have to conclude that man, especially Adam, is also God because
he and they were made in the image of YEHOVAH. We would then have to conclude that we are
also the Messiah because we will bear the image of Yeshua. After reviewing the verses above you
can see how absurd these ideas really are.

In this passage all verse 15a means is that in his kingdom Yeshua is the representation of
YEHOVAH. A lot of writing to explain something basically simple.

The Berean Voice November-December 2002