God’s Image in Christ

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God’s Image in Christ

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And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. (John 12:45)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

The work of Jesus Christ on earth focused on reconciling sinners to God. Knowing that a judgment day will one day come to all of us, we need to know that God understands us, our weaknesses, and propensity to sin. Grace and mercy come easier to a judge who feels our pain. Jesus’ poverty, afflictions, and sacrifice on the cross is extremely important to us because he knows our pain and has been willing to suffer on our behalf. Who could stand before a totally objective and transcendent judge? In view of original sin, the clear answer is no one.

The Apostle’s Creed

Once as a youth leader, I asked each member of the group to write a personal statement of faith. This assignment kept us busy all evening. In the end, most kids had statements resembling the Apostle’s Creed. For the Christian faith, this creed is foundational.

The Apostle’s Creed began as a baptismal statement of faith in the fourth century (Rogers 1991, 61–62). It has evolved into a key statement of faith that is often memorized and proclaimed in worship services around the world.

The Apostle’s Creed divides into three parts: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each part helps us to understand and to identify better each person of the Trinity. The confession about the Father focuses on his role as creator. The confession about the Son recounts the story of Jesus Christ—conception, birth, death, resurrection, ascension, and return. The confession about the Holy Spirit links the Spirit to the work and key doctrines of the church.

The Apostle’s Creed primarily tells the story of Jesus. Other parts of the creed appear simply to bracket the story of Jesus. This is not an accident. The four Gospel narratives each focus on the story of Jesus. Early church sermons, recorded in the Book of Acts, also often focus on telling Jesus’ life story (Acts 2:1-41; 10:34-43; and 13:16-41). In general, the New Testament focuses on telling Jesus’ life story and applying his story to our lives.

Who is Jesus Christ to You?

Because each of us can have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, Christ’s identity is not unique to the picture painted in scripture. Nevertheless, scripture frames Christ’s identity for us in helpful ways. For example, the Apostle John wrote his Gospel, in part, to answer the question: Who is Jesus Christ?

John’s answers include: Jesus is the incarnate word of God (v 1); the pre-existent one (v 2); the creator (v 3); light and life of the world (v 4); the victorious light that drives out darkness (v 5); the one about who the prophet John (the Baptist) spoke (v 7); the unknown one (v 10); the one rejected (v 11); the one who introduces us to the family of God (v 12); the one born of spirit rather than flesh (v 13); the one who shows the glory of God (v 14); the one who ranks above the prophet John (the Baptist); the one who brings grace (v 16); the one who brings both grace and truth (vv 14, 17); the one who is worthy (v 27); the one on who the spirit of God rests (v 32); the one who baptizes not with water but with the Holy Spirit (v 33); the Lamb of God (v 36); the sought after teacher (v 38); God’s Messiah (v 41); The one who says “follow me” (v 43); the good thing that came from Nazareth (v 46); the one who knew Nathaniel before he was born (under the fig tree!; v 48); the Rabbi, Son of God, and King of Israel (v 49); the one of whom Jacob was given a vision (Gen 28:12; v 51). The Apostle Peter answered directly: “You are the Christ” (Mark 8:29).

In their book, The Apologetics of Jesus, Norman L. Geisler and Patrick Zukeran paint an extremely sophisticated picture of Jesus, as articulated in the Gospel of John. Geisler and Zukeran note, for example, that the Bible pictures God as a god willing to reason with us: “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD” (Isa 1:18). After all, apologetics mean to offer a defense. If we are created in the image of a reasonable God, then perhaps the Son of God would also be someone able to turn an argument. The Apostle Peter admonishes us: “In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet 3:15). Humility requires a God willing to argue a case, not force one.

Christ as the Image of God

We have no pictures or physical descriptions of the appearance of Jesus of Nazareth.

We know that he was an ethnic Jew, middle aged, the son of a poor carpenter, and likely mixed race with a tan complexion and curly hair. He is not believed to have been married, although it would be unusual for a Rabbi to be single. He likely spoke Aramaic, but he may also have been fluent in Greek and Hebrew because he could read scripture and a carpenter probably had to do business in Greek. In the U.S. today, you might mistake him for an articulate Pentecostal pastor recently immigrated from Mexico. He was probably not blond with blue eyes, as some have pictured him.

We best know Christ from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel and his parables throughout the Gospels. His call sermon in Luke 4 and the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 draw heavily from Isaiah 61:

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, band the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.” (Isa 61:1-3)

While the New Testament works hard to interpret the Old Testament in view of Christ’s coming, the best word pictures that we have of Christ come from the Old Testament, such as: “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isa 9:6) The fact that many of these images appear in the Christmas story speaks to the uniqueness of Christ’s coming.

References

Geisler, Norman L. and Patrick Zukeran. 2009. The Apologetics of Jesus: A Caring Approach to Dealing with Doubters. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.

Rogers, Jack. 1991. Presbyterian Creeds: A Guide to the Book of Confessions. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.