[A ‘Tuesday Challenge’ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during October 2024]
Last week we thought about the type of image that might come to mind when we hear mention of ‘God’. Starting in the 12th century, religious art shows a tendency to picture God in a dominant, authoritarian way and this often influences modern thought, but the apostle Paul saw things differently:
He is the exact living image [the essential manifestation] of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible], the firstborn [the preeminent one, the sovereign, and the originator] of all creation.
Colossians 1 v15 [AMP]
Words like ‘father’ and ‘son’ are often used in Scripture to illustrate the relationship between the members of the trinity that comprises what we call ‘God’. Similarly, ‘brother’ is frequently used to describe how Jesus Christ – the Son – relates to his followers as individuals. Consider these words of Jesus:
For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.
Matthew 12 v50 [ESVUK]
The limitations of our vocabulary mean that words like these fail to convey the full dimension of such a relationship; they are purely illustrative, our minds simply cannot understand the full magnitude and implications of the concepts that these words are trying to convey. The Psalmist recognised the problem:
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.
Psalm 139 v6 [NKJV]
Does our inability to fully understand mean that we can have no part in God’s family? The apostle Paul assures us otherwise[1] whilst the apostle John puts it this way:
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
1 John 3 v1a [NIVUK]
The relationship between Jesus Christ and the church is likened to that of a bride and bridegroom[2] but once again the simple words cannot convey the full significance of this relationship. In the closing verses of the New Testament John records a final invitation to join God’s family:
The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
Revelation 22 v17 [NIVUK]
In this verse the ‘water of life’ refers to salvation and eternal life. But the gift that is free to us was not without cost. Nevertheless, there is a risk that our familiarity with the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf means that we are tempted to take it for granted. Do we need a refresher?
Give me a sight, O Saviour of Thy wondrous love to me,
Of the love that brought Thee down to earth, to die on Calvary.
Oh, make me understand it, help me to take it in,
What it meant to Thee, the Holy One, to bear away my sin.
Katherine Kelly (1869-1942)
References:
[1] Galatians 3 v26
[2] Revelation 21
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Last week’s reflection: An Image of God
Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © Steve Humphreys