“And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord.”

Christianity has always been Trinitarian. There are many rebels, thieves and plunderers who would attempt to steal that crown and change the glory of the incorruptible Creator into the image they desire-but it will not happen.

The word “Trinity” comes from the Latin noun “trinitas” meaning “three are one.”  God is one Being made up of three distinct persons who exist in co-equal essence and co-eternal communion as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I have found by a thorough study of scripture and the interpretation of scripture by the Creeds and Councils of the church, that this is the best expression of this biblical truth. They are great bunker busters for those who are heretics and deny the human or divine nature of Christ.

When we speak of Christ we speak of him as the Son of God or God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. He was begotten before all worlds. This is called the doctrine of eternal generation which will really bake your noodle. He did not become Son when he was born; he always was the Son by eternal generation.

“The doctrine of eternal generation essentially teaches that God the Father ETERNALLY and BY NECESSITY generates or begets God the Son in such a way that the substance (divine essence) of God is not divided. The Person of God the Son derives His deity from this generation. In other words, there is a communication of the whole, indivisible substance of the Godhead so that God the Son is the exact representation (or express image) of God the Father.

The book of Colossians says, “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”  (Col. 1:15). This verse is replete with meaning and in conjunction with this series presents powerful truth.

Paul teaches that Jesus Christ is not merely a chip off the old block, he just does not look like the Almighty God.  It entirely a different thing when Adam was made in God’s image (Gen 1:26) and Jesus being God’s image. How?

Jesus Christ is whatever God is-omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. Jesus Christ is the perfect, absolutely accurate image of God. He did not become the image of God at the incarnation, but has been that from all eternity.

Paul affirms that Jesus is the Creator of all things (Col. 1:16-17) in which He calls Christ “firstborn” of all creation. As Creator, Christ has supremacy over all creation. Christ existed before all created beings and is not a created being. Hebrews 1:3 describes Jesus as “the radiance of [God’s] glory.” Christ reflects God’s attributes, as the sun’s light reflects the sun.  Jesus is the exact likeness of God.