* Colossians 1:15 - Image of the Invisible God Alleged to be a "God-Man"

By Ronald R. Day, Sr.

Some have claimed that Colossians 1:15 depicts Jesus as a God-Man, that is, according to their idea, that Jesus is both the Supreme Being and a human being at the same time. One has claimed that Jesus entered into his own creation when he was begotten as the firstborn of God's creatures. Thus, it appears that it is being claimed that when Jesus became flesh, Jesus (assumed to be God Almighty), entered into his own creation and thus became a "God-man."

The reality is that Jesus entered into the creation that God made when God brought Jesus forth as the firstborn son. (Colossians 1:3,12-15) At that time, however, the creatures that God created through Jesus had not yet been brought forth.  (Colossians 1:16) Other than Jesus himself, that includes all the "sons of God" are mentioned who were already in existence at the beginning of the world of mankind. (Job 38:4-7) Evidently, before Jesus became flesh, as being God's firstborn, Jesus was given preeminence and thus he was with a level of heavenly (celestial) glory that was greater than that of the angels (1 Corinthians 15:39-41) Thus, for a time, there was only God and his firstborn son. Jesus, however, having been the first creature that God brought forth into life, was already the firstborn creature before God made him a little lower than the angels, with the earthly, fleshly glory of a man.  (1 Corinthians 15:39-41; Hebrews 2:9) Jesus is, therefore, the firstborn, not just of humanity, pertaining to the visible, earthly domain, but also of the domain of the heavenly, spiritual, invisible beings. Thus, he was in existence before "the all" of Colossians 1:16-18.

If, however, one means that Jesus entered into the creation by becoming a member of the creation made through him, and claim that this means that Jesus is the creator of that which God made through him, such would mean that Jesus created himself as a human being. The fact is that the one person who is Jehovah, the God and Father of Jesus (Isaiah 61:1,2; Micah 5:4; Ephesians 1:3), is the only one who is the source of all (1 Corinthians 8:6). Jehovah is He who anointed and sent Jesus (Isaiah 61:1; John 17:1,3) -- making him Christ. The God and Father of Jesus prepared a body of flesh for Jesus (Hebrews 10:5), and made Jesus a little lower than the angels so that Jesus could offer that body of flesh with its blood to Jehovah his God for our sins.  -- Matthew 26:26-28; Luke 22:19; Romans 3:25; Colossians 1:14; Ephesians 5:2; Hebrews 2:9; 9:14; 10:10; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18; 1 John 1:7; Revelation 1:5.

It is claimed that Jesus was most definitely a God-man because he is called the "image of the invisible God" which, it is claimed, means whatever God looks like, Christ looks like. In some vague manner, it is thus concluded that Colossians 1:15  most certainly speaks of Jesus in his allegedly being two natures at once.

We are certain that Colossians 1:15 does include the two natures, or bodily substances, of Jesus as spoken of in the bible, that is, 1) his prehuman nature, wherein he was with the spiritual, heavenly bodily nature as God's firstborn of the "sons of God" spoken of in Job 38:7, and 2) Colossians 1:15 also refers to Jesus' human nature while he was in the days of flesh (Hebrews 5:7), for it was while Jesus was in the days of his flesh that the emphasis is on his being the "image of the invisible  God". It was while he was in the days of his flesh, that he made known, declared, his invisible God and Father whom no man can see. -- John 1:18; 17:26; 1 John 5:20.

However, we have no scriptural reason to imagine, assume, add to, and read into the scriptures that Jesus' being "the image of the invisible God" means that this is speaking of two natures at the same time -- which actually results in two sentient beings -- who are both the one Jesus at the same time. Indeed, such an idea would actually end up in making Jesus two persons each with a different sentiency, one person who the Supreme Being, omniscient in his sentiency, and another person who is a human being, fleshly, of the earth, limited in his sentiency to that of a human being. Jesus, however, is one person, who did have a sentiency when he had been with his God before he became flesh that was of a mighty spirit nature (John 1:1; 17:1,3,5; 1 Corinthians 15:39-41), but he did not have sentiency while he was in the days of his flesh. (John 17:5; Hebrews 5:7) When he was raised from the dead, he again had the sentiency of a mighty spirit being, but evidently with a bodily glory even greater than he had before he became flesh. When became flesh, he only had the sentiency of man, with the bodily glory that a little lower than that of the angels. When he was raised from the dead, he again had the sentiency of spiritual sentiency, but evidently with a bodily glory that was greater than he had before he became flesh. (1 Corinthians 15:39-41; Colossians 2:9,10) These were simply changes in the bodily glory of the one person who is identified in the New Testament as Jesus.

Additionally, if Jesus' being in the image of his God means that Jesus as the image is the source of all, then there are two sources of all, and thus two Supreme Beings, one Supreme Being who is the image of another Supreme Being, which is self-contradictory. And thus, the trinitarian has to keep making up stories beyond what is written in order to make it appear that there is one Supreme Being who is more than one person, something not once spoken of anywhere in the Bible.

Nevertheless, being in the image of someone else does not make the image to be the same being as the original; the image is only a likeness of the original. If a statue is made in the image of a king, that statue may look like the king, but it is not the king. In this instance, the image is not even a sentient being. If someone takes a picture of you, that picture is an image of you, and it may look like you, but it is not you, nor does the image have all the qualities that make up who you are.

When God made man in his own image (Genesis 1:26,27), man may look like God in certain qualities, but man is not God. Man definitely does not possess the quality of being the one God of whom are all. (1 Corinthians 8:6) The point, however, is that Jesus, especially while in the days in his flesh, served as a true image of the only true God; he did not present a flawed image. -- Hebrews 1:3. 

Even so, Jesus' being in the image of the one person who is God does not mean that he is the source of all; it does mean that he has qualities like He who is the source of all. Part of declaring God who had sent him was a demonstration of God's qualities in himself, thus one could see the God and Father of Jesus in Jesus' works and words.

Nothing in any of this means that we need to imagine beyond what is written so as to assume that Jesus is the Supreme Being, and/or that Jesus has two sentiencies, etc. There is definitely nothing at all in Colossians 1, or anywhere else in the Bible, that says that Jesus was or is a God-Man. 

In the sense of the Hebraic meaning of the word for GOD (that is, might, strength, power), one could say that, due to the special powers and authority that God had given to Jesus while Jesus was in the days of his flesh, Jesus was, while in the days of his flesh a god-man, that is, a man with great might. The same could be said of Moses. (Exodus 7:1) In the sense of Supreme Being-man, however, Jesus is never depicted as being the Supreme Being -- the source of all -- at all.

At the time of the writing of the letter to Colossians, however, Jesus was no longer "in the days of his flesh." (Hebrews 5:7) Jesus, while in the days of his flesh (Hebrews 5:7), was a human being, having a sinless glory a little lower than the angels, and a sentiency limited to that of a human being, nothing more, nothing less. Jesus came to sacrifice his human flesh for our sins, and thus, having offered his flesh for our sins, Jesus was not raised in the flesh, but rather in the spirit, having a celestial bodily glory as he had when he had been with the only true God before the world of mankind had been made. -- Isaiah 53:5,6; Luke 22:19; John 17:1,3,5; Romans 5:8,12-19; 1 Corinthians 11:24; 15:21,22,39-41; Galatians 4:4; 1 Timothy 2:5,6; Hebrews 10:5,10; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18.

If Jesus is still flesh as trinitarians and some others claim, then either he never offered that flesh to his God for our sins, or else he took the offering back. Either way, it would leave us without an offering for sin, and there would be no scriptural reason to believe that his death provided a ransom for anyone at all.

However, lest we be misunderstood, we have no problem with the Biblical deity of Jesus, any more than we have with the deity of the angels. (Psalm 8:5; Hebrews 5:7) We do deny that Jesus' deity means that Jesus is the Supreme Being. If by deity, however, one means a mighty spirit being, Jesus did not have such a bodily glory (1 Corinthians 15:39-41) while he was in the days of flesh (Hebrews 5:7), for if he did have that glory, why did he ask the only true God to return such glory to him? -- John 17:1,3,5.

There is nothing at all in the Bible that speaks of Jesus as having two different levels of being at once -- two levels of bodily glory at the same time; indeed, no scripture presents Jesus as being the Supreme Being at all. Since "God" in Colossians 1:3,11-15 refers to only one person, there is definitely nothing Colossians 1:16 that presents God as being three persons as claimed by man's added-on trinitarian dogma. Nor is there anything there that presents Jesus as being his own God and Father, as is claimed by man's modalist (or oneness) doctrine.

For more regarding the alleged dual natures doctrine, see our resource page: 
Dual Nature(s) / Hypostatic Union

Many might claim that Jesus is God in Colossians 1:15, because Colossians 1:16,17 is alleged to say that Jesus is Creator, rather than that God created through Jesus. Regarding this, see our resource page:
God's Creation Through Jesus

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Zechariah 2:10,11; 9:9 - Did Zechariah Say That Jehovah Becomes Flesh?

By Ronald R. Day, Sr. -- This study needs to be edited.

Zechariah 2:10 - Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion. For, lo, I come; and I will dwell among you, says Jehovah. 

Zechariah 2:11 - And many nations shall be joined to Jehovah in that day, and they shall be My people. And I will dwell among you; and you shall know that Jehovah of Hosts has sent Me to you.  -- Green's Literal.

Zechariah 9:9 - Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous and being victorious, humble, and riding on an ass, even on a colt, the son of an ass. -- Green's Literal.

These two scriptures are often presented together as an alleged proof that Jesus is Jehovah. Evidently, it is being assumed that since Jehovah speaks of himself as dwelling among His people and as coming in Zechariah 2:10 and since Zechariah 9:9 speak of Jesus' coming as king that this is thought to mean that Jesus is Jehovah, and then from this, we are to imagine and assume that this has something to do with the alleged triune God theory (which concept is nowhere to be found in the Bible).

Some have presented this as proof that Jehovah made himself flesh, with a glory that is a little lower than the angels, so as dwell among his people.

In Zechariah 2:10, it is obviously Jehovah, the God of Jesus (Micah 5:4), who is being quoted. In verse 11, however, it is obvious that the one whom Jehovah anointed and sent (Isaiah 61:1,2; John 17:1,3) is being quoted.

Actually, the two verses are speaking of two different events. Zechariah 2:10 is referring to the same time that is spoken of Psalms 96 and 98, when Jehovah comes to judge the world in righteousness; rather than the judgment day being a curse upon the heathen as many claim, it is rather a day when the heathen are blessed. At that time many nations (heathen) will be joined to Jehovah, and Jehovah will possess Judah. -- Isaiah 2:2-9; Zechariah 2:11,12. See links to our studies on our "Day of Judgment" resource page.

The judgment of the nations [the heathen], however, did not take place at Jesus' first advent (John 12:47,48); Paul speaks of that event as being future, even after Jesus' ascension. (Acts 17:31) Israel did not recognize Jesus as being the one whom Jehovah sent in the first century; they, as well as all nations, will recognize Jesus as being such in the age to come, after Satan has been abyssed.

According to Matthew 21:4,5, Zechariah 9:9 is referring to Jesus' entry as King into Jerusalem at his first event, thus Zechariah 9:9 is not speaking of the same time as Zechariah 2:10. Of course, as Paul notes as recorded in Acts 17:31, Jehovah comes to judge (Psalms 96; 98) by means of the one whom Jehovah ordained, that is, His son.

Some assume that since it says that Jehovah will dwell among his people, that this means that Jehovah makes himself into a human being, with the glory that is a little lower than the angels. Thus, they claim the Jehovah made a human body for himself and made himself be born as the child of Mary, and that he took the name Jesus. This would mean, then that Jehovah came to make himself lower than the angels so that he could prove Himself just by his obedience to himself, and that by such obedience he never would fall short of the glory of himself through sin, etc. See links to our studies on "The Ransom and the Trinity."

Many point to verse 11 and say that Jehovah sends Jehovah. Actually, this is not true. We have discussed this elsewhere. See our study; "Jehovah Sends Jehovah?"

Judges 6:11-16 - Gideon and the Angel

{Judges 6:11} An angel of Jehovah came, and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained to Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
{Judges 6:12} The angel of Jehovah appeared to him, and said to him, "Jehovah is with you, you mighty man of valor!"
{Judges 6:13} Gideon said to him, "Oh, my lord, if Jehovah is with us, why then has all this happened to us? Where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, 'Did not Jehovah bring us up from Egypt?' But now Jehovah has cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian."
{Judges 6:14} Jehovah, facing him, said, "Go in this your might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have not I sent you?"
{Judges 6:15} He said to him, "O Lord, how shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house."
{Judges 6:16} Jehovah said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man." -- American Standard Revised Version.

These verses are often cited as proof of the trinity doctrine. Obviously, since there is nothing at all here about Jehovah being more than one person, nor that Jesus is Jehovah, what the trinitarian has to do is to fabricate various assumptions in order to "see" their beloved "trinity" in what is written. On one site, we read: "When the Angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, we recognize this is as a theophany – an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ, in human, bodily form, but before His incarnation in Bethlehem." Another claims: "'The Angel of the LORD; appears to Gideon in verses 11-12 and the following verses confirm him to be the LORD, aka Yahweh (verses 14 & 16)." 

At most, one could reason that the angel (messenger) of Jehovah is Jehovah Himself (with is actually self-contradictory). A messenger sent by one is not the one who sent the messenger. Even if an angel of Jehovah should be Jehovah Himself (which we do not at all believe) this would not mean that we need to add to the scripture that any such angel is Jesus, etc.

Of course, there are many, many, assumptions that the trinitarian has to create beyond what is written which have to then be added to, and read into, what is written in order to "see" their cherished trinitarian dogma into what is stated. It is claimed that in verses 14 and 16 that the angel speaks of himself and is spoken of as though he were Jehovah. And thus, it is claimed that this angel of Jehovah was actually Jesus. However, it is imagined, assumed, added to, and read into the scriptures is that Jehovah is more than one person, and then it is further imagined, assumed, added to, and read into the verse that Gideon actually saw the bodily substance of Jehovah, and then it is further imagined, assumed, added and read into the scriptures that it is only the first person of their beloved triune God which one cannot see, and then it is further imagined, assumed, added to, and read into the scriptures that one can see the bodily substance of the alleged second person of Jehovah, whom it is imagined, assumed, added to, and read into the scriptures that this is Jesus. It is then imagined, assumed, added to, and read into the scriptures that while one cannot see the bodily substance of the alleged first of the professed triune God, one can see the bodily substance of the second person of the supposed triune God. 

According to Hebrews 1:1,2, the God and Father of Jesus is the one who stated: "man may not see me and live." (Exodus 33:20) This is the same unipersonal God that John spoke of in John 1:18: "No one [amongst mankind] has seen God at any time." Thus, God's appearances to men have been through His angels, His spirit, by means of dreams and visions, or through some other outward manifestation. God can certainly appear and speak by any means that he desires, and yet not allow any person to actually see his invisible spirit bodily glory. -- Genesis 15:1; 16:7-14; 18:1-32; 19:1-22; 20:3,6; 22:11-15; 31:11,24; Exodus 3:2-4; Numbers 12:6; 14:14,19; 22:22-28; Deuteronomy 5:4; Judges 6:11-23; 13:3-22; 1 Kings 3:5; Isaiah 1:1; 21:2; 22:1; Ezekiel 11:24; Obadiah 1:1; Matthew 1:20; 2:13,19.

Nothing in any of his means that we need to imagine, assume, add to, and read into the scriptures that Jehovah is more than one person and further imagine, assume, add to and read into the scriptures that it is only one person of Jehovah who cannot be seen by man while at least of the other imagined persons of Jehovah can be seen by man, and then further imagine, assume, add to, and read into the scriptures that it was Jesus as a person of Jehovah who appeared to and spoke through the prophets of old, etc., contrary to what is stated in Hebrews 1:1,2.

We believe that the default reasoning is not to imagine, assume, add to, and read into the scriptures that Jehovah is more than one person, but rather that Jehovah spoke and acted through His angel. Does this mean that we need to imagine and assume the angel sent is actually Jehovah Himself, and thus that we need to create a lot of assumptions to explain this, such as that Jehovah is more than one person, and that this angel was the second person of Jehovah who can be seen is not the first person of Jehovah who cannot be seen, etc., etc.? The more direct conclusion is simply that Jehovah spoke and acted by means of one of his angels to Gideon. 

Definitely, there is nothing in Judges 6 (or anywhere else in the Bible) that says anything about one of Jehovah's angels being the Son of God, our Lord Jesus, or that Jehovah is more than one person, etc. Again, such ideas have to be formulated beyond what is written, added to what is written, and read into what is written.

One claims that there is only one who is "the angel of the LORD." Indeed, many translations place "the" before "angel" in Judges 6:11 rather than the indefinite article "an", even though the Hebrew is not definite but indefinite. The reality is that if there is only one who has the title "angel of the Lord" or, more correctly, "angel of Jehovah," then that angel must be Gabriel. (Luke 1:11,19,26) The reality is, however, that the idea that there is only one who is "the" angel of Jehovah has to be imagined, assumed, added to, and read into the scriptures. It then has to be further imagined, assumed, added to, and read into the scriptures that this one "angel of the Jehovah" is none other than Jesus.