In Colossians Paul describes Jesus as the image of the invisible God using the word eikon—meaning the exact representation, not a vague outline. This contrasts with skia, meaning ‘shadow,’ as used of the law, which was only a shadow of the good things to come (Hebrews 10:1). Jesus is never said to be made in God’s image, unlike man, who was created in God’s image. Instead, the Son is eternally the image—the visible expression—of the invisible God. When God said, Let Us make man in Our image, the plural points to a singular divine likeness shared by the Father, Son and Spirit. Man had a beginning and was made in God’s image. But the Son has no beginning. He is, and always has been, the true image of God. To see Christ is to see God Himself—not a shadow or sketch, but the full, living reality of divine glory.
