[God]… in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high … (Hebrews 1:2–3)

One would be hard pressed to find a clearer statement of the deity of Christ. If Jesus was just a man, then the writers of Scripture foisted on us a monstrously false teaching, deceiving millions of people through the centuries. But the writers really did believe and teach that Jesus was more than just a man. He was absolutely unique in both the earthly realm (God in the flesh) and the spiritual realm (the only God, Elohim Yahweh of eternity).

Here we see Christ depicted as the “exact representation of [God’s] nature.” That God is in view is evident from verse one, where the term is the standard Greek word, “theos,” and is so used throughout the book of Hebrews. “Theos” is exactly represented to humans through and as the Lord Jesus Christ, depicted here as “His Son.”

Some might quibble that to say Jesus represents God does not equate Him with God. But the underlying words carry a richness of meaning that defies singular translation into English. Read how the various English versions render this phrase:

ESV: “the exact imprint of his nature”
NIV: “the exact representation of his being”
NET: “the representation of his essence”
NLT: “expresses the very character of God”
NKJV: “the express image of His person”

The word “image” used in the NKJV, while not the best translation here in Hebrews 1, is certainly the most accurate rendering of Colossians 1:15, where Christ is “the image of the invisible God,” where the underlying Greek word is “eikon,” from which we get our English word “icon.” The point is that Christ is the best picture given to us of what God is like.

Certainly, we see God in nature, as Paul writes: “[God’s] invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made” (Rom 1:20). But the full picture of God’s character, essence or being is much more accurately seen in Jesus Christ.

Lord Jesus, You are my Lord and my God. I worship the Lord God, Elohim, of the universe through You, for You are His exact representation.