Hebrews 1:3 And The Deity Of Christ

        "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 1:3)

        This text is very clearly supportive of the deity of Jesus Christ. It is packed with meaning. The phrase "exact representation" can be illustrated using an ideal cut diamond as an analogy. The glory of Christ transcends the effulgence of even the most precious gems. The imagery of "exact representation" carries with it the idea of an imprint on a coin.

        God the Son possesses the same divine nature as God the Father. He has the same divine glory as God the Father. Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God. He is wisdom incarnate (1 Corinthians 1:24; 30; Colossians 2:3). As a side issue, if Christ is the wisdom of God, yet is a created being, would that not mean God had no wisdom prior to creating Him? 

        Jesus represents God perfectly in every way. That is because He is very God in the flesh. Christ makes known to us God the Father (John 14:9). No men or angels can say this about themselves without telling a lie and committing blasphemy. Christ makes known the Father to us because He shares the same divine nature.

        We know from the Old Testament that God will not give His glory to another (Psalm 83:18; Isaiah 42:8; 48:11). Thus, Christ is again affirmed to be God in the flesh. This passage is one of the strongest affirmations of a High Christology in the whole New Testament. The author of Hebrews drew from the Wisdom of Solomon in asserting the divinity of Christ:

        "She is a breath of God's power—a pure and radiant stream of glory from the Almighty. Nothing that is defiled can ever steal its way into Wisdom. She is a reflection of eternal light, a perfect mirror of God's activity and goodness. " (Wisdom 7:25-26) 

        Wisdom is personified in the above excerpt. Wisdom is a prominent exhibition of the divine glory of God. This wisdom and glory shines forth in Jesus Christ. The way that such things show forth through Him is unparalleled. The author of Hebrews says, in effect, "Jesus is God." The fullness of deity is articulated perfectly in His person.