Daily Digest: Capstone Capsule

“Who being the brightness of His glory and the express IMAGE of His person” – Hebrews 1:3a

It bears restating that every Believer must cultivate Christ’s Lifestyle of CHARACTER for IMPACT: "Who being the brightness of His glory and the express IMAGE of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb.1:3). The word “IMAGE” translates from the noun “Charakter” which derives from the Greek word “Charasso,” meaning a notch, indentation, a sharpening, scratching or writing on a stone, wood or metal. It also means embosser, and a stamp for making coins. Hebrews 1:3 is the appearance of this Greek word in the New Testament! The inference is that Christ is the very Character of God – the very Stamp of God’s Nature!

Christ is the “the express Image” of God’s Person: the “exact representation of His Being” (NIV); and “the out-raying or radiance of the divine” (AMP). Christ Jesus is the One in whom God stamped and imprinted His Being. By extension, in following Christ, Believers are to be transformed to the Image and Character of God. In character, we are meant to be like Christ – as the Expression of God’s Glory. Essentially, character is the seat of a person’s moral being. It is the inner life of man which reflects either the traits of a sinful nature being influenced by the world, or the traits of His divine nature as influenced by God’s Word.

Character is the sum-total or combination of the qualities – positive and negative – in the life of a person or group of persons, exemplified by inner thoughts, values, attitudes, motives or motivations, emotions, and actions. Character is what we are in the dark when the lights are out. It often reflects in the actions displayed by an individual when under pressure! Character is so important in life that it can make or ruin! Character is like a tree; reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what is perceived, but only the tree itself has the substance of reality. Unfortunately, many people protect reputation and live in hypocrisy!

True Character is what is inside, which is known by what we think, say, and do. An authentic character doesn’t just tell others what to do, but lives as an example worthy of being followed. Character is so crucial that the moral decadence that permeates society can be the ruin of a generation. And, what is most disconcerting is that the people who ae supposed to be the Image of Christ have no positive example to show, as they import indiscipline and permissiveness from the world into the church! The Lord longs for a generation of people of character, through whom all His priceless virtues are made manifest for His Glory!