Paul, speaking of Christ in Hebrews 1, 3, refers to him as the
express image of God's substance. Again, in Colossians 1, 15 he says
of Christ: "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of
all creation." We must take these words for what they say--that all
creatures, even angels and men, are ranked below Christ. This
classification leaves room for God only: taking away the creature,
only God remains. It is one and the same thing, then, to say that
Christ is the firstborn of all creatures and that Christ is true and
essential God.
5. To make the matter as clear as possible Paul uses the expression
"image of the invisible God." If Christ be the image of God he must
be a person distinct from him whose image he is, but at the same time
in one divine essence with the Father. He and the Father are not one
person, but two, and yet Christ could not be the express image of the
Father's person, or essence, if he were not equally divine. No
creature can be an image of the divine essence, for it does not
possess that essence. To repeat, Christ could not be called the
express image of God if he and the Father were not distinct persons;
there must be one imaged and one who is the image. Expressed more
clearly and according to Scripture, one person is the Father, who in
eternity begets the other; the other is the Son, begotten in
eternity, yet both are equally eternal, mighty, wise and just.
6. Though the Jews and Turks ridicule our doctrine, as if we taught
the existence of three brothers in heaven, it does not signify. Might
I also cavil were it to serve any purpose here. But they do us wrong
and falsify our teaching; for we do not conceive of the Trinity as in
the nature of three men or of three angels. We regard it as one
divine essence, an intimacy surpassing any earthly unity. The human
body and soul are not so completely one as the Triune God. Further,
we claim the Holy Scriptures teach that in the one divine essence,
God the Father begot a son. Before any creature was made, before the
world was created, as Paul says, "before the foundation of the
world," in eternity, the Father begot a Son who is equal with him and
in all respects God like himself. Not otherwise could Paul call
Christ the express image of the invisible God. Thus it is proven that
the Father and the Son are distinct persons, and that nevertheless
but one God exists, a conclusion we cannot escape unless we would
contradict Paul, and would become Jews and Turks.