What is the express image of His person (Hebrews 1:3)?

In the opening verses of the book of Hebrews, the author makes some extraordinary declarations about Jesus Christ and His relationship to God the Father. He states that in the past God spoke to His people through the prophets, but now speaks “to us by His Son,” who is the “heir of all things” and Creator of all things (Hebrews 1:2, NKJV). He describes Jesus as being “the brightness of [God’s] glory and the express image of His person” (Hebrews 1:3, NKJV).

To better understand how Jesus is the “express image of His person,” we’ll examine the language, historical context, and theological implications of the text. “Express [or exact] image” is a translation of the Greek term charaktēr, from which the English word “character” is derived. This noun originally referred to an engraving tool or the impression made by such a tool, as in the stamped imprint on a coin or seal. Over time, it came to denote an exact imprint, copy, or identical representation.

“His person” (hypostaseōs in Greek) refers to God’s “nature, substance, essence, or being.” Here in Hebrews 1:3, it points to the essential, underlying reality of God’s nature. As the exact representation of the substance of God, Jesus Christ expresses the very character and essence of God. He is the flawless imprint of God. Just as a coin bears the exact image of the die from which it is cast, so Jesus bears and reveals the nature and substance of God. The apostle Paul wrote, “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body” (Colossians 2:9, NLT). Elsewhere, Paul described Jesus as “the exact likeness of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4, NLT).

As the express image of His person, Jesus fully reveals to us who God is. When Philip asked Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father,” Jesus responded, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:8–8). Jesus is not merely like God; He does not just bear a resemblance or a partial reflection. He is the complete revelation of God’s nature and character. The writer of Hebrews made clear that “the Son radiates God’s own glory” (Hebrews 1:3, NLT). The apostle John affirmed that to see Christ is to see the glory of God (John 1:14).

The implications of Jesus being the express image of God’s person are weighty, affirming the divinity of Christ. Jesus shares the same identity, substance, character, and being as the Father. All of God’s attributes—His power, holiness, love, and eternality—are present in Jesus Christ without any diminishment. Jesus is fully God.

At the same time, Hebrews 1:3 maintains a demarcation in the relationship between the Father and the Son. The passage supports and helps explain the mystery of the Trinity, expressing both a unity and distinction within the Godhead. Jesus is a distinct Person as the Son: He is not the Father, yet He bears the complete, identical stamp of God’s nature and attributes.

The writer of Hebrews provided unassailable assurance to every Bible reader that, by seeing and knowing Jesus, we can see and know God Himself. Again, the apostle Paul confirmed, “For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ” (Colossians 1:19, NLT). Every ounce of God’s nature dwells in Christ. He is everything we can ever want or need to know about God. Jesus, our Savior, is the perfect and trustworthy source of revelation, salvation, and divine authority.

In summary, the express image of His person in Hebrews 1:3 emphasizes Christ’s singular role in revealing God’s nature to humanity. Jesus is the exact representation of God. He is the visible and tangible revelation of the invisible God, embodying all of God’s nature and attributes in human form.