In
contrast to Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor. 4:4; and Col. 3.10, here Col. 1:15a refers not to
Christ as the “image” in his human incarnational and exalted form. Rather, . .
. Christ’s preexistence as God’s divine “image” is the focus, though his status
as the divine image still applies to his incarnational state and eternal exalted
status. The reason for this widely temporal understanding is found in εστιν (estin, is) in verse 15a, which is a timeless or gnomic
present in that Christ is eternally and originally “the image of the invisible
God” . . . (G. K. Beale, Colossians and Philemon [Baker Exegetical
Commentary on the New Testament; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2019], 81)
