God's Image
/Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
When God says that He made man in His image and after His likeness what do you imagine that means? Do you imagine it means that God looks like a man? Do you imagine that it means that because God is triunity and man is tripartite = divided into or composed of three parts that the connection of the 3 persons of God to the dividing of man into 3 parts is somehow what God meant when He said that He created man in His image?
Or do we believe that in some way before the fall, man was a reflection of God’s glory, sinlessness, His splendor and brightness?
Image— Greek eikon = used of the moral likeness of renewed men to God__ Strong’s
I do know that something changed it all with the fall of man. It’s clear that God is communicating something to us through the fact that He clearly states that
The image of Adam describes the fallen nature of man born of Adam. Does fallen man reflect the glory of God? Can fallen man reflect the glory of God?
Genesis 5:3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
59 times the word image is used in the OT. Approximately 5 times the word is used to describe God’s work and all the other times it’s used to describe man’s work creating graven images that were used as objects of worship and essentially stole God’s glory, because worship belongs to God and God alone.
Deuteronomy 27:15
Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.
Ezekiel 8:3
And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.
Romans 1:23
And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Colossians 1:12-15
12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet [qualified] to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
I. Made us qualified through the redemption of His blood which translated us from darkness to light. He has removed us from darkness and into His light. He is the image of God and now in the light, we can reflect His glory.
Colossians 3:5-10
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
II. Renewed in knowledge after the image of Him— renewed mind
Illustration: If you are a believer, and the pulpit is the Lord and I am fornication, adultery, malice, filthy communication, lying…then I am an image, an idol that is in your life and I stand in between you and God and I am in the way of the light of God shining on you and therefore, I am stealing God’s reflection off of your life. When that happens there is less light of God reflecting on to the world from God. Therefore, the night is darker than it should be. As a child of God, you are light. You are not of the night:
Once the water breaks, it’s too late. They were deceived. They thought peace and safety but then it came suddenly.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-10
1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
2 Corinthians 3:18
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
III. Changed into His image from glory to glory by the Spirit of God
So who is the image of God? Jesus! That is interesting.
2 Corinthians 4:4
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Hebrews 1:3
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 on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
IV. The enemy has a plan to blind the eyes of people from the gospel of Christ, for it is through the gospel of Christ that the image of God is revealed to man’s heart, and it is the Spirit’s work, through the gospel that changes us from glory to glory and moment by moment into the image of God, where we can begin to outwardly reflect what He has placed in us inwardly.
2 Corinthians 4:7
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
Revelation 13:15
And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.