understanding the image of god

7/23/2019 Understanding the Image of God

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Understanding the Image of God

“No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6b). This statement is obviously true if one accepts that Jesus the Christ is in fact—“the truth” (John 14:6a). However, Jesus had to make this claim, because “the

Christ” or “the

Messiah” is “the mystery

which

has

been

hidden

from

ages

and

from

generations,

but

now

has

been

revealed to His saints (lit. holy ones)” (Colossians 1:26), and the only way back to the pristine state as Adam was first formed is through the “last Adam,” (1 Corinthians 15:45; cf. Romans 5:14) Jesus the Christ. Thus, Jesus Christ had to be born of a virgin and born of the Holy Spirit, because just as Adam was born from the breath of God (i.e. Spirit of God; Genesis 2:7) and the womb of the earth (i.e. dust) so too the “last Adam” had to be born of the Spirit of God (Matthew 1:20). This was done in order to reconcile the fallen state of man (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17‐20) when Adam died a spiritual death (cf. Genesis 2:17; 3:6‐7). Genesis 2:17 says, “For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” It is clear from

the biblical account that Adam lived some 900 years later (cf. Genesis 5:4‐5) after “the

day” when

he

partook

of

the

fruit;

however,

the

Rabbinical

tradition

took

the

Hebrew

words mot tamut (i.e. “you shall surely die”) to literally mean, “dying, you will die.” This in turn represents a Hebrew double idiom for a double death, hence a physical and spiritual death. It is by virtue of the spiritual death that Jesus tells Nicodemus, “he must be born from above (or, born again) of the Spirit in order to see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3‐8; cf. 1 Peter 1:22‐23). However, the Holy Spirit renews all who are “born from

above” back into the “image of His Son” (Romans 8:29), by being “transformed into the same

image

of

the

Lord from glory to glory” (τὴν

αὐτὴν

εἰκόνα μεταμορφούμεθα

ἀπὸ

δόξης

εἰς

δόξαν; 2 Corinthians 3:18). The Spirit of God renews those “born from above” back into “the new man which was created according to God [past tense], in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24; cf. Genesis 1:26‐17), and back into “

the

image

of

Him

who

created

Him [past tense]” (Colossians 3:10), as “partakers

of

the

divine

nature” (2 Peter 1:4).

Before Jesus was manifested in the flesh, the prophets of old received “the Spirit

of

Christ

who

was

in

them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow” (1 Peter 1:10‐11). Additionally, even Moses “esteemed

the

reproach

of

Christ

greater

riches than the treasures in Egypt” (Hebrews 11:26). How can Moses and the prophets of old participate in the work of Christ or the work of the Messiah before the historical Jesus? We see a clear picture that is

formed which

centers

on

the

work

of

Christ

(cf.

1 Corinthians

10:1

‐4)

before

His

earthly

mission, namely, the

Christ is “the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from

generations, but now has been revealed to His holy ones. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles/nations:

which is Christ in you, the hope of glory ” (Colossians 1:26‐27). This is the unveiling of the full participation and fellowship with the Godhead, namely with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Therefore, a consistent thread or tapestry throughout the Bible is that the

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revelation of “the Christ” is to also partake in the process of “Christ

being

formed

within” (Galatians 4:19) or as David says, “I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your Likeness” (Psalms 17:15). Coming to the Father through Christ must necessitate a transformation by the Spirit of the Lord to “give the light of the knowledge of the glory of

God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6), because the “new

man

is

renewed

in

knowledge…” (Colossians

3:10;

cf.

Proverbs

11:9).

Essentially,

Paul

uses

the

metaphor

of the “new man, inner man, inward man, new creation” to refer to the process of being transformed into the Image of Christ (Romans 8:29), and it is the Image of Christ who is the original Image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4). The Bible is very clear that Jesus Christ is

the only way to the Father, Yahweh , because Christ represents the originalי

birthright that humanity was originally created into before the spiritual death of Adam. This is witnessed in Christ Jesus being exemplified as “the glory of Christ who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4), “He is the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15), and “who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person” (Hebrews 1:3). Thus, to reiterate, since humanity was created into the image of God (Genesis 1:26‐27), and Christ is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4; Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3), and those who have been “born from above” (John 3:3) are being transformed into the “same image of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18), and are being “conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29) as the “inward man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16) through the process of “Christ being formed within” (Galatians 4:19). Therefore, we must ask ourselves and take a good look by examining ourselves (cf. 2 Corinthians 13:5; etc…) to see how we are expressing the Christ in all domains of our lives. Therefore, are you expressing Christ’s works in and through your life, not to even mention the greater works that we are promised we shall do (John 14:12)? How are you “bringing every thought captive through the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5), or is this even a concern for

you? What

is

life

all

about,

and

are

your

behaviors,

words,

thoughts,

emotions,

and

beliefs aligned with the two greatest commandments—Love Yahweh your God withי

all your heart, mind, soul, and strength – and to love your neighbor as yourself? “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom

he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:7‐8, 20).

Now,

what

does

this

mean

in

the

daily

faith‐

walk

of

each

believer?

All

of

this

reveals that “The power of Christ may rest (lit. tabernacle, or abide upon) upon us” (2 Corinthians 12:9). However, when it is discerned what it actually means to “have Christ in

you” (Colossians 1:27), and “you in Christ” (Galatians 3:28) – then we can appreciate the spiritual language with its richness and depth by “comparing spiritual things with

spiritual” (1 Corinthians 2:13). When we get off the “milk” of the basic 101 spiritual teaching and dogma (and yes they are necessary—see Hebrews 6:1‐3), and enter the realm

of embodied direct experience with the Godhead (John 14:17, 20‐21, 23; Ephesians 3:19; Copyright © 2010 Ra Lovingsworth

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Copyright © 2010 Ra Lovingsworth Lovingsworth.com

Revelation 3:20) then we can partake of “the good Word of God and the powers of the age to come” (Hebrews 6:5), yes, even

in

this

life. Until we call out to be cleansed of every wicked way within us (Psalms 139:23‐24), and seek to be filled with the Spirit of God and Truth in order to serve our Maker and to serve His creation. This is beautifully said by Paul the apostle, “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One

died for

all,

then

all

died;

and

He

died

for

all,

that

those

who

live

should

live

no

longer

for

themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:14‐15).

Thus, as leaders our work is to embody God’s Word as the righteous scripture as “epistles of Christ” (2 Corinthians 3:1‐3; cf. Colossians 3:16) by receiving the implanted Word on the good ground that has been tilled and prepared by life to receive it and bear fruit with patience and endurance (James 1:21; Luke 8:15; Jeremiah 4:3‐4) and to train

others (Matthew 28:20; 2 Timothy 2:4‐5, 15) to put aside the lower games of the flesh that masquerade as culturally acceptable religious devotion and spirituality. Because, “those

who

belong

to

Christ

have

already

crucified

the

flesh

with

its

passions

and

desires”

(Galatians 5:24), so “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20). Where is this in

the Church (i.e. the People of God) today being actively expressed? Let us reason with

what the Scriptures tell us. What does living as Christ look like, what does it live like, what does it sound like, what does it breathe like, what does it feel like? What does it mean to be a sacrifice that is still living (Romans 12:1)? What does it truly mean to “transform ourselves by renewing our mind” (Romans 12:2; cf. Ephesians 4:23), or by “setting our minds on things that are above, where Christ is…” (Colossians 3:1‐4)? How

can God’s Word be firmly fixed in the Heavens, yet be hidden within our hearts (Psalms 119:11, 89)? Think…does putting on the armor of Light and the Lord Jesus Christ simply

entail behavior

modification,

or

is

there

something

more

(Romans

13:12

‐14)???

understanding the image of god

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