Sunday: “In His Image”
“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29, NKJV).
In the beginning, God made us in His image (Genesis 1:27), but that image has been corrupted by sin.
In what ways do we see this defacing of God’s image in humanity?
Image © Lars Justinen from GoodSalt.com
It’s obvious: we all have been corrupted by sin (Romans 3:10-19). Yet, God’s desire is to restore us to what we should have been originally. This is where our verse today fits in. It reveals God’s plan that those who submit their lives to the Holy Spirit may be “conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29, NIV).
But there’s another dimension. “The very image of God is to be reproduced in humanity. The honor of God, the honor of Christ, is involved in the perfection of the character of His people.” — Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 671.
How do you understand what Ellen G. White says to us in the quote cited above? See also Job 1:1-22, Matthew 5:16, 1 Corinthians 4:9, Ephesians 3:10.
As Christians, we must never forget that we are in the midst of a cosmic drama. The great controversy between Christ and Satan is unfolding all around us. The battle takes many shapes and is manifested in many ways. And though much is hidden, we can understand that, as followers of Christ, we have a part to play in this drama and can bring honor to Christ through our lives.
| Imagine being on the field of a huge stadium. Sitting on the bleachers on one side are heavenly beings loyal to the Lord; on the other side are beings who have fallen with Lucifer. If your life for the past 24 hours was played out on that field, which side would have more to cheer about? What does your answer tell you about yourself? |
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Created in the image of God may mean at first thought some likeness or outer resemblance to God. We all know that that image has been marred by sin, yet could we identify ourselves as being worthless replicas just like dozens of the famous Mona Lisa painting?
There has been much speculation and debate regarding the real identity of this famous portrait. Some interpretations include the wife of a merchant Giocondo. Other historians said it may have been Leonardo‘s mother, Caterina and a third interpretation, which I still recall being Leonardo‘s self portrait, disguised himself as a woman. Today it still remains a riddle.
How authentic are we in the likeness of God, are we Christians in disguise to God‘s image, or are we a combination of both?
I found the answer in Col. 3:10
„And have put on the new self, which is being renewed in the knowledge after the image of it‘s creator.“
2.Corinthians 3:18 KJV „
But we all, with open face, beholding as in a glass of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord.“
Being created in his own image we should be glad about this privilege
When I photograph birds, I try to capture more that just a creature with feathers. Anyone can photograph a bird on a stick! My aim is to photograph something of the birds personality and behaviour. I was out photographing Crested Terns last week. They are a common bird and I have plenty of photographs of them sitting on rocks. But, the photos I really like to show people are the flight photos where their narrow pointy wings are lit up showing their primary flight feathers; their tails are flared as the take a sharp turn, and their eyes are focussed on the fish they have just spotted in the water below. My favourite photo is one where the tern is skimming across the top of the water with the tip of its beak just under the waves as it snatches a tiny fish for its breakfast. That picture is a keeper. It says something about how the bird lives, its relationship to the environment, and its personality.
What did God have in mind when he described his creation thus? Physical functionality, or a mind capable of love, choice, discovery, understanding, and development?
Paul has this to say about God and us:
My present understanding of "in His image" relates to character rather than to physical features. Yes, our physical characteristics and physical members, by divine design, enable us to carry out godly or ungodly functions and to behave in God-like ways or non-Godlike ways. The fall of Adam and Eve distorted the way man thinks and, as a result, the way he behaves. Man's character-likeness of the divine immediately became defaced and marred beyond his ability to restore. Now, we still have the image of God's presence in us; however, our distorted and sin-stained minds are disconnected from God's indwelling presence. Jesus came to rescue, reconcile,reconnect, and restore us to likeness and lost oneness with God.
In the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.
Matthew 28:30
2 Corinthians 5:16–17 reads: “So if anyone is in Christ, he is a #new creation#
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come?
36 You fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.
37 And as for what you sow — you are not sowing the body that will be, but only a seed, perhaps of wheat or another grain.
38 #But God gives it a body as he wants, and to each of the seeds its own body.#
1 Corinthians 15
,....
4 There is a splendor of the sun, another of the moon, and another of the stars; in fact, one star differs from another star in splendor.
42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead: Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption;....
There will be different glorified bodies !
46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, then the spiritual!
1 Corinthians 15
Qualities of the divine nature will be in all, the container/ body is not an issue !
His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
4 By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge,
6 knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness,
7 godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
8 #For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ#
Shalom in Christ
🙏
Study asks:
*In what ways do we see this defacing of God’s image in humanity*
When we act like animals we deface the dignity, honor and the reputation of God and bring shame on his good name, reputation !
24 For, as it is written: The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.!
Romans 2
As the lesson states, in the beginning humanity was made in God's image. Why?
Jesus stated that He came to give us (access to) abundant life. The Greek word for this life is zoe and conveys the idea of the same essential quality of life that God experiences. Think about that for a moment. Consistent with pure beneficence (love), God actually wanted His creation to share in the exact same quality of life and living as He Himself experiences. Thus, He also made us in His image to similarly share in this as much as possible. While the created cannot experience some of the qualities that only the Creator can experience, short of that God was holding nothing back from us.
No wonder God also desires to restore us back to the way things should have been, had 'the fall' not happened. This is what atonement/salvation is about because this is what it takes - restoration of the image of God within those who are willing.
And all of the above is what will resolve the Great Controversy. Contrary to the false allegations of the deceiver the truth is that there is only one form of life that is actually viable. And that is the zoe that God lives and shares with His creation.
Thus, as the lesson proposes, restoration of the image of God within us is both atonement/salvation and vindication of God that will resolve the Great Controversy.
Yup,
We will be what Adam and Eve, COULD have been in their initial baby walk with God.
Let us make man in our image, is seen in retrospect, the eternal covenant in the Godhead (between God as Father, and The incarnate Word in Sonship) before the founding of the world.
4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.
5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace
8 that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding.fn
9 He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ
10 as a plan for the right time — to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him.
11 In him we have also received an inheritance,fn because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will,
12 so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory.
13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed.
14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1
25 I have become its servant, according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,
26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.
27 God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the #hope of glory#
Colossians 1
It is when we Enter (by faith) and (Boldly) the Holiest by Jesus' blood and body Hebrews 10:19,20, that God sees His Son in us and as if we had never sinned at all. This is what God is looking for from all His people until His Son comes in the clouds of Glory.
Please, Maurice, share with us this bird photograph, if possible! Thank you!
Here it is Lorayne:
Thank you, Maurice--beautiful depiction of a bird on a mission! Will keep and look at it often!
Cool shot. Thank you for sharing.
Awesome to say the least! However, it also looks like the bird failed its mission as it appears that it did not catch the fish it was after.
Hehe! It was a very little fish this time, Pete, You can just see it as a little white speck. They do catch bigger fish and I have photos of that, but the photos don't look as good.
Blow up the picture and look closely at the bird's beak and you will see the tiny fish that was caught.
Sometimes we see a biblical understanding such as victory over sin and think to ourselves that we have no part to play except to accept the gift, but when we dig deeper into the Bible and the SOP we can see clearly that there is a part every Christian must play in the plan of redemption.
Here is just one of the quotes from many on this subject.
God calls upon all who will to come and drink, of the waters of life freely. The power of God is the one element of efficiency in the grand work of obtaining the victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil. It is in accordance with the divine plan that we follow every ray of light given of God. Man can accomplish nothing without God, and God has arranged His plans so as to accomplish nothing in the restoration of the human race without the co-operation of the human with the divine. The part man is required to sustain is immeasurably small, yet in the plan of God it is just that part that is needed to make the work a success. {Ms113-1898.}
Breathtaking- a wonderful dynamic photograph. I shall treasure and keep this photograph. How great is our GOD!!!
Jesus emphasized once more ,for all time ,that the there are not many roads to heaven,that he is the only way.He wanted His disciples and us to understand that during His time on earth he revealed to qualities and exercised no powers that we may not also have through faith in Him.All His followers may share in His perfect humanity if they will submit to God in faith as He did.
Christ has given spirit a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil,and impress His own character upon his church (Desire of Ages,p.671)
And therefore it's the work of the holy spirit to reproduce in men and women the same character that Jesus demonstrated on earth.And remember Holy Spirit is holy and He can only dwell in a purified shelter, therefore it's our duty to make ourselves through faith a favorable place for the dwelling of that Holy Spirit