God's Image
Man is made in the image of God.
Genesis 1:26-27 (NASB) “Then God said, ‘Let Us [the heavenly council] make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
What is the image of God? God is spirit - He lives in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16). However, the invisible attributes of the Father are revealed by what can be seen. Created things are the physical fingerprint of an invisible Father.
Romans 1:20 (NASB) “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature , have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made…”
Man is the pinnacle of God’s creative activity, a fact attested to by the Psalmist when he writes, “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You have made him a little lower than God and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet.” (Psalm 8:4-6). Our “glory and honor” come from the fact that we bear the physical and spiritual image of the heavenly Father.
The image of God is most fully revealed in Jesus Christ, who lives within us. Christ is the fullest and truest representative of God’s image. He is the most perfect expression of the invisible Father.
Colossians 1:15 (NASB) “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”
Hebrews 1:3 (NASB) “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.”
The Christian journey is an exploration of this image, that of Christ within us. Belief in Christ is the beginning of a thrilling investigation of this image -an inward journey into the heart of God. Christ is latent in every human being (Ephesians 4:6). We access His eternal life through faith and by turning the eyes of our heart towards Him. When we do, Christ reveals Himself in us. He has always been there.
This is attested to by Paul:
Galatians 1:15-16 (NIV) “But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being.”
Colossians 1:25-27 (NIV) “I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness - the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Mankind’s relationship with God is not one of becoming, but being. It is the exploration of the reality that the God of the universe is already present within us, eager to make Himself known to all. He has given us all we need to seek Him. What are we waiting for?
