You as the Image of God (Genesis 1:26-28)

 

1)Who are you?
-What do you think you are? Many people may answer to this question only through physical and worldly understating of themselves. To know spiritually who you are is important for our walk of faith. However, many people do not know their spiritual identity. In this world, there are only two spiritual identities. The children of God and the children of the devil.
1 John 3:10,  In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.
-Why is the spiritual identity important? Human beings are influenced by what they belong to and who is their master.
-2 Corinthians 4:4 (ESV), In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
-Satan blocks the gospel of Jesus Christ. He deceives and attacks people through the world, physical, and spiritual methods. In this situation of the field, God calls you as the evangelist to change the spiritual identity through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
-Therefore, we should know who we are in the gospel. Today, let us focus on the image of God.

 

1.The blessing of the image of God
1)the unique characteristic (vv.26-27)
-Compared to other creatures, only human beings were created in God’s own image (vv.26-27). This is an unique distinction between humans and other creations. Naturally, only human beings can receive and understand God’s Word. Like prophets in the Old Testaments, human beings originally have fellowship with God through the Word. They had originally the role of prophets.
-Nowadays some pursue animal theology which is to believe that animals can go heaven. Therefore, they perform worship with animals. However, they do not know exactly who human beings are and what the image of God is. Only human beings have spirit and worship God.
2)To worship God
-Originally, human beings were the ones who worshipped God. Adam played a role of priests who worshipped God. Because worship is the basic role of human beings, in the Bible, there are many explanations for worship. The duty of God’s children is to worship, glorify, and praise God alone.
Psalm 29:2, Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
-Therefore, God hates the idol worship most. It is because idol worship is to rebel against God and to deny God’s sovereignty and living God.
Exodus 20:4-5, You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
3)kingly rule as the deputy king (v.28)
-God blessed human beings who were created in His own image. Then God gave cultural commission to conquer the world (v.28). Originally, God entrusted this earth to human beings. They were the deputy king to have dominion over all things.
-After the fall of Adam and Eve, the image of God in human beings was severed distorted and depraved. We cannot resolve and repair it.

 

2.The method to restore the image of God
1)Jesus Christ as true image of God
-God saves human beings through the blood of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Who is Jesus Christ? He is true Prophet, Priest, and King who resolved the problem of separation from God, sin, and slaves of Satan (John 14:6; 1 Peter 3:18; 1John 3:8).
Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
-Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God. The image of God is related to the office of king, prophet, and priest which Jesus accomplished.
2)The ambassador of Jesus Christ
-If we believe in and accept Jesus Christ into our heart, we become the children of God and new creation (John 1:12; 1 Corinthians 5:17). We restore the duty and blessing of kingly, priestly, and prophetic offices. In other words, instead of Jesus Christ, we as the ambassador of Jesus Christ should share this gospel to people who are under the problem of sin, Satan, and hell.
2 Corinthians 5:20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
-Remember that God calls you to the image of God and a royal priesthood to proclaim God.
2 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

 

Conclusion
1)Pray through conversation with God!
-Start prayer with your sincere heart to converse with God. God listens to your prayer.
2 Kings 19:14-16, And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. 15 Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said: “O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.