In His Image (Part 1)




A

A. THE FIRST MAN, ADAM

 

1. A Race Created in God’s
Image

 

Come together with me in
Scripture back to our roots. Let us trace the old, old story of Jesus and His
love. First turn to Gen. 1:26-31. This is the first account of the creation of
human beings. From verse 31 we see that what God did here was "very
good." Note that throughout Genesis 1, "God" is plural—three or
more— in the original Hebrew. God said, "Let Us" and "Our"
in verse 26.

 

The same verse (26) tells us that
human beings were:

 

a. made by God in God’s image and
after, or according to, God’s likeness;

 

b. made male and female
(connected with being God’s image);

 

c. blessed with fruitfulness to
multiply on the earth;

 

d. given dominion over the earth
and all in it; and

 

e. given vegetables and fruit of
the earth to eat. Here in these simple pronouncements are great and profound
truths. They relate to man’s origin, man’s purpose, and man’s destiny in the
created universe and beyond. Let us take a closer look at some of these truths
as they are unfolded by Scripture.

 

First, let us look at mankind as
the image and likeness of God. There are two words here. The word
"likeness" denotes a resemblance of appearance or behavior. In this
context it might refer to man having been created as a sinless being, morally
like God. The word "image" literally means "shadow," or a
shadowing forth of something or someone. It carries the thought of
representation. The image of Caesar on a coin (Matt. 22:20) represented the man
actually in power at that time in the Roman Empire. So man has been created to
represent God on the earth. As one example of this, God delegated to man
dominion and authority over the plant and animal kingdoms (Gen. 1:26-29). In
keeping with "image" referring to a shadowing forth, the first man
Adam shadows forth the second Man Christ who is coming to establish His kingdom
and dominion over the earth (1 Cor. 15:45,47; Dan. 7:13,14).

 

Another example of how man was
made in the image of God is given in Gen. 1:27:"So God created man in His
image; in the image of God created He him; male and female created He
them." This gender difference is cited by the Lord Jesus when discussing
the loose thinking about marriage and divorce (Matt. 19:4-12). Marriage is
uniting two very different, but equal, persons into one. This is a picture of
God, the Divine, three-Person Unity—the "Us" that created Man. God
put the marriage unity together from the beginning. To break up a marriage is
to destroy a two-dimensional image of the Trinity, the three-Person God who
created us.



God is a person, that is, He is a
rational being with intellect (He thinks, speaks, writes, chooses; Isa. 55:8;
Exod. 34:1,6; Eph. 1:4), sensibility or emotion (He loves, grieves, shows
anger; John 3:16; Psa. 78:40; 79:5), and will (Eph. 1:5,9,11). Man, made in the
image of God, likewise has personality with intellect, emotion, and will,
though all of these qualities are possessed in measure, compared to what God
Himself possesses. Man, as made in the image of God, has a God-consciousness
and the ability to know and communicate with God.

 

2. The Image Shattered

 

"In the day that God created
man, in the likeness of God made He him. Male and female created He them…and
called their name Adam…. And Adam…begat a son in his own likeness, after
his image, and called his name Seth" (Gen. 5:1-3).

 

Here we are reminded that man was
originally made in God’s likeness. Also, one aspect of man being in God’s
image—male and female joined together in one ("He…called their name
Adam") —is mentioned. But what about Adam’s offspring? Man’s moral
likeness to God had been lost due to his fall into sin. Seth is specifically
said to be in Adam’s own likeness and according to his image. Seth inherited
Adam’s fallen, sinful nature, so no longer could he be said to be in the
likeness of God.

 

How did the fall affect man being
in the image of God? It may be inferred from other scriptures (such as Gen.
9:6) that although that image has become greatly marred and corrupted by sin
and selfishness, yet man continues to manifest the image of God in his
personality, marriage relationship, and dominion over the earth. Thus, to the
extent that Adam retained the image of God after the fall, his son Seth, whom
he begat "after his image" carried that image.

 

It is ironic that man was not
content to be created in God’s image, but fell for the serpent’s temptation
that they should be "as God, knowing good and evil" (Gen. 3:5 JND).
How sad to lose sight of what God has done for us, and then to substitute our
own wisdom. We tend to do this today too. We ignore or neglect the spiritual
blessings that are already ours. In their place we try to substitute the
world’s religion, its culture and its entertainment.

 

3. A Second Start

 

Turn to Genesis 9. Here is a new
beginning, a second chance for the human race. Sin had gotten so bad that God
had to destroy the earth and all on it. Only Noah and seven of his family were
saved. After this God gave man the authority to govern himself. This was so
that sin would not run rampant as it had before the flood.

 



Verse 6 introduces capital
punishment:"Whoso sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for
in the image of God made He man." The death penalty is required for the
case of murder of a human being. Man is to destroy from this earth anyone, or
any living thing (see Exod. 21:29), who dares to kill a human being. God still
cites the original creation as the reason for this, despite the corruption of
His image by sin. (Note that the death penalty is never said to be for a
deterrent, retribution, or vengeance. Its use is based upon mankind having been
created in the image of God.) There remains, despite sin, a dignity associated
with the original creation in which man represents God on the earth. That image
is to be respected and preserved by man. For a similar case, see Jas. 3:9,10:
"[With the tongue] bless we God, even the Father, and therewith curse we
men, who are made after the similitude of God." As the Lord pointed out in
Matt. 5:21,22, to curse a person is just as bad as murder. We must take care
here. There are some today who say that we have an intrinsic worth to God
because we have been made in His image. They teach that God sent His Son to die
for us because of our value to Him. They build up our self-image and thoughts
of self-worth this way. But such thoughts must be maintained in proper balance
according to the Scriptures. It was because of grace—unmerited or demerited
favor—that He died for us. We did not deserve mercy. He did not die for us
because of our intrinsic worth. We were lost, rebel sinners (Rom. 5:12). Man is
offered salvation "by grace… through faith" (Eph. 2:8,9).

 

Nevertheless, because man was
made in the image of God, he is to be respected. Human beings are to be respected
even if we are corrupt beyond recall (Rom. 3:9-25). An illustration of this
might be a photograph of me. The paper and dyes are worth little or nothing. If
someone spits on it or tears it up it is an insult to me. It is just as if they
had spit on me or injured me. This is not because of the cost or worth of the
picture, but because it represents me. It is my image. We are God’s image. That
is why murder is to be punished by death.

 

4. Fallen but Responsible

 

"A man indeed ought not to
cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God" (1 Cor.
11:7). Man’s sin has corrupted and distorted the image of God. The image is
crooked like a fun house mirror or, perhaps more like a shattered mirror. Yet
we are still responsible beings. We are responsible to represent God as His
image. Having disobeyed and

 

sinned and rebelled does not
excuse us from our created responsibility. We were created to glorify God. We
are still responsible to image Him faithfully to others. In the passage quoted
above, the males are instructed in one way to do this symbolically by not
having long hair and by removing any head covering when in prayer or
prophesying. Other ways we may show forth the image of our Creator are by (a)
seeking a closer, deeper unity with our marriage partner at all
levels—spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical— of our relationship; (b)
using our faculties of intellect, emotion, and will to bring glory and honor to
God and edification to others rather than to please self; and (c) seeking to
learn all we can about God through the Holy Scriptures and developing a more
consistent communion and communication with Him. Believers are now, in
this present life, privileged to show forth the image of their Creator. We do
this as a simple love offering to the One who gave Himself to restore us from
Adam’s awful fall.

 

5. Hope for a Change

 



"As we have borne the image
of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly" (1 Cor.
15:49). This verse reaffirms the message that we are all born in Adam’s image.
He was "the earthy." We are just like the first man. He was
originally made from dust. However, verse 49 does not stop there. It tells us
that we (believers) shall also bear the image of the Heavenly—Jesus Christ. Now
here is hope! Here is a promise for faith to lay hold upon. Human beings need
not bear for eternity that marred image of God which fallen Adam bore. There is
a new race, a heavenly mankind. It is headed by the heavenly Man, Jesus Christ.
We (believers) shall bear His image.

 

B. THE SECOND MAN

 

1. A New Race and a New Head

 

Turn now to Rom. 5:12-21 and 1
Cor. 15:22. Here we have two men. Each is the head of a race of men. Adam’s
race is fallen, corrupt, sinful, lost. Christ’s race is risen, newborn, holy,
saved eternally. Now stop and think about Jesus Christ. Is He really qualified
to head a new race of humans? To be so, He must be a real human being Himself.
Is He truly a man? Turn to 1 Tim. 2:5,6:"There is one God, and one Mediator
between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus; who gave Himself a ransom for
all." This Man, Jesus, is not only the chosen Mediator, He is the full
Ransom. God has chosen to deal with lost sinners through this Man, and
no one else. Rom. 5:15 accents this grace "by one Man, Jesus
Christ." He, the Son of God, came in the flesh (1 John 4:2). His life and
death was not a stunning theatrical performance by God in a man’s costume. He
is a real man. He "was made in the likeness of men" and "found
in fashion as a man" (Phil. 2:7,8). He came "in the likeness of
sinful flesh" (Rom. 8:3). Here the likeness to man refers to physical,
emotional, and intellectual likeness, but clearly not a moral likeness. Christ,
in contrast to every one in Adam’s race, did no sin (2 Pet. 2:22), knew no sin
(2 Cor. 5:21), and in Him is no sin (1 John 3:5). He took part in flesh and
blood (Heb. 2:14,15) so that He could die. By dying He annulled the devil who
had the power of death. Jesus is really a Man. He is a Mediator, a Ransom, and
a Deliverer. He is the worthy, sinless, godly head of a new race.

 

2. False Images and the True
Image

 

Man corrupted the image of God by
his first disobedience.  Then Adam’s descendants distorted it more and more as
they followed their downward path away from God. Turn to Rom. 1:20-23. Man
reversed things. He could see God’s invisible things, "His eternal power
and Godhead," from the creation. Nevertheless, he proudly used his
imagination to change "the glory of the incorruptible God into an image
made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and
creeping things." Man, who was created in the image of God, corrupted that
glory and brought it down to the level of corrupted man.

 

Mankind also became hypocritical,
always with a vain show, a false front. We are a "vain show" (or
literally, "an empty image") trying to look good (Psa. 39:6). We are,
by nature, self-centered, living in selfish covetousness, which is idolatry
(Col. 3:5).

 



As a result of the corrupted
image of God in their minds, men developed idolatry. History reveals that
Nimrod, earth’s first ruler, and his wife, set up idolatry. Abram’s father,
Terah, was an idolater (Josh. 24:2). Over 400 years later, God, through the law
of Moses, the ten commandments, finally prohibited idolatry. No images of any
kind were to be made (Exod. 20:4; Lev. 26:1). The nation of Israel promptly broke that commandment and Aaron made a golden calf (Exod. 32:4). From then on
idolatry plagued Israel until they were carried away captive. The nations of
the earth are now, or have been, by and large idolatrous. Similarly, modern
man’s scientific thinking has been corrupted, although with an exceptionally
deceptive sophistication.* Even Christendom has developed or adopted icons and
idols down through the years since the Apostle Paul was martyred.

 

(*Modern scientists have recently
proposed the so-called "Maia Theory" (maia is Greek for
"mother") suggesting that the earth itself may actually be a vast
living organism. The all-encompassing, subsisting unity and power of life
provided by Jesus Christ is evident to them, but they have been blinded by
unbelief, and do not recognize its true Source. Instead they prefer to imagine
a monstrous living planet as their "Mother Nature" and god. What
folly!)

 

Idolatry takes the form of image
worship, saint worship, or  leader worship in Christendom. These are an insult,
spitting as it were in the very face of Christ. He is the Head of the Church,
the true Image of God. He is the true, faithful, complete, visible image of the
invisible God. Many scriptures clearly state this. He became flesh and has
declared the invisible God (John 1:14,18). He says, "He who has seen Me
has seen the Father" (John 14:9). He is the "express image" of
the essence of God’s person; He is the "impress" or engraving (the
Greek word for "express image" is charakter) of the substance
or essential being of God (Heb. 1:1-3). He is "the image of the invisible
God" (Col. 1:15), and "in Him all the fullness of the Godhead was
pleased to dwell" bodily (1:19; 2:9). He was in the very form of God and
voluntarily took upon Him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of
men. Then being found in fashion as a man He humbled Himself and became
obedient unto death (Phil. 2:6-8).

 

O soul-inspiring story—

God’s majesty and grace

In lustrous strokes of glory

Deep-carved in Jesu’s face!

Hearts rapt in contemplation

Of Godhead’s Image bright,

Break forth in adoration,

In wonder and delight!

 

There Manhood, all perfection,

And Godhead-fullness shine;

God’s love and Man’s affection,

The human, the divine;

A life, a death, transcendent,

Revealing God as love:

Here, lowly Man, dependent—

God over all, above!

 

Unsullied blaze of glory!

O ever-radiant Face!

Thy rich, unfathomed story

Transfigures us in grace!



Made like Thee, soon, completely,

With love-lit eyes we’ll scan

God’s face unveiled sweetly

In Thine, Thou Son of man!

                                                                                                                                           F.
Allaben

 

Thou art the everlasting Word

The Father’s only Son,

God manifest, God seen and heard,

The Heaven’s beloved One!

 

In Thee most perfectly expressed,

The Father’s self doth shine,

Fullness of Godhead, too:the
Blest,

Eternally divine!

 

Image of th’ Infinite Unseen,

Whose being none can know,

Brightness of light no eye hath
seen—

God’s Love revealed below!

Worthy, O Lamb of God, art Thou

That every knee to Thee should
bow!                                                                            J.
Conder

 

3. Come to Christ

 

"He came unto His own and
His own received Him not" (John 1:11-13). This is declared prophetically
in Isa. 52:14 and 53:2,3:"He has no form nor comeliness;… there is no
beauty that we should desire Him." "His visage was so marred more
than any man." The face mirrors or images the heart and character of a
person. It also mirrors one’s joy or suffering. Here, His face was marred more
than any man by suffering in our place for our sins. May I plead with you?
Don’t you reject Him! Your sins (and mine) are responsible for His
suffering and death. You are responsible to display His image. You are corrupt,
lost, a living insult to Him who made you.

 

Your sinful nature is the image
of him who first sinned, the head of our race—Adam. Come to Jesus! Come just as
you are. It is impossible to change yourself back into God’s image. Israel tried for 1500 years to keep His holy law and failed. The door of grace and mercy is
open now. Come to Jesus Christ who says, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the
Life" John 14:6).

 

Just as I am, without one plea,

But that Thy blood was shed for
me,

And that Thou bidst me come to
Thee,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

 

Won’t you come just as you are,
let Him cleanse you from your sins, and then change you to be like Him?  (To be
continued.)



FRAGMENT  ‘The express image of
His Person" (Heb. 1:3). Christ is the very impress of God’s substance. Our
blessed Lord was an exhibition of the full character of God—His holiness,
wisdom, goodness, love, power. All that God is—not merely in His ways, but in
His being—is expressed absolutely by the Son.        S. Ridout