You Are Being Formed in the Image of God

From the book: Seed Truths-From Genesis to Revelation

By: Mike Harding

 

11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so.

12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 

21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so.

25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.  Genesis 1:11-12, 21, 24-25

 One of the very first principles that God shows us in the Bible is that everything reproduces after its own kind. God designed it that way. Physically, through the information-library known as DNA, everything reproduces and duplicates itself. But it works spiritually as well. God wanted us to understand this. So he said it TEN TIMES before He gave us verse 26 of Genesis chapter one!

 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”  Genesis 1:26-28

 After He made it clear that every created thing will reproduce after its own kind, God then said the most amazing thing: “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…” God wants you to understand that you are a very special and important kind of being, created for a very special purpose.

 Many years ago, the Holy Spirit drew my attention to two words in Genesis 1:26: “make” and “create”. He prompted me to look up the meaning of these two words and to consider the difference in meaning. The word “make” can imply a long-term process or a project that has a beginning and an eventual end. The word “create” usually implies an immediate act. It’s done right now. So why did God use these two different words to talk about the creation of man? I believe it’s because God first instantaneously created us in His image, and He wanted us to understand that we are very special beings with a very special destiny. But He was not finished with us at creation. There would still be a process of conforming us to His image. There would be a process of growth and maturity and transformation. It would be a long-term project.

 I do not mean to imply that we become exactly like God. God was created by no one. He is all powerful, all knowing, eternal and self-existing. His name, roughly translated to English as Jehovah or Yahweh, means the “I AM”, the self-existing One. We are clearly created beings, dependent upon Him forever. But He made us for a very special purpose. We exist to become His family, His loved ones. We exist to satisfy His desire to love and be loved. But we are not robots. He gave us free will. We can choose to love Him or run from Him. We can choose to accept our God-given purpose, or rebel against it. Why did He give us such a risky thing as free will? It’s because love is meaningless if it is forced on you or required of you.

 Free will did cause problems. God knew it would. Mankind disobeyed God pretty quickly. Man’s nature fell into sin and became corrupted. The image of God was damaged.

 But God was prepared. He had a plan to save us, to redeem us, to restore us to His image. But we would have to choose it. We would have to believe it and accept it.

So then we can understand that God’s goal or project to “make” us in His image requires our cooperation. It actually requires our permission! And if we give our permission, if we cooperate, what will we become? What will we be like? That answer is found in three New Testament verses:

15 He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  Colossians 1:15

4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.  2 Corinthians 4:4

 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,  Hebrews 1:3

 All of these three verses tell us that the Man Jesus Christ is the image of God. If we are destined to be made in the image of God, we will become like Jesus! That’s clearly not something that we can do for ourselves. It is the work of God. It is the miracle of God. It is the grace and power of God working in us, if we accept this calling and purpose.

God is a trinity, meaning a triune being. He is a three-part being, yet He is One. If He made you in His image, then are you a three part-being as well? Yes, you are!

23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.      1 Thessalonians 5:23

You are one person, with your own name and identity but, just like God, you have three distinct parts. You are a trinity.

Who is Jesus Christ? He is the second Person of the Trinity, who came to earth two thousand years ago. He was born supernaturally of a virgin named Mary. He grew up as a man, a member of the human race which He Himself had created. He became like us, so that we could become like Him! He died on the cross for us and rose from the dead. He was then glorified as a Man, immortal, alive forever…as a Man! He is the Man who is also God! When God said, “Let Us make man…” the three Persons of the Trinity were talking amongst themselves. God was saying that His destiny for us was to become just like Jesus, if we would accept the calling. We would become His eternal family. King David, who was also a prophet, wrote about this in the seventeenth Psalm:

15 As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.  Psalm 17:15

David was saying that those who trust in the Lord would be resurrected, they would see His face, and they would be changed fully into His image at that resurrection.

The same thought is expressed in Paul’s letters to the Corinthians and to the Philippians:

49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.  1 Corinthians 15:49

20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.  Philippians 3:20-21

But the destiny to become like Jesus is not just referring to our body. It is mostly referring to our nature and to our character. We will become like Jesus in many important ways. We will think like Jesus, talk like Jesus, love like Jesus, live like Jesus, and minister like Jesus.

One day, some religious folks were trying to trap Jesus into saying something they could use against Him. They asked Him about paying taxes to the Roman emperor, which was required but unpopular. His answer was wise, but it was also prophetic.

20 So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor. 21 Then they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: 22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” 23 But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Why do you test Me? 24 Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?” They answered and said, “Caesar’s.” 25 And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 26 But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people. And they marveled at His answer and kept silent.  Luke 20:20-26

When Jesus asked whose image the coin bore, He was also teaching a spiritual lesson. If you accept your calling to bear the image of God, you will go to God in the end. If you reject God and bear the image of the world (Caesar), then you belong to the fallen world. You will go where the world goes.

29 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

Paul wrote that God predestined those whom He foreknew to be conformed to the image of Jesus. I believe that God foreknew all of us, and that He predestined all of us. Jesus died on the cross for all of us. He paid for all of our sins. Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. (Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21, Romans 10:13) But we must individually call on His name. We must believe. The gospel must be preached so that people can call on His name in faith.

The moment you call on the name of the Lord for salvation, your destiny is activated. The Spirit of God comes into your heart. He begins to work to conform you to the image of Jesus, as you allow Him and cooperate with Him. The Holy Spirit comes to teach you, to train you, and to transform you.

18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.    2 Corinthians 3:18

Whenever you spend time in prayer, whenever you spend time reading the Bible, whenever you spend time worshipping the Lord, you are being transformed. The Spirit of the Lord is revealing Jesus to you, revealing the Father’s heart to you, and transforming you into His image. You change from glory to glory. What does that mean? You go from one level of glory to another level of glory. You go from one measure of glory to another measure of glory. It happens every time you have an encounter with Jesus!

10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,  Colossians 3:10

Paul teaches us to put on our new identity by learning about who we are in Christ. As we learn more about Jesus, as we learn more about the heart of God, as we learn more about who we are called and destined to be, we are renewed. We become more conformed to the image of God, our Creator.

2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.  1 John 3:2

The apostle John wrote that “when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” When Jesus is revealed from Heaven at the resurrection, we shall see Him as He now is. We will instantly become like Him in resurrection life and glory. However, there is another meaning to this verse. It is this: Each time that we see Jesus as His is, we become more like Him. Each time that we have a revelation of Jesus, each time that we have an encounter with Jesus, each time that we see something new in God’s heart, we are changed. We become a little more like Him. When we see Him as religion portrays Him, we are not changed. But when we see Him as He really is, we are changed. The Holy Spirit comes to reveal Jesus to us, and then each time we get a new revelation of Jesus, the Holy Spirit transforms us in that way.

How beautiful! In the end, in the book of Revelation, it says, “We will see His face.” (Revelation 22:4) We will see His face, and we will be like Him. We will be completed in His image. And we will be His forever family!