This is the manuscript for the first in a thirteen-sermon series "The Doctrine of God"
Genesis 1:26-27 NIV Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. The Bible tells us that man is made in the image of God but what is that exactly? Let’s look at what the image of God is about and what that means for us.
You can watch a video recording of the entire service on the Christ Church YouTube Channel https://youtu.be/o0QeA04W1ag
Scripture
Genesis 1:20-28 NIV And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Text:
Genesis 1:26-27 NIV Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Introduction
Our text says that man is made in the image of God but what is that exactly? Let’s take a look at what the image of God is about and what that means for us.
Mankind is unique.
When you look up the word image you will find words like reflection, likeness, representation. One Bible dictionary defines image as, “An exact and complete copy or counterpart of any thing. The image of God in which man was created was in his spiritual, intellectual, and moral nature, in righteousness and true holiness.”
Man is the climax of God’s creative activity and was put in charge over all the earth.
Genesis 1:27-28 NIV So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Why was Adam put as the overseer and caretaker of the world? Why was he given that authority and responsibility? Because man is the only one of God’s creation that was made in his image. Since man was made in the image of the divine King, he received authority (kingship) over the King’s creation. Man was different; unique-special. Nothing else is made in the image of God.
Notice that in the creation story you see God speaking things into existence. “Let there be light”, and so on. That is, until he gets to man. He doesn’t say, “Let there be man”, he says, “Let us make man in our image”. “Our image”.
This represents the trinity-Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Nothing else is made in the image of the triune God. We are triune people. We are body, soul and Spirit. The beasts of the ground, the fish of the sea and the birds of the air do not have this privilege.
Psalms 139:13 NIV For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
One of the problems with evolution is that it removes all the glory of who we are. In Evolution we start out as a glob of primordial goo and somewhere along the line we evolve into humans. Being made in the image of God means I am not just another element of the world. Nothing else in all creation is made in the image of God.
Everything God created is good, but only man is made in the likeness of God himself. Only man has a soul. Only man has the level of intelligence we do, the animal kingdom doesn’t have as high a capability to problem solve with as much logic and reason as we do. We are superior in many ways. We’re God’s crowning achievement; he saved the best of His creation as the last.
Mankind is unique and made in God’s image but that image became a tarnished image.
As God created Adam and Eve in his perfect image so now, after Adam and Eve sinned, they have a son born in their imperfect image.
Genesis 5:1-5 NIV This is the written account of Adam’s family line. When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind” when they were created. When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.
Adam was created perfect; without sin. He was created to be immortal. Perfect-without sin-immortal; all of what God is. Then the fall happened. Now, all born would be imperfect, sinners, and mortal.
That doesn’t mean we are totally removed from being made in God’s image. We are still the crowning achievement of creation, we are still body, soul and spirit but now, because we are born with a sinful nature, we are tarnished images of God. And unfortunately, because we are tarnished images we no longer get to look upon God.
Because Adam and Eve were made perfectly in the image of God they had the privilege of seeing God as he is. They had the privilege of literally walking with God. All that changed when sin entered in. The dynamic of their relationship instantly changed. They went from walking with God to hiding from God.
Genesis 3:8-10 NIV Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
They went from being in God’s presence to being banished from his garden. They went from being connected with God to being separated from God.
Genesis 3:23-24 NIV So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
From then on, since all would be born in the image of man and thus an imperfect image of God there would no longer be the ability to see God in the fullness of his holiness. We are still made in God’s image but because of sin it’s a tarnished image.
But we can see God through Jesus.
Colossians 1:15-17 NIV The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Jesus is the image of the invisible God. When Jesus came people were allowed to see God. Although it was still not in the fullness of his glory, since Jesus was a man as well as being God, there would be the ability to have a piece of what Adam and Eve experienced. As Adam and Eve walked and had a relationship with God so now people could have a relationship with Jesus-the visible aspect of the invisible God.
John 1:18 NIV No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
It’s not the physical features that caused Jesus to be the image of God, it was the spiritual features. Jesus perfectly exemplified God’s love, mercy, grace, compassion, holiness; everything. He came to show us, in a living, tangible way, who God is.
Through Jesus’ behavior and character he made God known.
Hebrews 1:1-3 NIV In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Jesus is Emmanuel-God with us. When people saw Jesus and how he spoke, taught and acted they were seeing God. Jesus came to show the people that God hadn’t forgotten them and that he indeed loved them. Jesus wasn’t only here to make God’s character known to us but he was also here to make God’s will known to us.
As John 3:16 says God so loved the world that he sent Jesus that whoever would believe in him would not perish but have eternal life.
Through Jesus we are remade in God’s image.
Not only is God’s will that we be saved but it’s also his will that those who are saved would be transformed into his likeness.
Galatians 3:26-27 NIV So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
This scripture says that when we were baptized we clothed ourselves with Christ; we put on Christ.
Romans 13:14 NIV Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.
We were made in the image of God, that image was warped through sin but now, those who believe have been reborn.
John 3:3 NIV Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
And
2 Corinthians 5:16-17 NIV So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Through being reborn, we are going through the process of being transformed into the image (likeness) of Christ.
Romans 8:28-29 NIV And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
And as we read earlier Christ is the image of the invisible God. We read that earlier at Col. 1:15-17.
Colossians 1:15-17 NIV The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
God’s purpose for his followers is that they would become more like Jesus.
Romans 8:29 NIV For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
I have another scripture about transformation or being conformed to the image of Jesus.
2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NIV But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
When we come to Christ, we are now able to see and contemplate the Lord’s glory. Because the spirit of the Lord is in us, to reflect his glory. First we reflect on and then we reflect His glory the greater that glory increases because the closer we get to the image of God the brighter we become.
But transformation is a process. And sometimes it’s not a very easy one. We will have to go through times of trial and testing in order to get rid of the darkness inside of us. We need to go through a refining process.
If you went to a silversmith and asked him about how to refine silver they would tell you that in refining silver, you need to hold the silver in the middle of the fire, where the flames were the hottest to burn away all the impurities. The way that you know that the refining process is complete is when you can see your image reflected in it. The more we are refined the more we will reflect the image of God.
The image of God is the image of love.
Since mankind is made in the image of God we should treat people with love and respect. In the Ten Commandments, the first four have to do with honoring God, the final six have to do with honoring each other. Take for instance the sixth commandment “You shall not murder”.
Exodus 20:13 NIV “You shall not murder.
Now look at
Genesis 9:6 NIV “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.
God is communicating that people’s lives are important to him because people are made in his image. When we murder we not only attack the person we attack God who made the person in his image. When we hurt people we hurt God. When we look down on people we need to remember that no matter how different they are from me, this person is made by God; God made this person in his image just like I have been made in his image so I am no more important, special or loved than he or she is. He or she is no less deserving of God’s grace, forgiveness and mercy that I am because the fact is that none of us are really deserving because we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory as it says is
Romans 3:21-24 NIV But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
This is really hard to grasp and live by because it is so easy to measure things by our own standards; it’s so easy to judge the worth and value of people based on certain criteria like wealth, intelligence or looks. We think certain people are expendable, unimportant, unlovable.
But what about someone like Hitler, Bin Laden, or Putin you ask? Were they made in the image of God? Does God love them too? Yes He does.
It’s hard to think that God loved Hitler, or Bin Laden, or loves Putin, or Kim Jong-un as much as he loves me but when John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that he gave us Jesus that included them as much as it included me or you.
The greatest level of love God could perform was sacrificing his son. That means God loves everyone with the greatest amount of love because his word says he desires that none would perish and that includes those people that we think are unlovable.
2 Peter 3:9 NIV The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Now, that doesn’t mean he loves what we do. Is God more pleased with me than he is with Putin? I would certainly hope so or else I’m in a lot of trouble. But we’re talking about the fact that God loved Judas as much as he did John. Their outcomes were different but God’s love for them was the same.
Jesus is telling us to love the unlovable as we have been loved. Why? Because they too, were made in the image of God. They too have a soul that needs saving. We too should care that they don’t die spiritually. Have you ever wanted someone to go to hell? No matter how evil their actions were, that is the worst desire we could have. God doesn’t want anyone to go to hell. He knows there will be plenty of people who will, but that’s not his desire.
We need to see people through a different lens. Since people are made in the image of God they are not just flesh and blood they are also spirit and soul. Therefore we should see them through a spiritual lens. People exhibit ungodly behavior because they are sinners and are under the control of the sinful nature; some more than others but the point remains the same-we all need Jesus.
You’ve heard the line, “hate the sin; not the sinner.” We need to hate sin but we need to love the sinner; not for what they do but because they need to be saved. Instead of hating them we should be praying for them.
The worst of sinners are still made in the image of God and should have the same opportunity as we do to hear and respond to the gospel. Since everyone is made in the image of God and loved by God, we who are supposed to be reflecting the image of God need to reflect the image of love onto everyone.
Conclusion
It is by faith in God as he revealed himself in Christ Jesus that people respond to the great truth of their being created in the image and likeness of God. We were made to walk and talk with God.
Respond by faith and faithfulness to God, who comes to you in human flesh through Jesus Christ. He wants to dwell within you as the living Spirit. You can then reflect the image of God.
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