God's Image Renewed

This week and last I am inviting you to examine the Old and New Testament teachings about human life. So far we've looked at the Hebrew and Greek words translated into English as soul, spirit, mind, life, etc. I emphasize that we humans are a mind/body/soul/spirit unity, completely dependent upon our Creator. He alone is immortal and eternal. Our existence is completely dependent upon the life given by the Spirit of God. So in the very first book of the Bible we read,

Gen 1:26-28 ESV - [26] Then God said, "Let us make man in our image (tselem), after our likeness (demuwth). And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and 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] And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 

 Then in the next chapter,

then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath (neshamah) of life, and the man became a living creature (nephesh). - Gen 2:7 ESV

Again in the book of the generations,

This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. - Gen 5:1-2 ESV

As you can see from these quotes, man was made from what God had created, the dirt of the earth, but made with special care. This creature bears God's image. This is critical in any understanding of the nature of human existence, including all races and both sexes. After the flood was over God said to Noah, "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image." - Gen 9:6 ESV.

In all these quotes there is no detailed definition of what God's image actually is. This has been a puzzle across the ages and many have offered their opinions. For an extended and detailed examination of the Bible's teaching about the image of God, go to "Man as Male and Female: Created in the Image of God" by Nathan Jastram.

Because all humans, both male and female, bear this image they have responsibility before and are answerable to God for how they carry out their dominion over creation, how they relate to one another and above all how they honor and worship their Creator. We are created to worship, love and serve God with our whole being, body, mind, heart, imagination and will. The first and great commandment says,

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." - (Deu 6:4-5 ESV)

Because of our rebellion against our Creator this image that we all bear has been damaged and blurred. Not only do we bear the image of God, we also bear the image of sinful and disobedient man. As David acknowledged, "Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." This damage reaches into the very depths of our being, our hearts, minds and spirits.

The wonderful message of the New Testament is that in Christ the fullness of this image is being restored. Our destiny in Christ is to be conformed, transformed and reshaped into the image of God's Son, the one Man who fully reflects God's image in all He is and does (Romans 8:29). This process begins with our rebirth (John 3:1-18) and continues throughout our lives as we are reshaped and transformed by Christ working in and through His Word (2 Cor. 3:17-18; 5:1-5 ). The process will finally be complete when we are taken to be with Jesus in the new creation in which we will be completely transformed again into the pure and unadulterated image of God (Philippians 3:20-21). 

For all this it is our joyful duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him who has loved and loves us still.