Made in His Likeness: Part Two

Genesis 1:27 — So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

We are all made in the image of God. For out of the dust we were formed and unto the dust we shall return. There is nothing man can do without being grafted into the vine. Without Christ we are nothing… we were created for His purpose and His purpose only.

Genesis 3:19 — In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

John 15:5 — I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Four things man was made for

There are several key assumptions that can be made when discussing this topic. Firstly, man was made not for his own pleasure but to satisfy the things of God. Secondly, man was made to sow seed and to reap what he sows. Thirdly, man was made to exhibit the precise characteristics of God, including morals and the like. And fourthly, man was made to go forth and multiply.

Firstly: made not for his own pleasure, but to satisfy the things of God

Man was designed to be a vessel for God; to bring God glory and to magnify and exalt Him. In all our ways we are to demonstrate good behaviour and to uphold His image and magnificence. Without the presence of the Holy Spirit this is not possible. At the very beginning, when man fell from perfection and into the depths of sin, this vital connection with God was severed. Until this day Satan has fought mankind to stop the restoration of this lost connection to our Lord and Saviour. For he knows that in that day that we find Christ we will not only be transformed into His likeness, but we will reflect the very nature of God Himself: Love. As there is no hope for Satan, he wants to destroy this aspect of humanity.

1 John 4:16 defines God as love:

1 John 4:16 — And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

How then can one remain in God? Paul the apostle tells us in Galatians 5:16:

Galatians 5:16 — This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

We must pick up our cross daily, leaning on God for counsel and wisdom. We can do nothing of ourselves; we must be watered like the lilies of the field, blossoming when the time has come for harvest, readily consuming the word of God on a daily basis and taking appropriate action to align ourselves with His values. It is these values that are universal and underpin the very fabric of life. We can look to the birds of the sky and see how they effortlessly fly, how nature has a way of expressing itself in all its beauty and majesty. How the ecosystem is constructed in a way that ensures one plant may benefit from another’s water supply, and how a mother’s instinct is to comfort and nourish her newborn — these events are no coincidence, but echo the inherent love of God.

Matthew 6:28 — And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

Secondly: made to sow seed and to reap what he sows

Galatians 6:7 — Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

As we know it, Christ spoke life into existence. And if Christ spoke life into existence, and the Bible states that He is the very Word Himself:

John 1:1 — In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

then that which He has spoken must retain the same likeness, for out of that which is love can no evil come forth. However, despite mankind’s original state, man can become subdued. This is what happened when Satan tempted Eve. Taking her away from the holiness and design that God had intended, Satan tried his best to bring about man’s annihilation.

Romans 6:23 — For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Man must face the consequences of his actions. Without changing God’s law, for God’s word is eternal, God had to provide a solution. Jesus Christ is that solution.

1 Corinthians 15:22 — For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Where one man’s sin brought about death, another man’s righteousness brought about eternal life.

Part Three follows, which explores this topic in more detail.

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This is the second part. Made in His Likeness: Part One opens with Genesis 5:1 — in the likeness of God made he him — and traces how sin tarnished that likeness and how it is restored: seeking God daily, prayer and fasting, the word obeyed, and the cross taken up daily. Part Three takes up the last two things man was made for — to exhibit the very characteristics of God, and to go forth and multiply.

If this study has raised something you would like to talk through, the team reads every message: ask a Bible question, or send a prayer request.

On how the enemy who tempted Eve came to be, Origins of Evil traces Lucifer from an upright angel to the adversary — and the Son of God manifested to destroy his works. On abiding in the vine, Getting to Know Jesus sets out why knowing Christ, and not only knowing about Him, is eternal life itself.