The Image

When God created the first man and woman, He made them in His image. That means they had the unique capacity to communicate and abide with God. We call this part of mankind the soul.

Sadly, man chose to sin, all of creation was cursed because of it, and even the first siblings became murderer and victim. Man was still made in God’s image, but He was soiled. He was cursed.

Thankfully, God in His omniscience knew this would happen, and even before the creation of the world, salvation had been planned—so that people could be restored and become His image bearers. Even after sin.

The first image of God is Jesus. Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature (Colossians 1:15).

I believe this is why it’s such an offence to God—the Bible calls it an abomination—to manufacture an image and honor or worship it. The second of the Ten Commandments says, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them (Exodus 20:4-5a). God is the only Person that deserves our reverence.

Jesus, the Image of God, came to save sinners. Everyone in the whole world is a sinner, and Jesus came to enlighten our souls with the gospel of His payment for sin and give us everlasting life. Unfortunately, the forces of evil have been at work, as well. The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them (2 Corinthians 4:4). Thankfully, Jesus is greater than anything else, and He is willing and ready to save. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10).

For those who know Jesus, the beautiful circle continues. Christians are grow in conformity to the image of Christ. Here are a few verses about this:

• For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29).
• And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly (1 Corinthians 15:49).
• But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18).
• And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him (Colossians 3:10).

Forgiveness through Jesus makes us whole again—almost as if we were the original people before sin—and gives us free access to God and the wonderful privilege of being transformed by the Holy Spirit into His image.

Isn’t that amazing? I think so.

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Bible references in order: man in God’s image: Genesis 1:26-27; sin and the curse: 3:16-19; salvation planned before creation: 1 Peter 1:19-20; Jesus is God’s Image: Colossians 1:13-15. Others have references with them.