The image of God in man is said to distinguish us from the animals and make us the highest of His earthly creation. Since God is Spirit (John 4:24) and has no body, what does it mean for man to be created in “the image of God?” Gen. 1:26-27 says, “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.” Is God’s image in man, personality (intellect, emotions, and will)? Is it our conscience? Is it that we reflect God’s moral image of intuitively knowing right and wrong before searing our conscience? Romans 8:29 says we can “be conformed to the image of His Son” (Jesus Christ). What do you think is God’s image in man?
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The image of God in man is the personal ability to receive and reflect God’s Spirit, God’s communicable attributes, and God’s glory. We are the image bearers and ambassadors of God (2Co. 5:20). This image can be defaced, but not erased, it can be marred, but not disbarred. This tainting first occurred at the Fall, and occurs every time we sin. God’s image in us is more marred every time we resist the Spirit, His fruit, His Word, and stop communing with His attributes and glory. We stop receiving and reflecting Him.
In Christ, God’s image can be restored and best reflected, being conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29), by Christ living in and through us (Gal. 2:20). This moment-by-moment, thought-by-thought, feeling-by-feeling, and most importantly, choice-by-choice choosing to be filled by, led by, walking in, and living in God’s Spirit, most completely restores God’s image in us. This image, never gets taken back or goes away, but does get blurred, marred, and tainted as we sin, grieve, and resist the Holy Spirit, feed the flesh, and grow our depraved nature and old man. This image of God then becomes marred, begins to look more like the image of the world, and can even look like an unbeliever. This image of God gets tainted, but can be transformed back into the image of Christ, as we look into the perfect law of liberty, renew our minds, hearts, and commitments to Christ, and will prove Him and His image the only One and way of greatest blessing (cf. Rom. 12:1-2; James 1:25; John 10:10).
This conforming the image of God in Christ, is the greatest privilege and pursuit of Christian man. This is walking by faith. This is walking in the Spirit. This is walking in the Word. This is believing God, and that His ways are best, and choosing to walk in Him. Thoughts?
God’s image was defaced in us, when Adam and subsequently each of us first sinned. This is pretty incredible that God’s image can be restored by Christ. See 2 Corinthians 3:18, where God’s image can be transformed back into us once we have been eternally saved by faith in Christ and as we are living in the God’s Spirit. “But we all [Christians in the Spirit], with open [unveiled] face beholding as in a glass [mirror] the glory of the Lord, are changed [transformed] into the same image [and likeness] from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” [The explanatory things in “[]” are mine added for clarification].
Hi! This post could not be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me of my good old room mate! He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this post to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thanks for sharing!