Sometimes
I read a glorious truth in Scripture and I have to pause. I realize
that though it is a stunning reality, I still do not grasp the
magnificent implications of these great truths in their fullness. One
such truth is that we are made in the very image of God (Genesis 1:26). We
have heard this many times. We understand that we are different than
the animals and the rest of God’s creation, but do we dwell on the fact
that we are the crown of God’s creation made to reflect what He is like
to the world? Do we reflect on the fact that we are more like God than anything else in the world is? As we embark on a new study, it is my prayer that we will begin to
understand this truth its full capacity and grow in our awe of the God
who made us.
We
are indeed made in the image of God, but sin has marred that beautiful
image. Just as a beautiful vase that is broken in pieces and glued back
together is still a vase, it is noticeably fragmented and has
lost its capacity to function in the way it was originally designed to
function. God, however, is not content to leave us in the place of
condemnation, falling short of reflecting His glory to the world. He had
a plan to rescue us from this sin scarred world, to take the penalty
for our sin that we deserve on the cross, to conquer death and the enemy
and to send His Spirit to restore us to the very image of God by the
process of sanctification. The Father sent the Son into this world to show us what God is like,
yes, but to also show us what true humanity looks like. Jesus is the
image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). He is the exact
representation of God’s being (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus shows us what it
looks like to perfectly live out our calling to be image bearers of God.
He is our perfect example. This is why we are called to become like
Christ…because He is the perfect image of God.
So
how is one restored to the glorious task of being an image bearer of
God in this broken world? First, we must repent and believe that Jesus
lived a perfect life in our place, took the judgment we deserve for our sins, was raised from the grave, ascended into heaven and
is coming back to judge the living and the dead. We must have eyes
opened to the glory of the gospel. For “the god of this age has blinded
the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the
gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2
Corinthians 4:4). Just
as God’s first work in creation is to speak “light”, so God’s first
work in the new creation is to speak “light” into our hearts so that we
may see the glory of the gospel and cling to it with our whole hearts (2
Cor 4:6).
And once we see that glory, we are captured by it, and we must behold it. “Beholding the glory of the Lord, [we] are being transformed into the same image from
one degree of glory to another.” We see Christ’s glory. We behold His
glory. We are transformed into the same image as Him – the very image of
God.
So
what is your identity? If you are a believer in Christ, you have a
beloved identity as God’s child. And what is your calling as a beloved
child? Your vocation is to be an imitator of God…to be an image bearer
and ambassador and to reach out to a broken world with His message of
reconciliation through Christ.
“Be imitators of God therefore as dearly beloved children” Ephesians 5:1
Let us live out our true identity as God’s beloved children, being his living metaphors to a broken world in need of His truth.
-----
As
we reflect on the fact that we are made to be conformed to the very
image of God, we must ask, what is God like? This is the question we
will be looking at as we study his communicable attributes in the coming
months. Communicable attributes are the attributes of God that we are
able to reflect in our own character (holiness, love, gracious, patient,
just, etc), unlike the incommunicable attributes which are true of God
alone (only He is all-powerful, all-knowing, unchanging, etc).
Join us as we embark on the journey of being conformed to the image of Christ!
No comments
Post a Comment