The Image Of God



The Image Of God

Genesis 1:27

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

[pic]

Introduction:

• If man was created in the image of God, is God like us?

• Don’t you think that something has changed between then and now?

• So, How was man created?

• What Is The Image Of God?

Today I want to deal with the three greatest examples of the Image of God:

1. Holiness and Righteousness

2. Truth

3. Love

[pic]

1. Holiness And Righteousness

A. The foundational fact of the character of God is His Holiness and

Righteousness.

B. When God created man in His image and likeness, man was

originally made to be holy and righteous.

[pic]

Holiness from - hagiosune = separation in conduct and actions

• Synonyms for Holiness:

Purity; Sanctified (set apart); Hallow; Pure; Free from defilement; Sacred

Saints are holy - from hagioi = saints, i.e. ‘sanctified’ or ‘holy ones’

[pic]

Page 2

……….Holiness from - hagiosune = separation in conduct and actions

Righteousness from - dikaiosune = right action

• Synonyms for Righteousness:

Without prejudice or partiality; Faithfulness;

Righteousness was Formerly spelled ‘rightwiseness’;

[pic]

C. Because of sin, man lost Holiness and Righteousness:

Ephesians 4:17-24 (NKJV)

17This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,

18having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;

19who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

[The Apostle Paul said we could get our holiness and righteousness back:]

20But you have not so learned Christ, 21if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:

22that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,

23and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

24and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

[i.e.] The man who trusts in Christ becomes in Christ all that God requires a man to be, and all that he could never be in himself.

Page 3

D. There is a “Righteous & Holiness” Code Written on every Person’s

Heart!

1) As a human being “created in the image of God” whether the

first man (Adam) or the thousandth or millionth or billionth, has

a God-given, innate sense of right and wrong.

2) That sense or consciousness of right and wrong may have been

blurred or distorted by sin and generational rejection of God’s

laws, but it is still there.

3) God’s Word and Church hones this God-given sense more

toward God’s Holiness and Righteousness while sin steers the

conscious toward rebellion against God’s Holiness and

Righteousness

[pic]

EXAMPLE = Moslem extremist in Europe a few weeks ago at the time of the arresting of the young men who were planning to create liquid explosives said: “We are not Christians who turn the other cheek or forgive, we fight and kill our enemies…”

[pic]

• God created us to understand and live in Holiness and Righteousness.

• We are only happy when we do so.

• And we can only live in Holiness and Righteousness through Jesus Christ.

[pic]

2. Truth Truth from - alethes = unconcealed; manifest

A. God is Truth…

Deuteronomy 32:4 (NKJV) He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.

Psalm 33:4 For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth.

Page 4

B. God’s Word is Truth:

John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

James 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

C. Jesus Reflected God’s Truth as the Word of God

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

[pic]

D. To walk in God’s truth is not to question God’s word or commands

but to walk in the full integrity of what God has declared.

In Genesis 2 God spoke His word to Adam [Eve not created yet!]:

Genesis 2:16 & 17 (NKJV)

16And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;

17but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

1) Adam wasn’t to question God

2) He simply was to obey with integrity!

[pic]

E. WE must obey God’s Word (Truth) without question….

1) God didn’t say consider my commandments,

….He said OBEY my commandments

Page 5

1 John 2:4 & 5 (NKJV)

4He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

5But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

E. If we are living in the image of God, we will live in Truth!

[pic]

3. Love

A. God’s Love is demonstrated vividly in Jesus Christ.

1) Jesus was the image of God:

Hebrews 1:1-3 (NKJV)

1God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,

2has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

3who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

2) Jesus expressed love in all that He did

[pic]

B. God created man – You and Me - to reflect His image of Love

1 John 4:7-12 (NKJV)

7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

8He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Page 6

1) We can reflect God’s love through Jesus Christ:

9In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

2) Genuine Love is God giving His only Son for us:

10In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

3) Now, God’s love imaged in us should reach to others:

11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

12No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.

God made man to love HIM, to love his spouse, to love his neighbor, and to love all people. Through love, man reflects the image and likeness of God!

Thus, when man truly loves, he reflects the central aspect of God’s Character; for “God is love.”

A man or woman is not to be measured by creative genius and intellectual accomplishments, but by the degree to which he or she embodies the love of God.

1 John 4:20 & 21 (NKJV)

20If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, ≤how can he love God whom he has not seen?

21And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

Page 7

Conclusion:

• It is very clear in the Genesis account that we were created in the Image and Likeness of God.

• It is very clear that society today does not reflect the Image and Likeness of God!

• As believers through Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit we can reflect the Image and Likeness of God.

✓ Holiness and Righteousness

✓ Truth

✓ Love

• It’s easy for us to do because we were created to do so!

The Image Of God

Genesis 1:27

[pic]

What Is The Image Of God?

[pic]

1. Holiness And Righteousness

[pic]

Holiness from - ‘hagiosune’ = separation in conduct and actions

[pic]

Righteousness from - ‘dikaiosune’ = right action

[pic]

Ephesians 4:17-24; 2 Corinthians 5:21

[pic]

2. Truth[pic]

Truth from - ‘alethes’ = unconcealed; manifest

[pic]

God is Truth… Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 33:4 [pic]

God’s Word is Truth: John 17:17; James 1:18;

[pic]

Jesus Reflected God’s Truth as the Word of God John 1:14; John 8:32

[pic]

To walk in God’s truth is not to question God’s Word Genesis 2:16 & 17;

1 John 2:4&5

[pic]

3. Love

[pic]

Jesus was the image of God: Hebrews 1:1-3 (NKJV)

[pic]

God created man – You and Me - to reflect His image of Love

1 John 4:7-12; 1 John 4:20 & 21

[pic]

We can reflect the image of God:

✓ Holiness and Righteousness

✓ Truth

✓ Love

[pic]

It’s easy for us to reflect God’s Image because we were created to do so!

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download