-God’s Image In Man Restored

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In the beginning, “God created man in His own image ... male and female” (Gen. 1:27 NIV). He took matter and created man as a spiritual being in His own spiritual image – in a glorious state! Of course, the enemy sought to mar it; he induced Adam and Eve to sin, and now the Bible tells us “all have sinned” (Rom. 3:23) and come short of the glory God intended. As a result, the image of God in man became tarnished – seemingly a permanent victory for Satan.

But God knew this would happen even before man was created – it came as no surprise. God had a plan! A “new creation”(2 Cor. 5:17) would be accomplished by the Son who would become the man, Christ Jesus. He was “chosen before the creation of the world” to be the “lamb without blemish or defect” by whose “precious blood” redemption from sin would be possible for those who would accept it (1 Pet. 1:19-20). The plan was that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17). Thus, He “chose us in Him before the creation of the world” (Eph. 1:4).

In Hebrews 2:14-15 we discover that Christ “shared in (our) humanity so that by His death He might destroy … the power of … the devil – and free those who … were held in slavery by their fear of death.” The plan was that Christ, having died for us so that we would be “holy and blameless” (Eph. 1:4), would return to heaven until all “those that were to be saved” are saved (Acts. 2:47 JND). Then He would come again for us and “transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body” (Phil. 3:21). Then, indeed, “we shall be like Him” (1 Jn. 3:2).

Because Jesus was the “exact representation” of God’s being (Heb. 1:3), when we are like Him, God’s image will be restored in us. Praise God, Christ will have won a great victory!

By Alan H. Crosby

With permission to publish by: Sam Hadley, Grace & Truth, 210 Chestnut St., Danville, IL., USA. Website: www.gtpress.org

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