In His Image

According to Genesis 1:27, "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them". What exactly does that mean? What does it mean to be in the image of God? Well just as God is one in three (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), we also are one in three (Body, Soul, and Spirit). Our bodies are easy to understand. Not only are they tangible (we hunger, we thirst, we feel both emotionally and physically) but we receive extensive education about our bodies while in school through science and P.E.. For anyone who has attended church or pondered what happens after death, we have a somewhat understanding of the spirit. But what does the soul consist of? Our souls consist of our mind, will, and emotions. 

The bible teaches that we are eternal (live forever) just as God is forever. However, we will choose where we will spend that eternity once we leave this life. For those who choose the plan of salvation provided by Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross, we will live forever with God in paradise (heaven). For those who reject Jesus Christ, well there is a place of destruction assigned (hell). Salvation is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8). However, it is an act of our souls (mind, will, and emotion). We make the decision as to whether we choose Christ through faith (believing what is unseen) or choose the opposite and reject this truth of salvation. God's love for us allows us to choose even if that means we will not be with Him for all of eternity. God's love is not manipulative. He respects our choices. Once this life is over and our choice has been made .... our spirit man is assigned to the place of our choice.

God desires that we spend eternity with Him. He does not wish that anyone should go to hell (2 Peter 3:8). Our spirit man is predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).When we encounter truth, our spirit man recognizes that truth. This is because God's laws are written upon our heart . Romans 2:14-15 states, "When outsiders who have never heard of God's law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm its truth by their obedience.They show that God's law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God's yes and no, right and wrong". We may make excuses when we make wrong choices and follow a temptation that pulls us away from God's perfect will but we know right from wrong. Our spirit man hums when we feel and see truth. That's why you can go in to certain church services, and although the method of worship is different, you still recognize God's spirit in the place and the people. The spirit man who lives within you will not be satisfied until it is one with God and we are often driven by a spiritual need for more.Our spirit man is moved and influenced by God. The opposite is true as well. Our spirit man recognizes falsehood. We sense when someone is not moving in the spirit of God. Why because we recognize what truth is.


At the point of salvation, our spirit man ... that eternal part of us is sealed for salvation. Ephesians 1:13 states, "It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free - signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit". What a relief. Once we receive Christ with gladness, we are safe. Salvation is ours for eternity and this has nothing to do with our actions but has everything to do with our belief in Christ. Does this mean that we can act any way we want. Of course not. Not because we will not go to heaven but because our love and gratitude drives us toward the image of Christ.

Now our physical bodies will not last forever. Anyone who has looked around can see this. We age and eventually our bodies wear out. Luckily we are promised a new body for the business of living in eternity. A body that will house our eternal spirit. We find this promise in Philippians 3:20-21 which states, "But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven! We're waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him".Whew .... we will not just float around without substance. We will be recognizable and unique from others. Does this mean that we can just use and abuse our present body. Absolutely not. We do not know when our time on this earth will be done. Therefore, we should be good stewards of what God has provided and make it last in health for as long as possible. However, we should make sure that our time developing ourselves is well-balanced. 1 Timothy 4:8 says, "Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever". It's pretty clear that God's expectation that we will develop more than just our physical bodies.


So now we have a fairly good understanding of our spirit man (the eternal part of who we are) and our body (the physical part of who we are) but what about our soul. Remember that is our mind, will, and emotion. I find that this is the part of me that has the hardest time conforming itself to the image of Christ. You see our mind, will, and emotions have been trained. They are trained through our experiences in this life. These attributes of me are constantly at war with my spirit man who desires to be conformed to the God who made me. My mind asks me questions like ... "is God real" .... "What does it matter? Everyone does it" ...."I think that's just fake". My will resists God with attitudes such as .... "I won't and you can't make me" .... "I don't care about them. I don't want to". My emotions drag me away from God by saying things like .... "I don't feel like it" .... "They don't really care". 

God is not surprised by our struggle. He knew there would be a trade off when he created a thinking and feeling child. He knew that He would have to constantly wrestle with our stubborn will. That's why the bible says in Roman's 12:2 ... "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God". So how do you renew (retrain) and transform your mind? You do it by taking the time to prioritize and study God's written word to us. You do it by constantly seeking the truth of God through prayer. You do it by spending time with other people who have earned your respect by their success in living a holy, godly life. It is through these endeavors that we create a disciplined life in God. It is through salvation that we secure our spirit man's position for eternity. It is through time spent with God and His word that we develop a well-disciplined soul.

Aren't we glad that God's goal for us is that we would reflect who He is. We are called children in the bible not slaves.Therefore, we can be assured that God's goal is to train us up in His ways. He is our life coach. All we have to do is be willing to submit our mind, will, and emotions to Him. Michael Jackson sang a song about the man in the mirror. He proposed that we could change the world if we would just start with making improvements in the man we saw in that mirror. I believe that is a true statement. Our world will be a better place when the image in the mirror is a perfect reflection of Christ. But the choice is ours.