How is man made in the image of God has an answer that is as complex as man himself and as multifaceted. We will touch only on a few things, for to be made in the image of God could fill many pages, for we are wonderfully and fearfully made, Psalm 139:14.
God’s Wisdom
The fulness of being created in the likeness of God will ever remain a mystery this side of death, but God made man for His pleasure and in His likeness, or resemblance, Genesis 1:26. When we consider God’s perfection and man’s imperfection it is no wonder the Psalmist wrote, ‘What is man that You remember him’, Psalm 8:4.
God only ever operates out of His perfect wisdom. A. W. Tozer wrote: ‘Without the creation, the wisdom of God would have remained forever locked in the boundless abyss of the divine nature of God. He bought His creatures into being that He might enjoy them and they to rejoice in Him. For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure, Philippines 2:13. Creation is all about the all knowing, all powerful and everywhere present Creator, whose name is I Am Who I Am, Exodus 3:14.
Spiritually
God is a Spirit, John 4:24, and He created man as spirit, soul and body, 1 Thessalonians 5:23. Man has been gifted with the ability to think spiritually, not just physically and emotionally. Yet, when the prophets of old attempted to describe the heavenly realm, as in Ezekiel 1, they were at a loss for words. It was all outside their known experiences. Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known, 1 Corinthians 13:12.
The wonders of life in heaven are totally beyond our human understanding. Things which the eye has not seen and the ear has not heard and which have not entered the heart of man. All that God has prepared for those who love Him, 1 Corinthians 2:9. We were created to be inhabitants of heaven.
Covenantal Relationship
God gifted humans with the capacity to develop and enter into relationships with one another and with Him. We have the ability to appreciate others and have a need to love, be loved and accepted. We belong in a family.
As all humans are born with a sin nature, it is imperative that we come to a Born Again experience, John 3:6. This is essential if we are to enter an eternal covenantal relationship with the Creator.
Before God created man, He knew the only way for man to enter a relationship with Him was to become Man in order to show us the Way and to reveal the heart of God to man. God the Son did not come in human form to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him, John 3:17.
God’s Choice
So why would God, in His wisdom, take such a route? When Adam failed, why not just start over again? Redeemed man has a worth that is beyond comprehension, for the depths of the price of that redemption, 1 Corinthians 6:20, is far beyond our human understanding. Which is why we must believe by faith.
More than that, God designed redeemed man to be the Temple of the Spirit of God, 1 Corinthians 6:19. Jesus said, ‘If anyone loves Me he will keep my word and My Father will love him. We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him, John 14:23. This has to be one of the most awesome verses in scripture, for the Great I Am Who I Am, Exodus 3:14, desires to dwell in His people.
Family Likeness
The Bible says we were made in the image, or likeness of God. When you look at children, you often see a child reflecting a parent in their appearance. More than that, the behaviour of the parent frequently influences the outcome of a child’s life and is seen in the actions of a child.
God designed us that through relationship we might become children of God, John 1:12. The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. And if Children, also heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, Romans 8:17. We are to reflect God in all our ways.
Heavenly Bound
As humans dwelling on earth we are limited to time, space and matter, but we were created to be citizens of heaven. We have been gifted with intelligence and the ability to reason and understand. We are capable of moral awareness, knowing right from wrong, and with the ability to be creative.
God sent His Son to redeem fallen man, John 3:16. As such, we are to be reflectors of our Creator for we were created with inherent dignity and worth. We are to reflect His divine attributes of love, justice, compassion and much more. Without the help of the indwelling Spirit of God we fall far from these ideals, for man cannot come to a knowledge of God through head knowledge, but only by the Spirit.
God Predestined Us
God dwells in the ever present now, knowing the end from the beginning, Isaiah 46:10. God knew what man would become before the foundation of the world, Ephesians 1:4. He knew Adam would fail and sin would enter the entire human race. The depths of the depravity of the human mind, under Satan’s influence, Ephesians 2:2, is beyond the average person’s comprehension.
Tragically, fallen man sees himself as his own god. He says in his heart I don’t need God, ‘I can be a god in my own right’. The temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden was that if she ate the forbidden fruit she would become like God, Genesis 3:5.
God did not create man for man’s pleasure, but for His own pleasure, Psalm 147:11. God created us to love and worship Him who loves us far more than we love ourselves. Sinful man thinks he is the centre of the universe and has no need of a personal relationship with a loving Heavenly Father. After all, look at what wonderful feats man has been able to perform. Even to believing he has the ability to conquer space. It is like one ant saying it has the ability to move an elephant.
Free Will
God gave man a free will but with that free will comes responsibility. We can choose life or death, as was declared in Deuteronomy 30:19. We are born and it is appointed for all men to die, Hebrews 9:26. In our lifetime we are given the choice of either accepting the things of God or foolishly rejecting Him. That decision leads to either eternal life with God, or eternal death that is eternal separation from God. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, Ephesians 2:8.
God did not create a bunch of AIs or robots to worship Him. He desires that the created will freely enter into a relationship of worship. God loved us so much He sent His son to bear the just judgement on our sin. We were created in His image to be in a love relationship with Him.
Worship is respectful devotion in loving, honouring and obeying Someone who deserves our highest regard. True worshippers acknowledge and celebrate the awesome power, wisdom and perfection of the Creator. We are designed to worship the Creator in spirit and in truth, John 4:23, for God placed in the heart of man, the desire to seek Him. This alone is the privilege of the ones who are made in the image of God.
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