THEOLOGY: IMAGES OF GOD

The beginning of God's salvation story is how the beginning of Genesis starts.  It starts with God creating man in His image--in His likeness. 

Genesis 1:26-28  Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

In giving the command for Adam and Eve to procreate and fill the earth, God was giving a command that would in essence fill the earth with His glory. This is, in part, why God created marriage.  His image and likeness in mankind would be paraded around this planet through the offspring of His image bearers.  Now if you're familiar with chapter 3 of Genesis you know that Adam and Eve shattered the perfect image of God by sinning. The perfect image bearers of God were ruined by sin. Thus, immediately after this you see God's great displeasure with the Tempter and those who bowed to his temptations.  A damning curse is placed upon Satan.  And while the shattered image bearers of God undergo a curse as well, they are given a promise in the midst of this dark judgment. The promise is that through Eve's seed, not Adam's, a man who is more powerful than Satan will come and war with Satan, be injured in the process yet this Promised One will crush the head of Satan and destroy Him (see Genesis 3:15).  In this promise from God we are told of this coming one, this Messiah, this Savior, this Rescuer. And so immediately in the beginning of Genesis we are given clues about this man to come--clues about God's salvation plan to save shattered image bearers.  He would be human, born of a virgin, more powerful than Satan (only God is), He would suffer and there would be an ongoing historical-spiritual battle between His people and Satan's people. Satan hates God's glory and God's image bearers and will fight to keep them shattered.  God will send One to destroy Satan so that God's image bearers can be free from Satan's oppression and influence.

As we move through the story of Scripture we find that this battle and story continues while the arrival of the Messiah is still yet to come.  In Exodus we find the Israelites enslaved to the Egyptians.  The Israelites were people who descended from a man named Abraham and his wife Sarah.  To Abraham God promised that the Messiah would come through his lineage to bless the peoples of the earth (see Genesis 12).  So the Israelite's story is the story of Messiah's ancestors and how God protected, blessed and preserved them for the benefit of the world's people groups.

Now in Exodus although we find the Israelite's enslaved to the Egyptians and under the influence of the pagan idol and image worship, God's plan is to free them.  This is where Moses and the Ten Plagues come in.  God's people are finally freed from the evil Egyptian ruler Pharaoh.  Now that the Israelites are free and wandering in the wildnerness, God meets with them and gives them 10 Commandments.  There's more to this story, but this is the condensed version. Before giving them the 10 Commandments, God reminds them that He was the God who freed them from the slavery of the Egyptians and because of that here is how He requires Israel to live under His rule. 

Exodus 20:1-6  And God spoke all these words, saying,  "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.  

“You shall have no other gods before me. 

"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

It's interesting to me that God brings us the notion of images once again.  He made us in His perfect image and likeness back in Genesis 2. I think this is one reason (there are others) that we aren't to make images of God--He already created an image and likeness of Himself that is supposed to perfectly point us back to Him. BUT as we saw, sin broke that image and we fail to represent God perfectly so did something about it. Once again He promised a Rescuer, Savior, God-man to come and fix what was wrong and to destroy the enemy.

As you progress rapidly through Scripture and fast-forward to the New Testament you see that the Messiah finally arrived.  And I think it is no coincidence that the New Testament describes Jesus as the Perfect Image bearer of God because He is God.  So God sent His Son who is the Perfect Image of God.

Colossians 1:15-20  "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross."

So why did God send His Perfect Image, this Messiah. God sent His Perfect Image to rescue and save a shattered images (us) so that we could once again represent God rightly as image bearers. This Saving Image we worship and adore as Creator and Savior. His name is Jesus. This is another reason we aren't to make images of God--Jesus is God's Perfect Image and likeness for He is God. This Perfect Image ascended to heaven after His death and resurrection and sent His Helper (the Holy Spirit) to live in us to help transform us into the likeness of the Perfect Image--in whose image we were initially created.

2 Corinthians 3:18  "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."

So shattered images of God (you and I) aren't to worship false images of God who sent His Perfect Image (Jesus) to rescue us. The Perfect Image (Jesus) ascended to heaven and sent the Helper (Holy Spirit) to transform us bit by bit into the image of the Perfect Image.

Imagine that.

Wait!  But there's more to the story.  God promises that a New Heavens and a New Earth will be made.  And He will dwell in creation only with those who have been restored to the Perfect Image of God.  All others will be punished for their continued rebellion against Him and their refusal to come to Christ who fixes this great problem. In the end, God's glory will fill the earth by His very presence and by the presence of His perfected image bearers (us) and the Perfect Image bearer (Christ) who is ever before us.

So let me ask you three things: (1). Do you see yourself as a shattered image of God in need of rescue, repair and redemption from Christ?  (2). Do you worship false images of God? Do you love the One who made you or is there something else in your life that you love more--something that mankind has made? Is that your god? Are you a worshiper of false images that you have created with your hands or your very own mind?  Is your understanding of God taken from His Word or from your own imaginings? If it's taken from your very own thoughts you are worshiping a false god of your own imaginings--it's made after your own image. That is sin that is worthy of judgment and wrath from God. You need Jesus' help just like I do (3). Do you see Christ as the Perfect Image of God and is your desire to be transformed to look like Him--just as God intended in Genesis. It why people were created! It's why Jesus came to save!

If you can say "yes" to all three questions then turn to the One who died to save and rescue sinners from certain judgment that is to come. God's love for His own glory and Perfect Image (Jesus) is extravagant and that same love He has for His Perfect Image is why He created mankind in His image. This is why He can't tolerate shattered images with sin. He will repair some of us for His own good delight and our joy. So turn to Christ for this rescue. Turn to Him for this renewal. Believe that He alone rescue and redeems and restores you to God, your Maker. Believe that the Perfect Image of God saves shattered images of God from worshiping false images of God. Come to Him and believe that He died for yours sins and rose from the dead to defeat death for you. Come to Him and trust Him to do for you what only He can do.