HUMAN BEINGS WERE MADE TO “IMAGE” GOD

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This life-changing truth comes from Martyn Isle’s book WHO AM I? Solving the identity puzzle.

“God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27

When we read that verse we learn that mankind clearly reflected and embodied something that was God’s. In Colossians and Ephesians, the Apostle Paul connects the “new self”, after we have received the Holy Spirit, with the image of God, and in doing so he tells us what the image is.

“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:11

“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” Colossians 3:9-10

The same thought is expressed in Ephesians, this time the “new self” is described according to the likeness of God, which is also Genesis 1:27 language. The template of the “new self” is the image and likeness of God.

“Be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:23-24

Scripture tells us that the whole of God’s nature may be summarised in that sacred word “HOLY”. First, it means sinless and perfect. So Adam and Eve were made sinless and perfect. But when we refer to the holiness of God, it refers to all aspects of His perfection and character traits. So we can assume that all of God’s character traits were able to be demonstrated by Adam and Eve because of their holiness. They were able to radiantly image Him and reflect His glory. This includes His love, grace, mercy, righteousness, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, etc. But to be made in God’s image means to be made with the knowledge of God. Adam and Eve knew God. They spoke to Him directly, and He with them, so rationality, objectivity, creativity, love, and other such abilities cannot be irrelevant to God’s image. We have all these unique abilities so that we may apply them to the great high calling of God’s image on the human race. They enable us to be holy. They enable us to act righteously. They enable us to know God. These are the ends for which they are designed. This is what we should use our special faculties for. The more we know about God, the more we discover who we ought to be, and the more we want to be that person.

Take the human mind as one example. It is unique. We apply it rightly when we use it to grow in the knowledge of God. When the mind is renewed by that knowledge, it changes our whole person, teaching us to reject sin, embrace righteousness, and be holy. It also animates our lives to do small and big things in a way that serves God.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

When we understand the truth about what God’s image is, we understand the high calling on our lives. Mostly, when we hear people say that humans are made in God’s image, we hear them say it as if that’s the end of the story. It is not the end of the story. It is better to put it this way: human beings were made to image God. We should not think about it as a status, we should think about it as our calling.

It is our calling to be holy, righteous, and to know God. It is how we live up to our purpose of bearing God’s image.

LIFE HAS MEANING AND PURPOSE

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Life has meaning and purpose because there are solid, logical reasons why Super-Intelligence (God) is essential for building cell parts and us, and why evolution cannot do it. It is time to teach the true science of life. Atomic Biology is an emerging science that looks at the molecular world today. Ministries with Ph.D. scientists that address this foundational issue are Creation Ministries International (CMI) and Answers in Genesis. Check out their websites.

The Atomic Biology Institute presents the following video as a descriptive introduction to the book, “How We Are Amazingly Made” – by Dr. Jerry Bergman, Thomas W. Rogers, and Dr. Graham McClennan. Also as an introduction to the observable science of Atomic Biology featured in the book.

Evolution, by definition, having no intelligence, should now be officially out of the running as the taught cause of life.   In fact, those who are forced to continue teaching that evolution explains the origin and cause of life, are being forced to teach a lie.   This will become a growing problem for honest teachers, professors, and education leaders who do not want “Fallacy” to be their “Legacy.“

Another major factor is that because atoms have perpetual, controlled energy supplied, but not ‘Life,’ this has to be added in order for cells to live and function. Without the “breath of life,” cells could not live. Our forefathers understood by common sense, logic, and intuition that supernatural work is performed in creating humans and the food we eat.  This is why they gave credit to our Creator for His provision of food and His enormous careful works for each of us every day.

If man is not made in the image of God, nothing then stands in the way of inhumanity. If we are just products of chance and matter, then there is no purpose in history and nothing after death. This robs life of meaning and purpose beyond survival. British evolutionary biologist, and author of The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins (b. 1941) writes: Natural selection, the blind, unconscious, automatic process which Darwin discovered, and which we now know is the explanation for the existence and apparently purposeful form of life, has no purpose in mind … It has no vision, no foresight, no sight at all. If it can be said to play the role of a watchmaker in nature, it is the blind watchmaker.

No wonder we are seeing lawlessness on the increase. Jesus told us that prior to His second coming to earth to restore righteousness that lawlessness will abound and Christians would be persecuted.

“And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:12-14

Paul also tells us that we need to watch for the coming Man of Lawlessness, the Antichrist.

“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4