In His Image

"So God created man in His own image,
in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them."

(Genesis 1:27, ESV)

What does that mean?

Does it mean we bear His glory? We are mind, body and spirit? We were made to look like Him? The Hebrew word for 'image' is 'tselem.' It means, "form, likeness, statue, model, drawing, shadow." Is the writer using this term literally or figuratively? 

This is a topic we've been talking about in a weekly Bible study. We sort of wrestled through what it actually means and pretty much agreed that we are representatives of God. Made in His image, every single human being was made to represent who He is. Hm.

So then I read this...

Dr. John Gottman, renowned psychologist [also Jewish] writes,

"The more I learn about children, the more I believe that the natural course of human development is [me: or was intended to be] an incredibly positive force. By this, I mean that children's brains are naturally wired to seek security and love, knowledge, and understanding. [me: It's how God made us!] Your child wants to be affectionate and altruistic. She wants to explore the environment, and find out what causes lightening, what's inside a dog. He wants to know what is right and good, what is bad and evil. She wants to know about dangers in the world and how to avoid them. He wants very much to do the right thing, to become increasingly strong and capable. Your child wants to be the kind of person you will admire and love." (Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child, p. 127)

How can all that be true when we are inherently evil? Unless...we're not. Being made in the image of God, we inherently reflect His glory. BUT... we are born in sin. In fact, many of us were even conceived in sin.

I've seen, in my own children and in the tenderness of my grandchildren, the truth of what Dr. Gottman is saying. I've seen this in the students I've counseled over the past few years, too. A deep desire for what is good and true. A sense of justice. Though they may not know how to put it into words or into action, there is no denying that it is there. 

But I have also seen the truth of James' admonition when he says, "What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?..." (James 4:1, ff)

Could it be that "yin and yang" are true? There is good in every evil and evil in every goodness? There is light in every darkness and darkness in every light? Well, not exactly. But, maybe there is something to it.

The apostle Paul says, "For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep doing." You can read Romans 7:13-25 for more on the struggle Paul (and each of us have) experienced between good and evil in the human spirit. Paul says, "Surely there is nothing good in me - in my flesh, that is!"

The psalmist says, "Surely I was sinful at birth." (Psalm 51:5, NIV)

Each of us bears God's image. But each of us is tainted by sin. What is the remedy? Jesus Christ, our Savior. We will continue to wrestle - the spirit and the flesh. But there is hope.

What if Gottman's assessment is true? And that he is describing the essence of our having been made in God's image; but that, having been born in sin (sinful at birth), we struggle with our willful disobedience until we finally surrender to God's redemptive plan for us, through faith in Jesus Christ? "None of us is good, no not one." (Paul quotes the psalmist in Romans 3:10.) But we're not all bad. Even in Christ, we continue to struggle. Having been justified in Him, though, those of us who have received Him now have the Holy Spirit to help us fulfill His image - His glory - in us.

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4, ESV)

inherently good vs. inherently evil?

surely i was sinful from birth.

there is no one good - no not one.

but, I am made in His image,

created to reflect His glory.

in Christ, I can be

all that He intended me to be -

and the same is true for you.



Post Script:
So, this continues to gnaw at me. It is complicated, yet simple. We are, in fact, evil by nature. (Our human nature - born in sin.) Jesus said it himself... "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" (Mt. 7:11) And, somehow, we have a capacity to do good things. (Reflecting the nature of God.) It's humbling, really. ❤

Forever

(This post was drafted in August of 2016.)

When I die and go to heaven, as a believer in Christ, will I have a body that is forever young?

Forever strong?

Forever fit?

What is a "glorified" body?

Being glorified really has little to do with the shape or condition of the bodies in which we live, and has everything to do with the One who made them.

Originally, we were not made to wear out. [Or were we?] Sin changed our original condition. When Adam and Eve chose to disregard "trust" in favor of the knowledge of good and evil; sickness, disease and dysfunction became the norm for our physical (and emotional) condition. One day, though, we will be raised imperishable. That is, if we die in Christ. (1Cor. 15:42-52)

In the Old Testament, there are three Hebrew words translated "glorified."

• kabad/kabed (3513) - to be heavy, weighty, burdensome (Spoken of God.)
• paar (6286) - to beautify, glorify (Spoken of God or His people.)
• hadar (1922) - to glorify (When Belshazzar was rebuked for not giving honor to God.)

In the Greek (New Testament), there are also three words translated "glorified," used 2 1/2 times more in the New Testament than in the Old. (23/9)  

• doxazo (1392) - to render or esteem glorious
• sundoxazo (4888) - to join in appraising; hence, to glorify together
• endoxazo (1740) - to glorify; held in honor; glorious

There are a couple more definitions that will help to give a more rounded understanding of what we're talking about here, since these words are also used in the Greek definitions.

• glorify - to cause or treat to be more splendid, excellent; to honor with praise, admiration or worship
• glorious - delightful, wonderful; full of glory; entitled to great renown; brilliantly beautiful or magnificent

Such great words! Now let's get to the Word.

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'  Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37-39, italics added)

Wait. What? Wasn't He God? Why wasn't He glorified? Because He had not yet gone to the cross. You probably already knew this, so let's keep going.

His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done by him. (John 12:16)

And Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (John 12:23-24)

"Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say, 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." (John 12: 27-28)

(More great context in chapters 13-15 and 17 of John. Also, Acts 3:13; 11:18; 2 Thessalonians 1:10-12 and 1 Peter 4:11. But, for now, let's jump to Romans, chapter 8.)

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. 

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is not seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is in the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans, 8:16-30)

So, what's that all about?? It starts with this: Giving glory to God is ascribing to Him His full recognition. While Jesus was in a flesh suit - intentionally condescended to man -  we could not ascribe to Him His full recognition - He could not be glorified. That was all part of the plan. The plan was for him to suffer and die, to sympathize with our weaknesses AND THEN, to be glorified - to be attributed His true and complete character and nature. We, too, are in a state that is less than God had intended for us. One day, we will be restored.  For now, we have been redeemed. The glory that is referred to in the New Testament, is doxa (1391), which means opinion, and is "always good in the NT" (J. Strong). In verse 21 of Romans 8, where it says, "the glory of the children of God," Paul is referring to "the ideal condition in which God created man" (S. Zhodiates) - the good opinion attributed to us by God, in the beginning.

In the Garden, God walked with Adam. Adam heard His footsteps when he had hid with his wife after they had sinned. These were very real physical attributes. We do not know, with our small human minds, what it's all going to look like later, but if we are in Christ, we can be assured of this...

Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. ~1John 3:2

And I was reminded recently that this, too, is important...

Nothing that has not been put to death will ever be raised to life. ~C.S. Lewis

May I be found faithful when He comes to take me to my forever home in my forever, imperishable, glorified body.

God's Good, Pleasing and Perfect Will

"Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what the Lord's will is - His good, pleasing, and perfect will." Romans 12:2

I have a dream. How much energy should I expend in making it a reality? Should I promote it actively or wait for it to begin to promote itself? I have an education and certifications to obtain - in what order should I put my priorities? It seems like the Lord is tugging at my heart - but I just don't know. Help! (These were some of my thoughts in May of 2013.)

This morning I came to an interesting realization. Well, maybe it's been happening over the last little while. (I love how the Lord works.) I realized that I'm unable to successfully and confidently determine what the Lord's will is. The reason for this inability - and here's the realization - is that I've allowed myself to conform in various ways to the pattern of the world in which I'm living. That's when He reminded me of the verse above, Romans 12. As He did, I began to see glimpses of the reality that is yet to come - His will. (?) He has a good, pleasing, and perfect will. As I'm being conformed to His image - transforming my thoughts and actions - I can start to see (and do) His will.

One step at a time, walking in obedience to a living, loving and holy God, I will see His will fulfilled.

Defensive? Who, me?

"As human beings we ARE defensive. But when we feel unsafe and attacked, it usually gets worse. " ~Leslie Vernick

I never thought of it like that. I know we get (more) defensive when we feel unsafe and attacked, but the first part got me. The question I asked was, "Why? Why ARE we defensive as humans?"

The answer is: Because we are guilty.

Guilty of what?

We are "GUILTY" before a living, loving, holy God. The prophet Isaiah recognized this immediately as he stood as a witness in God's throne room: "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filled the temple." (Is. 6:1) In response, Isaiah, who was relatively good in the midst of his culture, cried out, "Woe is me! For I am lost: for I am a man of unclean lips... my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" (Is. 6:5) We are guilty of all that He is not. That is, sin.

Thus, we ARE defensive. We are in a defensive position before a holy and mighty God.

In Christ, though, we are declared innocent. Jesus Christ IS our defense.

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit, alive in Christ Jesus, has set you free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:1-2)

So, what does that mean?

If you trust Jesus, you don't have to stand in defense of your sin. Through the Holy Spirit, you are being convicted of sin, and repenting of sin, and living in freedom from the bondage of sin. 1John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." We don't defend our sin, we forsake it!

Defensive-ness is the response of someone who is insecure in their standing... before God, before men. Whether it is true guilt we are feeling, or something unjustly imposed on us by someone seeking to gain authority and power over us, we need to deal with it. - Are you guilty? Admit it. If someone is unjustly accusing you, say so. Your defensiveness is understandable, but not helpful.

In Christ, we have a sure foundation.

"God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from sin." (2Tim. 2:19)

Where do you stand?

Parenting and the Gospel

(from Aug, 2011)

I met with a young single mom today.  She had two children, ages 2 and 5, with her.  She had her hands full!  After we left one another, I was thinking of how well a particular scenario demonstrated our need for a Savior, as well as our human condition.

At one point,  I set myself as an authority over her 5yo son.  He was full of energy, and would disrupt our conversation, without reservation.  I called him to me, and explained that he was in "my" room, so he would need to follow my rules.  I told him to sit in a big chair, and so he sat.  As he sat there, he recognized that I wasn't the only authority in the room.  He got up, and "appealed" to what he saw as a "higher" authority... His mom.  And, perhaps, she is.  God has set his mother as the highest human authority in her son's life (as well as her daughter's).  Although their father ultimately holds that place, she is the guardian for the majority of their lives.  She is the one who is constant, so it's her authority that matters most.  So... her son gets out of the chair, and he stands in front of her.  "You're the boss," he says.  Not with his voice, but with his eyes.  He's also saying, "Do I have to listen to her?" and  "What are you going to do?"  She doesn't do anything.  She's trying to have a conversation, and ignoring him seems to be the best response.  Eventually, he figures out that neither of us is the boss, but that he gets to make the rules.

Isn't that what we do with God?  Before I gave my life over to Him, that's exactly what I did.  And, even now, I sometimes catch myself being tempted by those types of thought patterns.  I'm told to do this, and I'd rather do that.  So I need a Savior... just as much as that little boy needs a Mommy.  I need Someone to explain to me how dangerous life is without a loving Parent.  I need to know I can trust Him to provide for me... not just food and clothing and shelter... but discipline, too.  Because without loving rules and boundaries, my life is in danger - with painful consequences.  If I am willing to live under the proper authority, I can experience true joy and happiness.  I can rest, knowing that my basic needs, and even most of my desires will be met.  That's why I need Jesus.  He's a good and loving Guardian... my Shepherd, actually.  (Read Psalm 23!)

I'm so thankful to that precious mom, and her little boy!  The time we spent this afternoon was good for me.  None of us is exempt from lessons to be learned in the course of our lives... least of all, me.