THE IMAGE OF GOD

God created mankind in His own image (Genesis 1:27). To be in the image and likeness of God is to have similarity and be a concrete representation of God. Yet, it does not mean that we possess some physical identifying attribute of God. God is spirit (John 4:24). A spirit does not have flesh and bones (Luke 24:39). What exactly does it mean to be in the image and likeness of God?

To have been created in the image and likeness of God means to have been created with the capacity to speak good words and perform good works. Let's walk the trail to this understanding. Jesus provides our best opportunity for understanding concepts of God. It is Jesus who explains God to us and for us, "No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him" (John 1:18). The word "explained" is our English word "exegesis", which literally means to lead out. Therefore, Jesus leads God out from behind the curtain of invisibility into full view. That's why Jesus Himself is said to be "the image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15). Jesus will explain the image of God for us.

By listening to His conversation with Philip, we can learn about this image. When Philip asked to be shown the Father, "Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?" (John 14:9). Jesus then proceeded to talk about the words that He spoke and the works that He did. Jesus is in the image of God. Yet, He wrapped His identity within His words and His works. His identity image was and is His words and His works. Why combine words and works? From the beginning God did His works through His words. Time and time again He said, "Let there be" and "there was" (Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26). Jesus did His works through His words. Jesus said to the demons that inhabited the man in the synagogue in Capernaum, "come out of him" and they came (Mark 1:25). He said to the wind of the sea of Galilee, "be still" and the wind died down (Mark 4:39). God has created us in His image. He has created us to behave like He and His Son. He created us with the capacity to speak good words and perform good works through the speaking of good words. It is worthy of note that when the apostle Paul reminded believers of their new self, which is created in the likeness of God, he talked most about their speech (Ephesians 4:24-32, Colossians 3:8-10).