Made in His Image

Genesis 1:27, So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female.  And He is happy with the results in Genesis 1:31, And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.  It was the breathing into Adam's nostrils the breath of life in Genesis 2:7  that gave us humans a soul or spirit similar to God's.  This soul sets us apart from the animal world that God gave us dominion over in Genesis 1:28.  

This likeness in image allows us to communicate with God in prayer.  And while we don't have His characteristics of omnipresence (always everywhere) and omniscience (all knowing), we all have God's moral, spiritual and intellectual nature.  The more sin we encounter, the less holy (like God) our character, and the more distorted our image.  But we cannot lose our image no matter how broken we are.  And because we always have our image of God (our spirit/soul), we can be redeemed or reclaimed by God.  This is why God sent His Son Jesus.

Look at the parallels between a human parent and their child, and God the Father and all the children of the human race.

·       Like a child to a mortal parent, a follower of God still longs to be in His presence even when he feels struck down at the hands of God.  You hear heartbreaking stories of how children cling to very abusive parents simply because they are their parents.  The tougher my circumstances, the more I cling to God.  I may yell at Him for allowing things to happen and question Him as to why my Jesus worthy prayers are not being answered, but while doing so, I am grasping onto Him and His promises.

·       Parents don’t hate their babies when they fill their diapers. Good parents, most of whom do not soil their own pants, are wiser and greater than that.  They cannot relate to living in poopy pants, but recognize their babies cannot help it.  If God were little, he would despise us because we are little; if He were weak he would hate us because we are weak; if He lied he would have nothing to do with us because of our deceit.  The greatness of God is the reason why He despises no one.  He is so great because He is flawless, and our flaw filled lives are not what He considers most significant about each and every one of us. 

·       Like a loving parent, it devastated God seeing Israel suffer for sins they brought on themselves throughout the Old Testament.  His message was always the same, "Worship only me and do what I tell you to do."  He deals with us gentiles the same way.  We human parents, made in God’s image, call this “tough love”, refusing to bail out a child making the same mistakes over and over again.

·       Like God, a good parent’s reprimand must be combined with teaching and explanation.  God spoke directly to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; through the prophets; and to the rest of us through Jesus Christ, all of which we learn about in the Bible.

·       A loving parent shows grace, gentleness, forgiveness and longsuffering with their children as God does with us.  Children who grow up without this become discouraged, feeling like the whole world is against them because they feel their parents are against them.

·       Do you know any loving parent that will not help their child when they are clinging to them for guidance and assistance?  God never turns His back on anyone who chooses to come to Him.

The only instance that I don’t see this parent/child comparison is when it comes to pushing our kids out of the nest.  Human parents typically want our children to figure things out and learn to be independent, only coming to them when they need guidance.  God the Father always wants us to lean on Him, not ourselves, and to go to Him with everything.  Holy human parents push their kids to be self-sufficient from them, but always reliant on God.  For God the Father, self-sufficiency from Him has led to demise ever since the fall of Adam and Eve.  We can live Godly lives without our human parents. But we cannot do so without our God the Father.  Living independently of God is the greatest human sin.

I recently attended a seminar where Rabbi Chaim Eisen asked, “Do you believe your life has intrinsic meaning?” Do you believe you are internally wired to accomplish specific things in life?"  He pointed out that a theist (believer in God or gods) and an atheist would answer this question very differently.

 According the the Rabbi, a believer says “Yes! I am made in God’s image and designed to know, love, and obey His word so that I see and live out the life He has for me."  An atheist says “No!  Life offers passing pleasures that I will appreciate as much as possible as this is all there is.  And by dismissing the  existence of God, a nonbeliever is not likely to realize the purpose for which he was created since God’s love is ignored."

Jesus taught scripture, highlighted vital lessons with parables, performed a few miracles and then invited Jew and Gentile to receive or reject Him.  Never does Jesus force people to believe.  He wants our willing commitment to Him.  Throughout the gospel, we see Jesus invite, never coerce.  Rev. 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock”, Jesus says at the close of Scripture.  “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”  

And aren't we made in this same image?  Would you want to go out to dinner with someone who constantly ridicules your life choices?  What about with someone who questions the existence of God but truly wants to learn more?  Most of us choose to dine with those who are welcoming, interested in sharing their thoughts and listening to ours. We know when to "shake off our sandals and leave" (Matthew 10:14) and when to dine with the fellow sinner and share (Matthew 9:10-13).