Be not conformed to this world: but be ye ransformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.            Romans 12:2
Fellow Believers,

When man was first made in the image of God, he must have had some special Godlike characteristics. What were they and how can they, having been corrupted by sin, become Godlike again?

Our physical body, though unique, does not have the likeness of God. The Bible says in I Corinthians 15 that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and in I John 3 that we shall be like Jesus when we see Him as He is when He appears. In other words, only on the last day, when we receive our immortal, spiritual body, shall we begin to look like Christ.

Rather, I think man was made in the image of God in the sense that we, like God, have a soul, a heart and a mind.

God describes Himself as having a soul. Speaking of Jesus, God says, "Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles" (Matt. 12:18). Of all living things, we humans alone have a soul. When an animal or a plant dies, it ceases to exist. But our soul does not die with our body. For most people, it will spend eternity in hell. But if we have become a child of God, it lives eternally in heaven.

God also speaks of Himself as having a heartnot a physical heart, to be sure, but a heart that stands for underlying character and emotions. Look at this prophetic passage about Christ, "I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come" (Isaiah 63:3,4).

Having inherited a sinful nature from our first parents, sadly, our heart, unlike the original one in Adam, is desperately wicked. But when God saves us, He gives us a new heart (Eze. 36:26). It is this new heart that causes true believers to have an ongoing deisre to do the will of God.

Finally, man was made in the likeness of God in that he was given a mind to think and reason. God never has anything bad in His mind, though. He once said, "They have built also the high places of Baalwhich I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind" (Jer. 19:5).

Again, because of sin, our mind has been corrupted by the world. But with God's help, we can renew our mind and transform ourselves to be more like Christ. The wonderful thing is: when we do so, we ourselves will be able to experience the good and perfect plan that God has willed for our lives.
 

Tom Holt, Editor

 
First Quarter, 1998

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