Made in The Image of God
People today are trying to hang on to the dignity of man, but they do not know how to, because they have lost the truth that man is made in the image of God. Francis A. Schaeffer
We have the natural propensity to be image bearers. As image bearers, we reflect our upbringing, our ideologies - religious, political or social. We reflect those whom we follow, albeit on social media or in real life. The image we bear will be reflected in our thoughts, speech, and behaviour.
We have all been created by our creator God in His own image (Genesis 1:27). We are created to reflect who He is in what we do, say, feel or think. However, when Adam and Eve rebelled in the Garden of Eden, we, their descendants, continued to bear the brunt of their rebellion, their sinful nature. But praise the Lord, there is restoration through Jesus Christ! When Jesus died on the cross, he set us free from sin and shame. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we put on the new self so that we can be conformed to His image (Colossians 3:10). In Colossians 3:5–14, Paul tells us to firstly put off our old sinful nature and to put on our new self – to put on compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. We are to bear with one another and forgive one another. Above all, he says we are to put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. This new self, he says, is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Become Image Bearers
Becoming God’s image bearer is an ongoing process of growing in the knowledge of who God is, so that we can put on the things that reflect His nature to others and glorify Him.
Becoming God’s image bearers is not something we can do in our own strength and wisdom. We need the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit, to guide us and to convict us of our sinful nature. (John 16:8). Galatians 5: 22-24 (ESV) says,
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
When we walk in step with the Holy Spirit, we will bear the fruit of the Spirit. We will reflect the image of God and display His character to others.
We can also reflect God’s image when we know what God says in His Holy Scriptures, His Word. The Word is the moral and ethical compass that points us to Jesus Christ, who is our supreme example. When we model our character on Jesus, we look through His lens of love and grace and not the lens of popular culture. Popular culture says, “Do what appeases the flesh.” The Word says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit” (Philippians 2:3-4) When our devotion is to God, and not the world, we will do what we were created to do - reflect the perfect image of God.
I would like to invite you to reflect on being a bearer of His image. To display His image so that others will be drawn to Christ in you. You will be amazed to see how the atmosphere changes in the spaces you find yourself in when you are intentional about this.
Reflection
Have you thought about the importance of being God’s image bearer? Think about what you can do to be His image bearer today. Think about the fruit of the Spirit that you can display to others today.
Prayer
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for showing me how to bear the image of God. Thank You for showing me how to love others and extend grace to them. Help me to walk in step with Your Holy Spirit and display the fruit of the Spirit to others so that You can be glorified through me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
