Genesis 1 (Created in God’s Image)
The Bible says God created people “in his image.” This means:
- People are not like God. We are created, while he is not. We depend on him and must trust and obey him as our King.
- People also are like God. We’re made in his image.
- We have similar abilities to those God displays in the creation story (to think, decide, act and create).
- We have a similar job (to be in charge of creation).
- And just as God is good and made all things good, people were created to reflect his goodness and holiness.
That final point didn’t last. When people sinned, they lost their goodness and holiness. Their hearts became evil. We are no longer able to do good unless God acts and changes us. All of us are sinful. We all fall short of the glory meant for us as people made in God’s image (Romans 3:23).
But there is one man who’s a perfect image bearer—Jesus, “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). Jesus perfectly trusts and obeys the Father. He is perfectly good. And he took the punishment we deserve for being bad.
Now if God changes us so that we believe in Jesus, we get created again. Ephesians 4:24 tells us to “put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
In Jesus we are good image bearers again. We are holy again. And we are able again to do what is right; to have the honor of obeying and trusting our Creator King.
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