Created In God's Image

By David J. Stewart

James 3:9, “Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.”

       The Word of God (the Bible) proclaims that God created mankind IN HIS OWN IMAGE. My heart cannot express in words how awed I am at the very thought of being created in the image of God. What a precious and heart-warming truth! Genesis 1:26-27, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

God exists in the three distinct and individual Persons of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20; Colossians 2:2). This is the Biblical doctrine of the Godhead (or Trinity). The Doctrine Of God The Father (Dr. Jeff Owens). There is only ONE God (Deuteronomy 6:4), but He exists in three Persons.

Likewise, God created humanity in the threefold form of spirit, soul and body (1st Thessalonians 5:23, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” God created the human soul with a mind, heart and spirit. People often mention body, soul and spirit, but the Bible lists the spirit first in order, because a person's spirit is who they really are. When our body decays, breaks down and diminishes until it is no longer able to house the soul and spirit, our earthly life ends. Hence, one's true life exists in the spirit and soul. Hebrews 4:12 teaches that the Word of God can discern our intentions, piercing even to the dividing asunder of our soul and spirit. No other person or thing in the world can boast of such a claim. The Bible is the owner's manual, if you please, of humanity. When all else fails, read the instructions!!!

We were all created in God's image, having feelings just like God. The Lord becomes grieved when we gossip, slander and fight with one another (which has become epidemic on the internet)...

Ephesians 4:29-32, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”

Gossip is corrupt communication, which accomplishes nothing. Gossip grieves God. We are sealed as born-again believers with God's Holy Spirit. Amen! Since God's Spirit cannot die, neither can our spirit die once we are born anew of God's Spirit. It is absolutely IMPOSSIBLE for any Christian to ever lose God's Spirit. Salvation cannot be lost. If saved, always saved!

I shutter in horror when I see war documentaries, one country after another, millions-upon-millions of soldiers and civilians killed by war. War is so stupid, needless, selfish and typical of the wickedness of mankind. For the same reason that neighbors rise up against neighbors, nations rise up against nations, that is, PRIDE! Proverbs 13:10, “Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.” ONLY BY PRIDE COMETH CONTENTION! Only by pride does divorce happen. Only by pride comes wars. Only by pride comes lawsuits. Only by pride churches are split. Only by pride are families divided. Only by sinful pride do these things happen. Each and every individual human being is made in God's image. There's nothing more tragic than one man killing another. God created us in His own image, loving us beyond comprehension, giving His only begotten Son to die for our sins.

God not only forms us in our mother's womb (Jeremiah 1:5), but He also makes us in His very own image. God spoke the universe into existence, but He FORMED mankind with His own hands from the dust (elements) of the earth (Genesis 2:7). What is humanity? We are the mere dirt of the earth. We are composed of what our parents ate while we were growing in the womb, and everything we've eaten and drank since. We are what we eat! Scary, huh? Think about how amazing that is! The incredible human body exists of various elements from the ground. What makes one seed grow into a carrot, and another into a watermelon, and another seed into corn, and yet another into a tall sunflower? It is DNA, the building blocks of all life and mass in the universe. Mankind is just beginning to discover the incredible world of DNA and mind-boggling discoveries are in the near future if the Lord tarries His return. Synthetic Biology Will Dominate The Future (there are now 5,000 new genetically engineered things).

Years ago I planted a bunch of sunflowers and the squirrels figured out how to chew the inch-thick plant shaft right below the 12-inch-wide sunflower. When it fell about 6-feet to the ground they ate it. Since I love squirrels I was happy to know that my sunflowers fed them and made them happy. I only grew them for their beauty, and was glad to see them go to good use to feed some hungry squirrels. God is so awesome and amazing, greatly to be praised for His wondrous works!!! Oh! How we ought to praise God continually for His blessings and goodness, and for His mercy and the gift of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ!!! Amen and amen!

It is very true that 5-minutes of praise will do more for a person than a lifetime of criticism. Just a few kind words of encouragement and praise from a righteous man accomplish more good than everything the corrupt and evil newspapers and newsmedia accomplish during their entire miserable lives. I'd hate to make a career out of spreading manure and utterly destroying people's lives. Newspaper publishers destroy people's lives without being held accountable for the lives they destroy. Oftentimes information that newspapers publish is later found untrue, but the damage is done for life.

God created man in His image, desiring for men to become born-again by His Spirit. Literally, God wants to live within us, as our Friend and Companion for eternity. I am humbled every time I stop and think that God in His sovereign plan chose to live within my body as His child (1st Corinthians 3:17-18; Romans 8:9). Our physical body is the temporary tabernacle (tent) of our spirit and soul. Being a Christian doesn't make life easier, but it makes life better because we have the Lord's presence and promises in His Word to guide, comfort and instruct us. Without the Lord Jesus people can become monsters! Unsaved people don't have the Spirit of God living in them and are capable of unthinkable evils.

Sadly, even believers sometimes commit horrible sins because we are still in the flesh. David commit adultery and murder, the man after God's own heart. David had gone astray. Ah, but listen to David's precious words in Psalms 119:67 and 71, “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word. ... It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” Afflictions are good for humans. Some people quit and take the easy way out by committing suicide, but the Lord allows us to be afflicted for our own good. The Bible promises that God will never lay more burdens upon our shoulders than we can handle (1st Corinthians 10:13). Nor will the Lord ever leave us (Hebrews 13:5).

Jesus warned that people will be held accountable for their words, both spoken and printed (Matthew 12:36). Proverbs 24:12 teaches that God knows men's thoughts and will judge them accordingly, making it impossible for people to shift the blame, make excuses and lie to the Lord. God sees all (Hebrews 4:13). Proverbs 24:12, “If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?” God is the KEEPER of each and every human's soul. That ought to be a frightening thought if you've never received the gospel of Jesus Christ as payment for your sins.

God deserves our praise. Notice carefully in the Lord's prayer that the first thing Jesus taught His disciples to pray is “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed by thy name” (Luke 11:2). Before we pray (ask) for our daily needs, or for forgiveness (even as we forgive others who trespass against us), we are taught to brag on the Lord's precious name, for He is worthy. God desires our praises. There are 86,400 seconds in a day. Do we praise God and thank Him with even one of those seconds? God is our Creator. Sadly, most people never thank God for anything, even denying His existence.

Even nature itself proclaims God's existence, power and Godhead (Romans 1:20). Psalms 19:1-3 teaches that the heavens (plural, meaning the universe around us) declares the glory (goodness) of God. Romans 1:21, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” The wicked refuse to acknowledge God's presence and power. They are not thankful. They are ingrates, like Shakira and Kesha and Lady Gaga. Luke 6:35 says that God is kind to the evil and the unthankful. Oh! How longsuffering and merciful is our God!

It's our differences as humans that cause conflicts. No matter how different a person is, or weird in our opinion, or contemptible, or whatever, we ought to view that person as someone for whom Jesus Christ was willing to die on the cross. God loves everyone, even if we don't. No one should ever make fun of others, nor say mean things like “Duh!” when someone mixes up their words or says something that we think is silly. The heathen world puts other down, insulting each other, cutting each other down with their harsh words. Hollywood glamorizes such insulting communication, teaching people to be jerks instead of doing as God commanded in Ephesians 4:32, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” The unsaved world thinks that kindness is weakness, so they are cruel, harsh and mean instead, thinking it is the way to act. The Bible says that the wicked think they are being merciful when in reality they are being cruel (Proverbs 12:10). We were all created in God's image and should love, respect and treat one another as we would like to be treated. This is The Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12).

My heart's main desire for the readers of this article (apart from getting saved of course, if you're not) is that you would realize God's need and desire to be praised by YOU individually. If even one human being fails to praise God, there is a missing place at the table. God NEVER creates anyone to go to Hell. God in His foreknowledge knows who will go to Hell forever, but it is only by their OWN choice and not God's doing. Man is NOT CHOSEN TO SALVATION. The Bible says that God created Hell for the Devil and His angels. It is interesting that the Bible calls the fallen angels “his (Satan's) angels” (Matthew 25:41). Those wicked angels chose to follow Satan, just as most humans do. They are now the Devil's angels. If you want to follow the Devil too, then that is YOUR decision, but you will forfeit the eternal love, generosity (Romans 8:32) and awesome fellowship with a great King, Lord, Friend, God and Savior... JESUS CHRIST!

When we pray as Christians, we ought to always begin by bragging on God. Praise is bragging on God for what He does. Worship is bragging on God for Who He is. If we fail to brag on God, it is only because we have become sinfully proud and aren't thankful for the blessings of God in our life. Oh! God deserves our sincerest heartfelt love, admiration and continual praise. Did you ever stop to realize that God created all the amazing animals, fish, birds, insects, nature, colorful sunsets, galaxies and wonders of creation to impress us with His handiwork? Science is the discovery of God's handiwork. Yet, it is so tragic that most people have their heads buried in man's concrete jungles and steel cities, following the materialistic lusts of the heathen world. Most people cannot see the forest for the trees, blinded to the beautiful spiritual world that exists only by faith in the Word of God.

According to 1st Corinthians 2:14, the natural (unsaved) person CANNOT discern spiritual things. There is nothing more wonderful than discovering the handiwork of God's universe in view of the inspired Words of God in the Bible, having God's Holy Spirit living within my heart as a born-again believer. God's Spirit bears witness with my spirit that I am His child. Romans 8:16, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” I am not only created in God's awesome image, but as a born-again Christian I have God's Holy Spirit indwelling my body as His adopted child. Thank you Lord Jesus, for you are so precious and greatly to be praised as my God, my King and my Savior.

1st Peter 2:7, “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious...”

Five minutes of praise will do more for a person than a lifetime of criticism.