Man Created in the Image of God

Romans 1:19-20 “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”

We may come to know God by the things that are manifest in us and the things that are seen.  God may be invisible, but we can come to understand and know him by the tangible things we see and understand and things that are manifested in us. 

Romans 1:21-22 ” 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. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,” 

The invisible things of God and the things of God that are manifested in us and through us. But these things are hard to understand via the five senses.  Because the things of God are invisible, there easily comes the opportunity to get confused and think that the things that are manifest in us and the tangible understandable things ARE God rather than just a representation or image of the invisible.

The things of God are manifested in us and through us. But we need to correctly recognize what God is rather than imagine him as something he is not.  God is not carnal, but in order to come to understand God, we [being initially carnal in this world and sometimes limited by our five senses] need to see him by the help of the things that are manifested through us and by the help of the tangible things that are seen. But we should not see him AS those [carnal] things. The things that are manifested through us represent a type of allegory or representation of the invisible God. We once knew God, but now in the world of our five senses, we are actually in the dark.  But we think our five senses make us wise (fools in Romans 1:22), therefore our imaginations become vain (empty and foolish).

Romans 1:23&25 “And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things….Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”

The glory of God means and represents the judgment or opinion of God.  And we have the ability to obtain the same judgment and opinion of God. See the Psalms below that speak of judgment and the meaning of judgment.

Psalm 25:9 “The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.” Psalm 37:6 “And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.” Psalm 37:30 “The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.” Psalm 103:6 “The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.”  Psalm 106:3 Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.” Psalm 119:66 “Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.”

Romans 1:23-25 can be compared to the verses in Genesis 1:24-27 and day six of creation. We have the opportunity here in this world to come to know God through the things that are manifested through us. When we come to know God, we obtain the judgment or opinion of God. We gain good judgment skills and this is the “glory” of the incorruptible God.  However, because of our limited senses, carnal nature, and ego in this world; we imagine and create what we believe to be true, and in our “infinite wisdom” we create things that are actually foolishness. Our judgment (glory) is changed into a representation (image) that is corruptible; which is corruptible man the creature and natural creation.  We use our once pure judgment which is now deceived and foolish to change the glory of God into a corruptible image that is visible. The knowledge and judgment of God resided in us before we became ruled by our five senses in this world (i.e. the fall of Adam in the garden).  We create the images that are in this world and call it knowledge and wisdom, when really the image made as corruptible man (man of this world) is a creation of man to himself.  The wisdom of God corrupted into carnal man.  Let’s look at Genesis 1:25-27 a little closer to understand the image and look further into these statements.

Genesis 1:25-27 “And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 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.”

Spiritually interpreted, the man created in Genesis 1:27 appears to be “created” three times.  Notice, the word created is used three times. Man is “created” in his own image, in the image of God “created” he him, and then last, male and female “created” he them.  Three times is the word “created” used. If his is interpreted spiritually, man is created three times. The first time the word “created” is used, it says “so God created man in his image”.  This first time man was created, was he created in the image of God or the image of something else first? The subject is not clear.  And before this creation takes place, God says “let US” make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness. Who was God speaking to concerning the US?  There are many different ways this could be considered.  However, right after God made the beasts of the earth, the cattle, and things that creep, he said “let us” God make man in “our” image.  So man was either created in the image of more than one thing, or man was created in the image of God, but only after he was first made in the image of something else. Romans 1:23 says  “they became fools and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.”  They changed the opinion of God into an image made like to their selves, make like “corruptible man” birds, beasts and creeping things.  If there is a corruptible man is there also an uncorruptible man who is like the uncorruptible God?  And if so this uncorruptible man must be also invisible like the uncorruptible God.  But when our knowledge of God (Romans 1:21) or glory of God is changed into something corruptible our image is also corruptible.  The first man is one created in the image of corruptible man and beasts and creeping things or the “us“ in which man is created in the image of from Genesis 1:26.

1 Corinthians 15:43-49 “It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.   And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.”

There are two images which man bears; a natural body and a spiritual body, a living soul and a quickening spirit. We bear the image of the earthly and afterward we bear the image of the heavenly. Remember in Genesis 1:27, the word “created” is used three time. The first time man is created in his own image and the second time in the image of God.

The first man is the earthly image, the image of man himself with his natural eyes wide open and five senses doing their work (Genesis 3:5). This man made flesh as a natural man is also carnal man.   Natural man is the glory of God changed to an image made like to corruptible man, or Christ crucified in the flesh (Christ in the flesh a seed). Remember Romans 1:23 says they “knew God”, but that changed.  In the Garden man knew God, but that changed with the knowledge of the tree of good and evil which darkened their foolish hearts. “Professing themselves to be wise (tree of knowledge), they became fools” (Romans 1:22).  The first image in Genesis 1:27 is man created in the image of his foolish darkened heart, the image of the earthly, sown in weakness.

Romans 8:29 ” For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Colossians 1:15 “…Who is the image of the invisible God, the FIRSTBORN of every creature:”

“So God created man in his own image”, which is that first earthly image. This earthly image is changed and transformed into the image of his Son who IS the FIRSTBORN of every creature or every natural man. “In the image of God created he him…” This second creation of man in Genesis 1:27 is the firstborn of the creature where the creature is natural man.  The firstborn is the invisible spiritual image God gives us of his Son (Christ the image of God).   It is the resurrection of Christ in us where that resurrection gives us an image of hope, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).  Again, the risen Christ in us is hope, our hope of glory; where glory means judgment or opinion or God like understanding (i.e. God’s judgment). This second image in Genesis 1:27 is the image of hope, the hope of being a son of God. We are given a glimpse (image) of that understanding (glory) when Christ is risen [in us]. We are given a picture, an understanding of that hope, the hope of God’s judgment. See again the Psalms listed above on what God’s judgment means. Also see previous posts on Christ in you and Christ risen in us, and post on February 5, 2015 concerning Christ as the image of God within the male and female counterparts from 1Corintians 11.

John 3:3, 5-7,12-14 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.…Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.…If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:”

While the second man is given the image of the Spirit, the image of God, an image of the invisible. God does manifest in the first man and in doing so changes the image of the first man to the image of God (Christ risen).  The first man (natural man) manifests the concepts of God, and those concepts that we manifest in the natural are there to help us understand God, who is spiritual.  But we must come to understand this or we remain in natural man, stage 1 (Christ crucified), rather than being given the image of God, stage 2 (Christ risen). And when we remain in the natural man we remain carnally minded.

2 Corinthians 3:18 ” But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Galatians 4:23 “But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.”

Being born of flesh (first man, first image, natural man) is more than just being born into this world.  It is being born into a carnal mind. It is the fulfilling of the carnal mind and of carnal fleshly man, the image of the earthly which gives us an image and picture of God who is also carnal. But God is not carnal, he is invisible. However, being born again, made in and given the image of God (second man, second image, spiritual man), who is yet still in the sixth day man, does not guarantee our entrance into rest. It gives us a picture of that rest, but that rest still must be obtained. The second image created in Genesis 1:27 is still JUST an image of our hope. It is a message, and plan, a road map to our rest, day seven. It gives us that hope, but there is still the waiting for day seven, our rest.  “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” (Romans 8:23). “But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.” (1Corinthians 15:23.)  There still remains something to be gained AFTER Christ the firstfruits. There remains a rest after the Christ, the firstborn of every creature, is revealed, after the image is given to us (Colossians 1:15).

Hebrews 4:1,3-6, 8-11 “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.“

The promise of rest is the same thing as the hope of glory (judgment).  It is a promise, it is a picture of something we wait for. The first image or second image of God, does not automatically give us that rest.  Jesus does not automatically give us that rest. We still have to “labour” to enter in. We have to work to enter into that rest and fulfill the coming of his Kingdom, which work also represents of the six days of God’s work, our work which ends in rest.  We work, as God works, to fulfill the man of rest, the end of the sixth day man.

Revelation 13:14-15 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”

When we fail to recognize God as he is [and who we truly are], an invisible Spirit, whose glory is not physical man or anything the carnal mind can conjure up, we continue making an image to the “beast”, rather than fulfilling Christ and the transformation of the image of God [from glory to glory].  When we focus on our works of the flesh, rather than “work” to end our work (rest), we are stuck in the sixth day man rather than continuing to move towards the seventh day of God’s rest.  The third created man of Genesis represents the fulfilling of the creation of a man, who becomes a new creation (new man) who can move on to the rest of God.

Revelation 13:18 “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” 

There is numerical meaning in the number six (x3), and sixth day of creation and the images that are displayed through man.