So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27
Notes
When God created mankind he put them in charge of all His creation. He even separated man and woman from animals by making them in His image. Therefore, each human being carries an essence of the divine. In this position, we are God’s representative beings. Created out of God’s own hands, it is through us that His work is accomplished. We are the instruments of God’s divine purpose, but when we act in godly ways we go beyond just instruments. When we are living a life concentrated on the glory of God and act accordingly we are not just images, we become more to His likeness. We are given the best personification of this dual concept of man in Jesus Christ. Wholly man and Wholly God, Jesus showed us how men and women can be representatives of God the Father and act in accordance to the Law and the Gospel.
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
Genesis 1:26
In the verse just before vs. 27, there is the plural form in the creation of man. This imagery is of the Trinity. We are created body, spirit and soul in the image of God—God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Those three aspects work in wonderful unison together. But with the introduction of sin in man what should not have been separated was broken. With sin we find ourselves struggling to piece the three parts back together. What do these three parts look like?
BODY
God took the dust of the earth to make man. We are made of natural elements and therefore are able to live in the natural world. The dust gave us human form or else we would have just been a spirit and soul within nothing solid keeping us together. As image bearers in the natural world, our purpose has been to be the vessel through which God could do his mighty work. God appointed the man and the woman to rule over all living things and act as caretakers. Being made like God, they knew how to care for his creation and rule justly and wisely. When sin crept into the world, man’s intentions shifted to more selfish impulses and less about God’s divine purpose.
For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
Romans 6:6-7
A sinful man who struggles with looking at himself as a god looks to his own desires and purpose. The body in its natural form is a being that will lead to darkness. Death is the only conclusion of the human body. With the fulfillment of the Law, the physical manifestation of God in Jesus Christ the darkness of the body can be redeemed. We are called to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, putting aside the darkness of our beings and allowing ourselves to be transformed.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:1-2
SPIRIT
When God breathed into man He breathed into him ‘the breath of life,’ he breathed into him the spirit. This inward part is our way to contact God, connect with God and receive God. The spirit was built into man so that he could worship God, be revived by God, and join God in a living union destined to fulfill His purpose. This spirit of life keeps us alive, but the Holy Spirit is our true connection to God the Father.
Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Genesis 2:7
The transformation from our sinful nature to looking to God’s purpose does not happen until the gift of grace is accepted and the Holy Spirit dwells in us. This does not mean that troubles and suffering will become nonexistent once this invitation is accepted. The laws of nature still function as they always have. It means an intentional separation of worldly aspirations and a refocused concentration on the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
Romans 7:5-6
SOUL
Man is a tripartite being, and the body and the spirit cannot be complete without the soul. Man has intellect, a moral nature and the ability of complex communication. The soul is the seat of feelings, yearnings and affections. Even deeper, man’s soul is his very self.
And what is the purpose of the soul in complete union with the body and the spirit? As it was in the beginning the purpose is to walk in relationship and communication with God. It is the link between our bodily form and our spiritual self. With the soul, we are to know ourselves and know God on a deep, personal level. Each soul has the challenge of being guided by the material world or being led by the Holy Spirit. The battleground is in the soul. We each have to decide who we are and which guide we will follow
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
In a broken world, it would be impossible to fully put all the pieces back together, especially on our own. That is why the transformation from our old life to the new is important. Those who strive to be closer to God in body, spirit and soul appear more and more in His likeness. The restoration begins by recognizing and believing in the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. What follows is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and our soul being nurtured by truth and Godly love. Our coming to faith is only the first step. Growing closer and closer to His likeness comes from daily decisions to put our trust in Him, following the guidance of the Holy Spirit and keeping Christ as our example at the forefront.
MEMORY VERses
Madeleine St. Clair. Couple Embracing, 1935 – 1943. The New York Public Library
Related Verses
More verses about being made in His likeness:
PRAYER INVITATION
“All of us who are human beings are in the image of God. But to be in his likeness belongs only to those who by great love have attached their freedom to God.”
—Diadochos of Photiki
MANÁ 
Leave a comment