IN WHOSE IMAGE?

Monday 27 January

who being the brightness of His glory and the express IMAGE of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, Hebrews 1:3 (NKJV)

He is the IMAGE of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. Colossians 1:15-17 (NKJV)

If I asked you whose image and likeness Adam was made after, most of you would say God. That would be partially true. What if I asked you whose image and likeness were you made after? Many of you will still say God but you would be completely wrong. This might come as a shock to you but it doesn’t change the reality. What about every human being? Are they all made in the image and likeness of God? Let’s see what the Word has to say.

So firstly, whose image and likeness was Adam made in?

Before we answer that let’s examine the statement ‘and He (Christ) is before all things’ (Colossians 1:17).

If this is true, then Christ was before Adam. Is there another scripture to confirm Colossians 1:17? Yes. Romans 5:14 tells us ‘Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.’

Adam was a ‘type’ of Him. A representation. Made in His image. Of who? Christ. How do we know this? Because it says this ‘Him’ was the one to come. The one that came after Adam was Christ but He was the image of God that Adam was made in. Christ who is the Word in John 1:1a pre-existed Adam. In other words, Jesus Christ is the image of God. ‘In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.’ Before man, before angels, before the heaven and the earth etc. there was Christ.

What about us then? Were we made in the image of Christ? Genesis 5:3 gives us the answer.

‘When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.’

Did you see that? After the fall of man, it only took 130 years of Adam’s 930 year lifespan for mankind to stop being made in the image and likeness of God. What caused this to occur? Sin entered the world and brought a separation from God that began to change man into something other than the image of Christ.

So mankind has ceased to be in the likeness or image of God and is now in the likeness and image of fallen Adam. Now we have established this fact, who then is in the image of God on the earth today? Answer: Only those who have received salvation. Colossians 3:10 reinforces this idea. Only Christians are born in the image of God.

‘and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the IMAGE of HIM who created him,’. Created here is talking about spiritual, not physical birth.

John 1:2 says ‘all things were made by Him’ including man.

Romans 8:29 clarifies the identity of the image. ‘For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the IMAGE of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.’

From this we should understand that the only way to be created in God’s image and likeness now is to be saved. This is why Jesus came to give everyone an opportunity to be restored back to God’s image and accept the eternal life that Adam rejected. This is the good news.

‘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.’ 1 Corinthians 15:48-49 (KJV)

So let me ask the question again. In whose image are you?

APPLICATION

Read through our two text verses to gain a deeper understanding into the image of Christ and then see in Genesis 1:26 ‘let us make MAN’ was referring to Christ and not Adam.