THE IMAGE OF GOD BY AWE HILARY

In the beginning God created man in His image (Genesis 1:27), and this image became a symbol of identity that man belongs to God. The creation of man in God's image goes far beyond physical appearances, but an imputation of God's character and attributes into man through the breath of life, hence making him a carrier of God's presence. This image made him stand out of all God's creations, thereby giving him the potential to have dominion over all the earth (Genesis 1:26), and as a result he was vested with the power to dominate (Genesis 1:28), because he was carrying the image of God.

In the garden of Eden, another being was created and the first being (man) named her woman because she was taken out of him ( Genesis 2:23). This is to infer that a woman was created from the image of God resident in man, and as a result he was placed on a higher pedestal than her. The unfortunate incident which led to the fall of man after he was tempted in the garden of Eden by Satan, led to a pollution of God's image resident in man, and as a result he became a carrier of a counterfeit image of God.

 However, because the woman was made from the man, the image of God in her life became polluted because the source was corrupted. This pollution caused by the sin of disobedience disconnected both the man and the woman from God, because they were no longer seen to be in the state of "likeness" with God, and as a result the counterfeit image of God which is a symbol of sin and all its attributes was alien to God because His image knows no sin. This led to a huge variance between God and man, and as a result man lost his benefits enshrined in the original image.

However, for the image of God to be restored in the life of man, the extermination of the  pollution that emanated through sin was necessary.

"And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission"~HEBREWS 9:22 (NKJV)

In the aforementioned scripture, it is worthy to note that for remission of sin to occur, there must be shedding of blood, and as a result the blood of bulls and goats were shed in a bit to restore the image of God in the life of man. These sacrifices which were practiced under the law was not sufficient to restore the image of God in the life of man because there was a constant reminder of sin every year as a result of the inability of the blood of animals to wipe away sin (Hebrews 10:4). This is because the power of sin which polluted the image of God in the life of man was more stronger than the blood of bulls and goats, hence sin prevailed by leaving its trace in the life of man. Therefore, for sin to be defeated and the image of God restored, the life of man needed a blood that was more powerful than sin and the blood of bulls and goats. This led to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, who died on the cross by shedding His blood as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 2:2). However, through the blood of Jesus Christ, the power of sin is destroyed, and the image of God in the life of man which was initially polluted as a result of sin, is restored and revealed through Jesus Christ. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17)

HOW CAN WE PRESERVE THE IMAGE OF GOD IN OUR LIVES AS BELIEVERS?

For starters, if you have not surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, you cannot preserve the image of God in your life because you are still carrying the counterfeit image which is a symbol of sin. The essence of giving your life to Christ, is to enable you key into the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed for the whole world (1 JOHN 2:2), and through His blood the power of sin will be defeated in your life and you can now become a new creature with old things passing away.

However, for believers the following steps are key to preserving the image of God in our lives:

1.      Confessing our sins before God (1 JOHN 1:9)

2.      Fleeing from every appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22)

3.      Reading the Holy Bible (2 Timothy 2:15)

4.      Becoming hearers and doers of the word of God ( JAMES 1:22)

5.      Watch and Pray (MATHEW 26:41)

6.      Living a life of holiness and righteousness (HEBREWS 12:14)

Moreover, if you are tired of carrying the counterfeit image of God in your life which is a representation of sin, Jesus Christ is calling you today with His hands wide open waiting to accept you back by washing you clean from every sin and restoring back to you the original image of God. I would like you to kindly pray these few prayer points below, as this would be the most important decision you have ever taken in life.

PRAYER POINT:

1.      O God, I am sorry for all the sins I have committed, and am ready for the image of God to be revealed in my life through Jesus Christ.

2.      I hereby give my life to Jesus Christ and confess Him as my Lord and personal Saviour.

3.      Thank You Jesus Christ for accepting me.

4.      I am a new creation in Christ Jesus.

However, if you just prayed the above mentioned prayer points, THE MESSENGER congratulates and encourages you to walk with Christ till the end of time without turning to the left or right.

God Bless You

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