Genesis Series Part 3 : Made in the Image of God

When God created all things, He created them with human beings at the center, making man last of all. God made humans differently from other creatures. “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). The Bible says that among all things God created, only human beings were made in the image of God. This means that God loved humans and bestowed His image on them alone.

What is the image of God? Does it mean that God has hands and feet like we do? No. The Bible says that God is Spirit (John 4:24). As we know, a spirit has no physical form such as hands or feet. God, who is Spirit, is eternal, holy, and love. If humans were created in the image of God—who is eternal, holy, and love—then we too were created to be eternal, holy, and loving beings. But as we will see in Genesis chapter 3, humans were deceived by Satan and sinned, turning away from God. The moment they left God, they also departed from God’s eternity, holiness, and love.

Humans lost everything God had given and began living together with sin. Because there is no holiness, eternality, or love in us, our lives become painful and corrupted. At times we long for love, holiness, and what is eternal, and we try to obtain it, but we fail because such things have departed from within us.

People unaware of this reality do not understand humanity's true condition. They think that if they pray, evangelize, and read the Bible diligently, they will become good people. But since the original image of God has left us, unless God’s image returns to dwell in our hearts, we cannot hope for anything eternal or holy. God does not desire that humans—who left Him and now live under Satan’s rule—try to become good, abandon evil, or become righteous on their own. Instead, He wants to breathe His image back into us so that we may become holy and enter into His love and eternity.

Today many Christians do not know this will of God, so they try to do good in their fallen state, apart from God's image, trapped in sin. But as the Apostle Paul said, “nothing good dwells in us” (Romans 7:18). Even when we appear to do good, it is hypocrisy—an outward appearance of goodness, not the true goodness that God sees.

God knew that no matter how hard humans tried, they could never become righteous or holy. Holiness and righteousness belong to God alone, and we can only become holy and righteous when God’s image is restored in us. Therefore, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who bears God’s image, into this world. When Jesus was on earth, Philip once said, “Show us the Father.” Jesus responded, “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:9). Yes—Jesus Christ is the perfect image of God, embodied in human form. He was fully human and fully God.

The God who is Spirit dwelled in a human body—that was Jesus Christ. Likewise, God desires to dwell in our bodies today. If the holy God, Jesus Christ, were to dwell in our sinful, defiled bodies, we would become holy without effort, be enveloped in God’s love, and gain eternal life.

To receive Jesus Christ—the holy Son of God, who bears God’s image—into our hearts, our sins must be washed away. If the blood of Jesus Christ has washed all your sins as white as snow, then Jesus will come into your heart. The Lord said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). We must open the door of our hearts, but because our hearts are filled with sin, opening the door seems to let sin pour out. Thus, we cannot open it. Knowing this, Jesus came to remove our sin so that He might enter our hearts.

Jesus Christ was crucified to blot out our sins. On the cross, He bore the judgment for all the sins we committed before God. The suffering He endured was the punishment and curse for all our sins. Because Jesus died on the cross, all our sins were completely forgiven. He cleansed our sins so perfectly that He could dwell within us without the slightest discomfort.

Many people today say they believe in Jesus, but because they do not know that the blood of Christ has made them clean, they still worry about sin. They try to resolve their sins through their own efforts. Because they do not believe that the living Christ has made their hearts clean enough for Him to dwell within, their hearts remain trapped in sin.

God placed His image in Jesus. Just as He bestowed His image on Adam and Eve when He created humanity, God desires to place His image in our hearts today. How can we receive God’s image? By receiving Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is Spirit, into our hearts—then the image of God is restored within us.

Without God—the source of holiness, eternity, and love—we cannot truly love no matter how hard we try. We cannot become holy by our own efforts. Only when we receive the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus and God’s Spirit dwells in us can our thoughts be led by the Holy Spirit. Then we begin to think like God, becoming holy, righteous, and sincere.

A “Christian” is not someone who tries hard to become like God, but someone who has welcomed God’s Spirit into their heart and reveals God’s light through the Holy Spirit. Many people believe in Jesus in reverse. Without the Spirit of Jesus Christ entering us, how can we ever resemble God through our own efforts? But when the Spirit of Jesus Christ enters us, we are transformed by that Spirit, and God’s image is naturally and perfectly formed within us. When God’s image comes into us, we are transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ, becoming people who radiate Christ’s love, grace, and light.