In The Image of God (Written 1/18/12)

Created in His Image
Genesis 1:27 "God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."

Did The Fall Change That?
God created man in his own image, but since the fall is man still a reflection of it? There is no unrighteousness in God. If we are unrighteous, (Romans 3;10-18) how can we reflect his image? Eph 4:22-24 says that "in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lust of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." (Emphasis added) The old self which being corrupted in accordance with the lust of deceit, is certainly not a reflection of God's character but is totally depraved, unable to even chose good (Eph 2: 1-2). Psalm 51:5 says "Surely I was sinful from birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." We sin because we are sinners not vise versa. However, even though man no longer reflects God's character he is still made in God's image.

Image Bearers vs. Character Reflectors
Even though our nature is not a reflection of God's character, we still posses something distinctive that all other creation doesn't, and that is a soul. Even though our nature has changed, our substance (or being) hasn't. If a dog develops rabies he doesn't become another animal or thing; he just has an extremely aggressive nature. He is still a dog though. Despite the fact that our desires and impulses are naturally evil now, and we are totally depraved apart from God's saving grace; we are just a corrupted  form of what God designed us to be. We are still humans and posses a soul even after the fall. James 3:9 is one place where the New Testament mentions us being made in the image of God. So the fall did not nullify that fact. All humans bear God's image, but only Christians are a reflection of his character and are in the likeness of God. Isn't that interesting. In fact Satan told Adam and Eve that eating the forbidden fruit would make them like God, and doing so did just the opposite. He is the father of lies and cannot tell the truth.The new self "in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." Those whom God saves are a reflection of his character. The unregenerate are not a representation of God's character, but they still bear his image.

Not Exactly
Ultimately Jesus is "the exact representation of His nature" (Hebrews 1:3). Even with our new nature, we are not the exact representation of his glory or nature because we are still putting to death the deeds of the flesh by the spirit and learning to walk by the spirit (Galatians 5:16,25). Ephesians 5:1 goes on to say we should be imitators of God. We should imitate God's love to those who don't reflect his character.


The Value of Human Life
The fact that humans posses a soul is an important fact. We aren't animals. If you are a human you have a soul and you've had one from the moment you became one. People argue over when a fetus becomes a human. I believe the moment they where created, just as it was from the beginning, that a man is human and has a soul. I believe abortion is murder and that it is a sin.  When we kill a fly or mosquito that is not a sin. Those insects do not posses a soul. It is the same as when we pull a weed out of our garden and kill it. That is not a sin. God does not say "thou shalt not kill", but "thou shalt not murder."
I have never heard of a man being executed for squishing an ant. However, many times it has happened for killing a human. For the same reason, I think killing an old person or dissabled person who no longer contributes to society, is wrong. I have compassion for those who have had abortions, and I know often the mothers are decieved into doing so. God's grace can cover any sin, even murder. God created man in his own image. That puts value on man. We should value man as well, reflecting God's character to a fallen world in need of God's saving grace.

J. Gresham Machen

"Liberalism appeals to man's will while Christianity announces ... a gracious act of God." J. Gresham Machen

2 Timothy 4:2-4 Jeremiah 6:30-31

Sailing Through the Sea of Music

In Philippians 4:8 we read, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

Many times when people are listening to music, they are not really evaluating the message that it is conveying. The music we chose to listen to affects us though. We must be careful to use music correctly. It is a tool, and we should use it to enjoy its beauty, and to worship God.

If the lyrics of the song could not be described by Philippians 4:8, we should not be listening to it. Even if we think that the melody is pretty, and we just want to enjoy the musical aspect of the song. If the lyrics are not good, we should not be listening to the song. The questions we should ask ourselves are,"What is the message of this song?", "Is this glorifying to God?", and "Does this direct my attention towards or away from God?" God gave us music. We should praise God for and through it.

Respect and Honor

Those Who Would Not Submit
I read Numbers 15:16-16:40 yesterday. In this passage some of the Israelites did not think Moses should be in authority over them. They would not obey the one God appointed, so Korah, Dathan, and Abirim along with their families and possessions where swallowed by the earth! This passage clearly shows that God wants us to submit to the authority He places in our lives. He appointed them to guide, direct, and protect us. When we honor them we honor God. When we disobey them and dishonor them, we are disobeying and dishonoring God.

The Command to Submit:

This passage encouraged me to honor those who have authority over me. This does not mean we must feel respect for those who rule over us. There are leaders that I try to honor, but I do not respect their lives. We can be submissive to our authorities even if we do not have respect for how they live and act. There is no excuse for not honoring those in authority over us because we are commanded by God to submit to them. 1 Peter 2:13-14 says, ^"Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and thepraise of those who do right." No matter what you think about the people who have authority over you, you must submit to them for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake.