Restoring the Image: The Gospel and the New Creation

Text: Genesis 1:27

Genesis 1:27 ESV

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Introduction

Good morning! I want you to imagine for a moment the most beautiful work of art you’ve ever seen—maybe the Mona Lisa or a cherished family portrait. Now imagine that masterful painting, ripped and vandalized, colors smeared and lines blurred. Its original beauty was undeniable, but now its glory is obscured, its image marred.

Friends, that’s a picture of humanity. God made us as His masterpiece—His image-bearers—full of worth, dignity, and purpose. But something has gone terribly wrong. The image is still there, but it’s been deeply scarred by sin.

Main Idea: Through Jesus Christ, God restores His image in us—an image marred by sin—so that we may once again reflect His character, holiness, and purpose for our lives.

I. God’s Original Design: Made in His Image

Read Genesis 1:26–27

Genesis 1:26–27 ESV

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

God created humanity with inherent value, dignity, purpose.

God made every man, woman, and child to reflect Himself. We were made to display God’s character, live in relationship with Him, and represent Him to creation.

Quote:(Charles Spurgeon) “There is no one so far removed from God as to have ceased to be his child by creation.” 

The image of God is foundational to every human life—our worth doesn’t come from our achievements but from our Creator.

II. The Broken Image: How Sin Distorted Humanity

But things didn’t stay that way. Genesis 3 recounts the story of how sin entered this world—how Adam and Eve chose their own way over God’s. In that moment, the image was not destroyed, but it was distorted. The entrance of sin (Genesis 3:1–7).

Genesis 3:1–7 ESV

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

We see sin’s effects everywhere: alienation from God, broken relationships, internal struggles, and all the ways the world is not as it should be.

Quote:(D.L. Moody) “Sin is a thief, and a robber; it snatches away all that is beautiful and noble in man, and leaves nothing but the shreds and tatters of what once was man’s fair garment.” 

Illustration: A cracked mirror—still reflects, but the image is distorted.

III. The Perfect Image Restorer: Jesus Christ

But God did not abandon His masterpiece. He had a redemption plan. The New Testament tells us, (Colossians 1:15). Jesus came as the flawless image-bearer, perfectly reflecting God in every way. (Hebrews 1:3)

Through His perfect life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection, Jesus restores what was lost. A.W. Tozer wrote…

Picture a restoration expert working carefully on a vandalized painting—restoring the faded colors, repairing the torn canvas, revealing the artwork’s original glory. That’s what Jesus does for us. By grace, He restores God’s image in all who trust Him.

Colossians 1:15 ESV

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

Hebrews 1:3 ESV

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Quote:(A.W. Tozer) “The cross is the lightning rod of grace that short-circuits God’s wrath to Christ so that only the light of His love remains for believers.” 

IV. The New Creation: God’s Work in Us

Paul’s teaching—when we come to Christ, we are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17).

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

We put off the old self, put on the new (Colossians 3:10).

Colossians 3:10 ESV

and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

Practical: Transformation is ongoing—sanctification.

Coming to Jesus is not about self-improvement—it’s about becoming something entirely new. God reshapes our character, gives us new desires, a new heart, a new purpose. Like a potter reshaping a marred piece of clay, He’s at work making us beautiful, useful, and whole.

V. Living as a Restored Image-Bearer

So what do we do? We live out this new identity. We love God deeply, love others selflessly, and show the world what God is like through our words and actions. We pursue holiness—cooperating with God’s Spirit in this ongoing transformation. We serve others, stand for truth, and offer the hope of restoration found in Jesus alone.

Quote:(A.W. Tozer) “God is looking for men and women in whose hands His glory is safe.” 

Let’s be people who so treasure the image of God and Christ’s work in us that His glory is reflected every day.

Conclusion

Just as the Japanese art of kintsugi repairs broken pottery with lacquer and gold—making the broken places the most beautiful—God takes our brokenness and, through Jesus, makes us new. Our scars, covered by His grace, become testimonies of His redeeming love.

Today, God’s offer of restoration is open. No one is too far gone. Will you trust Jesus, the Restorer of God’s image?

Let’s pray.