The Design of Man

07 - The Design of Man (Made in the Image of God)

Saturday, December 31, 2016

9:36 AM

In the image of God made he him Chapter 2

Chapter 3 The Fall

The Design 1:27 Created in the image of God.Take a coin and use it to show how the coin bears the image of whoever is on it, and what it represents the US Government.We are the image bearers of God. I like what G. D. Watson that prolific holiness preacher born in 1884 wrote;

"When God said, “Let us make man in our image and after our likeness,” what do you suppose He really meant? Does God have an image for sure and a real likeness? Shall we go by the Bible, or shall we go by a man-made theology? Human theology teaches us that God has no image, but the Bible denies it; so you can take your choice between Scripture or human theology. There is not one word in the Bible which teaches that God has no image. On the other hand, there are many Scriptures which teach that God has a form, an image, a likeness, and that image is revealed in Scripture. We are commanded to make no image or likeness of God, but that does not prohibit God from making an image of Himself. Every time that a man attempts to make an image of God he makes a lie, something that is false, something that dishonors God. When God makes an image of Himself, He makes something that is true, that is worthy of the divine being, something that always conduces to God’s glory. [1]

The Question then is "What is the image of God? While I wouldn't dare try to make assumptions, I think it is reasonable to look at scripture and see what it says or has to say about the issue. I think that "it is the personality of man which separates him from the animals, and is a reflection of the personality of God. The animals have their existence from God, but man has his being in God, and is his offspring…"[2]When Paul was talking to the men at Mars Hill who had made the image to the unknown God in Acts 17, had an intersting description of God;

Acts 17:24-29 (KJV)

24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

Another side to the doctrine of the image of God comes from that of redemption, and regeneration.

Ephesians 4:21-24 (KJV)

21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

And Colossians 3:9-11 (KJV) 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

The Deceit - 3:1 - 8[3]The Deceiver - Satan used the snake or the serpent to make his approach to Eve.

2 Corinthians 11:2-3 (KJV)

2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Is the snake inherently evil? No in fact in Mat. 10:16 Jesus instructs his believers to "be wise as serpents." They are however usually used as a symbol for treachery and sin. Satan used it, the evil resided in Satan not the snake. One commentator thought that perhaps because the serpent is the only creature that spoke, that perhaps it was upset because Adam did not pick it to be his mate, and so willingly agreed to become the tool of Satan. I'm not ready to fully believe that but I think it is an interesting point. Who was Satan? The Old Testament speaks very indirectly about his original position. Isaiah 14:12-15Ezekiel 28:12-17 (Although addressed to the Babylonian king, some think it is actually referring to Satan. He was once "the anointed Cherub that covered." and was once in Eden the garden of God according to Ezekiel. His domain according to Job 1:7 is earthWe get that his original name was Lucifer from Isaiah 14:12He is a created being, he hasn't been around forever, Jesus said he was a liar "From the beginning" which is true as he told the first lie. 2 Corinthians 11:14=15 warn us that he can turn himself into an angel of light. and verse 3 of that chapter lets us know his primary target for attack is the mind. I feel that he was created within the 6 days of creation and sometime after that fell. How long we are not certain. I've heard some guesses but not for sure.

The Deception - Look at this strategy of Satan. It really isn't too much different from the strategy used on Jesus. The first thing that Satan did was to cast doubt on the goodness of God. (Doubt is one of the biggest tools in the devils arsenal)Is it really true? God really said you must not eat from this tree.?Now sometimes we say 3:3 that Eve added to what God said, actually to "touch" means to " take for oneself." to "make it your own" As I said earlier Satan told the first lie which was that you could disobey God without it affecting your relationship with God - without loosing eternal life. Eternal life according to John 17:3 is defined as having a relationship with God and his Son Jesus Christ. The first strategy was to cast doubt - the second is to Deny what God had said. "You shall not surely die?" he offers another interpretaiion of die, in fact he says it would benifet them to eat the forbidden fruitThe third strategy was to appeal to Eve through the three primary avenues of temptation 1 John 2:16Lust of the flesh - good for foodLust of the eye - attractivePride of life - make you wise (make you like Gods)According to 1 Timothy 2:14 Eve did not knowlingly disobey. she was decieved. totally decieved.

The Decline - Romans 5:12 teaches that it was Adam's sin not Eve's that plunged the entire human race into depravity. The Descent - After they ate the forbidden fruit the first thing they notice is they are naked.Three main results of the fallSentenced to DeathOriginal Sin - self-centerednessHas enmity against GodEve's two-fold punishment3:16 Pain - Hardship in ChildbirthHe "desire" shall be to thy husband." now the KJV sounds kind of nice, but underneath in the original Hebrew what God put on the woman, that oneness I preached about this morning of the two walking side by side, was now going to be a competitive race for control. She would actually desire to rule over him is what the author's original intent was. Adam himself was not cursed, but the ground was cursed - no longer did things bud and blossom at his touch, he had to dig around it, he had to clear the rocks and thorns and thistles, he had to plow the ground, it was now blood sweat and tears just to survive. God also refused to accept Adam and Eve's opinion of modesty. 3:21 There really is no record of a sacrifice (although I assume there was one) But there is clear emphasis on the clothing that was made for Adam and Eve. Biblical Modesty is an interesting study, one that I may save for another time.

Nevertheless, even after the corruption of the world and the flood's judgment, man was regarded as in God's image.

The post-flood prohibition of murder was based on the fact that man is in the image of God (cf. Genesis 9:6). The Apostle James also understood that sinners still bear the image of God: "With [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God" (James 3:9).

The image of God still persists in sinful men and women, though marred and sometimes even a caricature—and a witness against itself. 9Nevertheless, the image of God that we all bear is wondrous and holds eternal potential.Preach the Word com

FINISH THE COIN TALK -

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[M] G. D. Watson - God's First Words[M] Elwell, Walter A. ; Beitzel, Barry J.: Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible. Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Book House, 1988, S. 1017[M] A lot of this is from Dr. Alan Brown's Penteatuch Class GBS&C 2016 Notes & Study Guide