Imago Dei Part 2 Corruption & Christ

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. Romans 5:12 NKJV.

Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Romans 8:18-19 NKJV.

We’re looking at Imago Dei, (pronounced “E-mago Day-e”), which directly translates from Latin to mean the “image of God.”

You may know that my wife has a black belt in shopping. She can smell a bargain five shopping malls away. She is brilliant at it. I go along and carry the bags. One day we were walking down the street, I was carrying some bags, and I looked in the shop window we were walking past, and I saw my own reflection.

Two things struck me when I saw that. One was there’s a number of things that could be improved, I could lose a bit of weight, and tidy up a little bit here and there.

But the thing that struck me the most, was that I saw my father in that reflection. As a young boy growing up, I cannot count the number of times people said of me to my father, “Doesn’t he look like his Dad.” Many people commented on how I looked just like my father.

It’s a bit like looking into God’s word the Bible. We see our ourselves in there and we notice the things that need changing. We are challenged and convicted by God’s word and we see what we could become and how He can change us. But we also see the Father there. We discover who He really is and we see who He has made us to be, we discover our identity as a son of the living God. I believe there can be no greater privilege than to carry the image of our father. Both our natural, and our Heavenly Father.

Yes, we have been “created in the image of God”. We have rational, relational, moral, creative, and responsibility characteristics, put there by God.

Obviously, the fall messed things up a little bit. But God did something about it. That’s what we’ll look at here.

Here’s an important truth. The Fall did not completely destroy the image. When Adam sinned, humanity became radically corrupted by sin – but Scripture does not say that the image of God was completely erased.

We see this clearly after the Fall. “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.”
Genesis 9:6 NKJV.

This is said after the Fall. James says: “With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.” James 3:9 NKJV.

James is speaking about fallen human beings. Therefore, even fallen humanity continues to bear God’s image.

The distinction is important: the image remains, but it has been marred. Humanity remains God’s image-bearer, but sin has distorted and corrupted the way that image is expressed. It is rather like a magnificent painting that has been damaged. The painting is still there. Its original identity is still recognisable. But the picture has been defaced. Sin has marred and corrupted our God-image. It’s still there, but marred.

What did sin do to the image? The Fall affected every dimension of human existence.

1. Our minds became murky, black  — Darkened.
2. Our desires became messy, chaotic  — Disordered.
3. Our relationships became fractured — Destroyed.
4. Our wills became bent toward sin — Depraved.
5. Our relationship with God was broken — Devastated.
6. Our stewardship of creation became corrupted — Decayed.

Don’t those descriptions paint a true picture of our world today?

Paul describes humanity as having: “ … exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man” Romans 1:23 NKJV.

But God didn’t leave us in that marred state. Then comes the most extraordinary Biblical revelation — Jesus came to the earth.

This is where Imago Dei becomes even more amazing. Humanity was created in God’s image. But Jesus is not merely someone who reflects God’s image. He is the perfect revelation of God Himself.

Paul calls Christ: “ … the image of the invisible God. Colossians 1:15 NKJV.

And Hebrews says: “ … who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person…” Hebrews 1:3 NKJV.

The Greek word used in Hebrews carries the idea of an exact representation or imprint. Jesus, in human form, is an exact representation of what God is like. Well, after all, He is God!

So we can put the Biblical story together like this:

1. Creation:  God creates humanity in His image.
2. Fall:  Sin corrupts and distorts that image.
3. Christ:  Jesus comes as the perfect image and revelation of God.
4. Salvation:  God begins restoring His image in His people.
5. Glorification:  That restoration will ultimately be completed.

God’s purpose in salvation includes restoring the image. This is one of the most mind-blowing and phenomenal dimensions of the doctrine. Look at these Scriptures.

• For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.
  Romans 8:29  NKJV.
• “ … put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.”
  Colossians 3:10  NKJV.
• “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image …”
  2 Corinthians 3:18  NKJV.

Notice the language: “conformed to the image of His Son.” God’s purpose isn’t merely to get us to heaven. His purpose is to make us increasingly like Jesus.

That is Imago Dei moving from creation into redemption.

Ah yes, when I saw my own image in that shop window, I also saw the image of my Father. I saw who I am becoming. I saw the perfect beyond the imperfect.

Hallelujah! Jesus is restoring to you and me, the image of our Father upon us. “Doesn’t he/she look like his/her Dad.”

Let’s see how God restores His image to His people through Salvation, and will eventually perfect us through glorification, in the next Brief Word.