The Image of God, Part II
2021-12-23
Previously, we saw what it means to be in the image of God. Now, we will look at this from a practical standpoint.
Often, in the Old Testament, images can mean idols. People made images of their false gods. They were made in the image of God, but they turned around and created a god in their image:
And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. (Romans 1:23)
One of the reasons why creating an image of “god” is so offensive to God is because God already made an image: human beings. Us.
If you want to see what God is like, you can look at people (to a very limited extent, because sin has now entered the world). Also, this is why the second commandment to love others as ourselves is like the first commandment to love God with everything we have:
Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. (James 3:9-10)
We can also see how Satan’s offer in the garden was insidious and superfluous:
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3:4-5)
God had already made them in the image of God; Satan offered them something they had already, except perhaps the knowledge of good and evil.
One thing we can take from all this is that serving others is service to the Lord. If we serve the image of God, we show that we also serve God:
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. (1 John 4:20-21)