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The Future of the Image of God (Romans 8:22-30)
Romans 8:22-30
What is the future of the image of God?
This week at Grace, as we finish our series on the Image of God we're going to consider what is still in front of us with regard to the Image of God. As Romans 8:29 states, it is the image of God (interestingly, described here as the image of his Son) that we will be conformed to.
Why would we need to be conformed to the image of Christ (future) if we are already made in the image of God (past)?
During this series, we've talked about how Adam and Eve were made in God's image, and how God's image continued after the fall in every person, regardless of capacity, age, generation, gender, or any other difference.
As we came to the New Testament, we saw that the image of God is not only a general description of all people, it is also the hope we have for knowing Jesus, the perfect image of his Father, and for our own spiritual life in Christ.
I hope that as we finish this series, it will give you a longing for God and help you understand how the doctrine of the image of God points us to the gospel:
- We were made in God's image.
- Our sins could not destroy God's handiwork.
- We have been redeemed by God's Son, the perfect image of the Father.
- We are redeemed into the image of Christ.
- We will be conformed to the image of Christ forever.
Praise God.
See you Sunday!
In Christ,
Pastor Bob
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
-Romans 8:22-30
Formed Into the Image (1 Corinthians 11:1, 2 Corinthians 3:17-18)
1 Corinthians 11:1, 2 Corinthians 3:17-18
I’m looking forward to sharing with you this Sunday!
As we’ve been learning in our series, we are created to represent and reflect the image of God, and this Sunday we’ll discover and be reminded that there's also a transformation occurring within us as believers.
The sin-behavior habits of our hearts and our disordered loves mar the image of God that we were designed to live into, but there is a trail to restoration. There is a way back - or, a path forward really - a way to recapture the image - and it is found in Christ. This is a long journey, a slow process, the adventure of a lifetime. This is our challenge, our invitation; to take a journey of transformation toward Christlikeness.
Imitating Christ in every area of our lives will never happen this side of heaven. He is perfect and we are not. But we can begin the journey of transformation into Christlikeness from “one degree of glory to another.” And, the good news for us today is that “this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Jesus, who went before us to make a way to God, paid the ultimate price so that the image of God designed in each of us could be recaptured. His Spirit provides the guidance and direction and power for us to walk with Christ and become like Him - finding the freedom and wholeness that we were destined for. Let’s embark on the adventure together!
See you Sunday!
Justin
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
-1 Corinthians 11:1, 2 Corinthians 3:17-18
The Image of God in Others (James 3:7-11)
James 3:7-11
Have you said anything you wish you could take back?
Something that made you cringe when you thought about it later?
I have. Many, many times.
I could write it off as an occupational hazard as a pastor. Jokes that fall flat, awkward turns of phrase, and confusing points are frustratingly common in preaching.
But the words I really wish I could get back aren't ones I've given up front, but those I've said in the living room with my family, at dinner with friends, or before bed with my wife.
Thinking about the dumb, hurtful, and selfish things I've said (even just this year!) brings grief to my soul.
This week at Grace, we're looking at James 3. This passage outlines how amazingly capable our speech is, but how that comes with danger. Because our speech to others isn't just a matter of our relationship - it's an act of worship toward God.
How we speak to people made in God's image shows what we think of God. That's because our speech to people is speech made to images of God. As "The Message" paraphrases James 3:9, "With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image."
I hope that this Sunday we can reflect together on our speech in light of the gospel and move forward together as a community of grace together!
Hope to see you Sunday at Grace!
In Christ,
Pastor Bob
For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?
-James 3:7-11
What is the Opposite of the Image of God? (Acts 17:22-31; Exodus 20:3-4)
Acts 17:22-31; Exodus 20:3-4
Since we're in a series on the Image of God, it's worth asking: What is the opposite of the image of God?
My knee-jerk answer would be to say something like, "un-human" or "beastly." But I think Scripture gives us more to run with.
In Scripture, the opposite of the image of God is idolatry. Rather than representing and reflecting God, we worship those creatures made of our own hands. And there is a destructive result.
Psalms 115 and 135 says that those who make idols become like them. 2 Kings 17 says that when God's people went after false idols, they became false themselves. Isaiah 44 says that worshiping idols makes us as unable to see, hear, or think as the blocks of wood in front of us.
This Sunday at Grace, we're going to look at Acts 17:22-31, where Paul describes the gospel to the Athenians based on the image of God, and contrasts it with the idolatry that marked their lives.
This passage is very important to understanding the image of God as a concept because it shows that in addition the image of God describing our lives, it also calls for action on our part.
I'm eager to think with you on Sunday about how we can apply this to our lives, so that we can live as joyful image bearers of Christ together.
In Christ,
Pastor Bob
“You shall have no other gods before me.
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
-Exodus 20:3-4
The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for
“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;
as even some of your own poets have said,
“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’
Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.
- Acts 17:24-29
The Wonder of God's Image (Psalm 8)
Psalm 8
I spent a little time in Montana last year, and I quickly realized why they call it "Big Sky Country." Looking off into the distance on my friend's porch at sunset was striking. But, what came a few hours later was the real spectacle to see; stars, lots and lots of stars. Thoughts of personal greatness and importance were immediately squashed when I learned that I was most likely looking at a few thousand stars out of 100 billion in our galaxy alone.
David had the same feelings of awe, wonder, and insignificance arise when writing Psalm 8. Join us this week as we consider this important text in our Image of God series. We will discover how the infinite creator of the universe has unexpectedly made His name "majestic... in all the earth" through finite human beings like you and me.
I'm looking forward to worshiping together,
Pastor Chris
O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
-Psalm 8:1-9
The Image of God: Damaged but not Destroyed (Genesis 1, 5, 9)
Genesis 1, 5, 9
You've probably heard the saying, "God don't make no junk!"
Maybe you've also heard someone say, "they sure don't make things like they used to."
Both of these are statements of quality. As for the 2nd phrase, people usually have in mind the quality of classic cars vs. those with fiberglass front ends. Or IKEA furniture vs. – you get it.
The point is that quality endures. There’s a reason why some cars are still being driven 70 years after production and others are smashed into tiny metal squares at the junkyard. Quality.
As for the Image of God in man. A fall (Genesis 3) and a flood (Genesis 6) couldn’t destroy it. That’s some pretty impressive quality. And isn’t that what we’d expect from God?
To hear more about this Image that has been damaged, but is not destroyed, join us on Sunday.
Many blessings,
Pastor Tim
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.
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
- Genesis 1:26-31
Created in God's Image (Genesis 1:26-31)
Genesis 1:26-31
This week at Grace, we're continuing our series on the Image of God that we started on Easter Sunday.
Why do a series on the image of God? Because of the challenges you face in this world, including racism, the sanctity of life, shame, and questions of identity. The concept of the image of God shapes how we respond to each of these.
We're going back to the beginning this week, looking at Genesis 1:26-31: the creation of humanity in the image of God. This famous passage roots the identity of each person who has ever lived in God's image. I'm looking forward to discussing how that shapes our lives today.
Look forward to seeing you at Grace this Sunday!
In Christ,
Pastor Bob
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.
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
-Genesis 1:26-31
Easter and the Image of God (John 20:17)
John 20:17
He is risen! He is risen indeed!
This week at Grace (both online and in person at Eisenhower Park) we'll be looking at Jesus' resurrection message to Mary Magdalene in John 20. Specifically, in verse 17 Jesus tells Mary what to tell his disciples about the resurrection:
"...go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Almost 2,000 years later, we still need to hear this same message from Jesus: that he is the Son of God who is willing and able to bring us to his father as his brothers.
Looking forward to celebrating Easter together with you!
In Christ,
Pastor Bob
Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
-John 20:17