04/01/2021
Do you believe that there is any way in which you could possibly be like God? If I told you that it was more than just possible, but God’s will, and plan, for mankind from the moment of creation would you argue that we are just human beings, and would never be capable of such a thing? Then Let me ask you another question... what about Jesus, and do you believe He was, and is, like you?
“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.””
Genesis 1:26 ESV
So man was created in the image of God.
Some say that Jesus was fully man and fully God, but I point out that He was fully God, before becoming fully man. He entered the world from heaven, being squeezed into human form through a woman’s womb just as every child since Adam and Eve have been, yet Before this miraculous birth He was Jesus Christ, the Son of God... the Spirit, and the Uncreated One. Jesus is God made in man’s image, while we are men and women, made in God’s image. We are flesh reaching out to the Spirit, while Jesus is Spirit reaching out to flesh.
“but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”
Philippians 2:7 ESV
There is a remarkable painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome that was painted by Michael Angelo; it is called “The Creation of Adam”, and is meant to depict the moment when the outstretched finger of Adam is about to meet the outstretched finger of God. Well, we know from Genesis that life wasn’t transferred to Adam in this manner, so why was this painting made to portray the imparting of life by a touch rather than a breath?
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“then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”
Genesis 2:7 ESV
I don’t know the inspiration that Michael Angelo received before painting this mural, nor do I know what he was thinking when his mind’s eye saw both God and Adam reaching out towards one another, but to me this painting doesn’t reveal the creation of Adam, but rather, the gospel story of Jesus Christ... the fallen Adam reaching out to receive the grace of God through the promised Messiah, and Jesus, the finger of God, reaching back with our redemption in His touch. Look at the determination on the face of the God figure, and the lost look of the Adam figure. Isn’t this man the flesh reaching towards the Spirit, and God the Spirit reaching towards man the fallen flesh?
“But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 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.”
2 Corinthians 3:16-18 ESV
So can we be like God? Yes we can. We were intended to be that way since our very first moment of Adam’s creation when we were made in His image, yet fell from grace in the Garden of Eden, and lost sight of God’s plan for us. However, God’s plan persisted, and by His amazing grace we have been redeemed by Jesus Christ, and are being transformed once more into the radiant Godlike creature we were always meant to be.
“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,”
Hebrews 1:3 ESV
Are we ready to touch Jesus, and for Christ to touch us? Are we prepared to begin our transformation back into the godlike beings we were meant to be? Do we have faith in our journey from on degree of grace to the next as we make this transition? Well, Easter, or Resurrection Sunday as some call it, is where man’s Hope became real again, so if you are not already a pilgrim traveling the way of grace... now is a perfect time to start your trek of transformation.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for creating mankind in your image, and thank you for the love you have for us that is so strong that it prompted you to send your Son Jesus Christ to suffer, die, and be resurrected, so that we could be saved from sin and death. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who stooped, and became like man as you reached out to us in an act of incredible grace. Praised be your name Lord for every blessing you bestow upon us as we are transformed by your grace to be more like you each day. Hear our prayers as we pray for the guidance of your Holy Spirit, and for the continuous example of Jesus who teaches us through His life to obey, and walk always in your will. Wash us clean Father in the cleansing blood of your Son Jesus, and as we take on His image, find us worthy in Him. Pronounce us righteous as we stand before you in judgement Lord, not for any work we might have done, but by the redemption of Christ alone... see us as transformed by your grace into renewed creatures made perfect once more. In this way lift us up Father, and seat us at your table forevermore where we can fine and worship you for eternity.
““Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).”
Matthew 1:23 ESV
Rich Forbes