Meaning for Made in God’s Image
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27
It is very significant that we understand that we are created in the image of God, which implies we are created to live as Jesus lived. If we follow the way of the world then we are not living the way we were designed, and we will never experience life to the full. We will examine the ways we are created in the image of God because it will define the way we are to live.
We are created as spiritual beings living in a temporary physical body. Our souls are our thoughts, personalities, and beliefs, while our bodies are our earthly suits. Like God we are spiritual beings and we live for eternity. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end (Ecclesiastes 3:11). As Christians we should be living for our eternal lives in heaven.
We are created to have the mind of Christ, and God created us with a brain that can rewire to the mind of Christ. We are created in the image of God and we are created to conform to the image of Jesus. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters (Romans 8:29). Everyone who accepts Christ as their Savior is predestined to conform to the image of his Son. We are to have a mind of love and hope, just like Jesus. Our thoughts affect our mental and physical health and a mind of love and hope promotes good mental and physical health. Toxic thoughts such as fear, anger, and unforgiveness can promote mental and physical harm.
In the God Attachment, Dr. Tim Clinton and Dr. Joshua Straub state, “Empirical evidence is now showing that we are born with a desire for a relationship with a ‘Transcendent Other’ and that longing begins to reveal itself as young as three years of age.” Without meaningful relationships we can become depressed, and if a baby doesn’t experience the contact of love and security, it may die. Without a relationship with our Lord we are spiritually dead and we will never experience life to the full or eternal life. Laser Vasilev in his article Social Connections and Happiness states: “Belonging to a group or community gives us a sense of identity. It helps us to understand who we are and feel part of something larger than ourselves. Research also finds that people with strong social connections have less stress-related health problems, lower risk of mental illness, and faster recovery from trauma and illness. Researchers have found that people are happier when they are with other people than when they are alone.”
We are created to do good works. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-9). God molds us to the mind and heart of Christ, a mind filled with love and hope that naturally lives a life modeled after Jesus. The Bible now describes our Godly character and our life reflects the works of Christ.
Today, realize you are created with free will and you can make choices. You can make choices pleasing to our Lord, or you can make choices pleasing to Satan. These are the choices we all have to make every day, to live in the image of God or live in the image of the world.
Let’s Pray: Lord, help me to realize that I am created in your image and that I am to reflect Christ to everyone. Keep molding me to the mind and heart of Christ so I can be closer to you with a heart filled with your love, and a heart absent of Satan’s fear. In Jesus’ name, Amen.