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Nasher
Member



Joined: 2003/7/28
Posts: 404
Watford, UK

 God's Image or Adam's Image

We had a discussion in our housegroup last night about what image men are created in when they are first born (obviously no-one is born a Christian in their first, natural birth).

Are we created in the image of God (obviously though a distorted image) or are we created in the image of Adam, or is it something else?

Here are a few scriptures to browse through:

Genesis 1:27
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Genesis 5
1 This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. 2He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. 3And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.

1 Corinthians 11:7
For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.

2 Corinthians 4:4
whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.


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Mark Nash

 2003/11/6 5:11Profile
almondBranch
Member



Joined: 2003/10/6
Posts: 91
Tralee, Ireland

 Re: God's Image or Adam's Image

here is another verse to consider:

Genesis 9:6 [i]whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man is his blood shed: for in the image of God hath He made man.[/i]

Murder is to be severaly punished beacuse man [u]was[/u] made in the image of God. It dosen't say however that it is to be punished because man [u]is[/u] in the image of God.

I believe that man is in the image of Adam, who was made in the image of God but had fallen.

1 Cor 15:49 [i]And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.[/i]

I don't believe that Adam was in the image of God before his fall in the exact same way that we shall be after our glorification. I beieve there was room for somthing more in adam back there, and I believe that that is what the tree of life would have brought him into.

We are being conformed to the image of the Son of God, not to Adam before the fall, that to me is a glorious truth.



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Stuart

 2003/11/6 6:40Profile
InTheLight
Member



Joined: 2003/7/31
Posts: 2850
Phoenix, Arizona USA

 Re:

Quote:
I don't believe that Adam was in the image of God before his fall in the exact same way that we shall be after our glorification. I beieve there was room for somthing more in adam back there, and I believe that that is what the tree of life would have brought him into.

We are being conformed to the image of the Son of God, not to Adam before the fall, that to me is a glorious truth.



A glorious truth indeed! This has always been God's purpose for mankind just as Paul spoke about in his letter to the Ephesians:

Ephesians 1:4-5 [i]According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,[/i]

God took such delight in His Son that He created man with the purpose of adopting a vast family of sons and daughters conformed to Christ's image, a glorious expression of His authority to the whole universe and a temple of living stones for the Spirit to dwell in forever!

The choice was offered to Adam to enter into this divine life-union with Christ, the symbols of that choice were the two trees in the garden. Sadly, we know which way Adam chose but God's purpose still remains the same. The plan of redemption simply restores us to the path of adoption.

God's initial phase of this sharing of divine life involved using Himself as the pattern after which man was created. Through Adam, the only created son, we share in the image and likeness of God. Through our rebellion that image has been marred but restoration is fully provided for "in Christ".

In Christ,

Ron


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Ron Halverson

 2003/11/6 13:32Profile
Nasher
Member



Joined: 2003/7/28
Posts: 404
Watford, UK

 Re:

Was there anything about us that God thought was worth saving?


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Mark Nash

 2003/11/7 5:35Profile
almondBranch
Member



Joined: 2003/10/6
Posts: 91
Tralee, Ireland

 Re:

Nasher wrote:
Was there anything about us that God thought was worth saving?




"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son"

It's God's love that caused him to save us.

People will argue about the word "worth" and say that if we say that there was some worth in us then salvation is not soley from God's grace.Yes, is a lost sheep worth anything to its owner? no, abolutley nothing, that is of course unles he goes out and finds it and restores it.

Has Adam any worth? no, he is fit for nothing but the grave (in Adam all die) but being found, restored and transformed he can bear the image of his God and be a joint heir with Christ.

I supose what I am trying to say is that fallen humanity has a worth because God gave it a worth. If there was somthing for sale that nobody in the world wanted to buy or ever wanted to buy then surley that thing would be worthless, but if sombody wanted to pay a million dollars for it would have a worth at least to that person.

[i]Ac 20:28 Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit placed you guardians, to tend the church of the Lord and God, which he purchased by his own blood.[/i]

[i]Mt 13:44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.[/i]




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Stuart

 2003/11/7 5:53Profile
philologos
Member



Joined: 2003/7/18
Posts: 6566
Reading, UK

 Re:

Nasher wrote:
Was there anything about us that God thought was worth saving?

We are getting into the territory here of asking 'why does God love us'? There is a wonderful answer to that in Deut 7:7,8. which compressed and paraphrased implies 'He did not set His love on you for any reason other than that He loved you'.
In other words 'He loved you because He loved you'. That's the only explanation we're going to get. Humbling, isn't it?

(KISS - Keep it simple, saints)


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Ron Bailey

 2003/11/7 6:07Profile
Nasher
Member



Joined: 2003/7/28
Posts: 404
Watford, UK

 Re:

I guess what I am trying to ask is, when God sees a unsaved person, does He see His image, although distorted, or does He see Adam's image?

The hardest thing about asking a question is writing it. ;-)


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Mark Nash

 2003/11/7 8:20Profile
philologos
Member



Joined: 2003/7/18
Posts: 6566
Reading, UK

 Re:

Quote:
I guess what I am trying to ask is, when God sees a unsaved person, does He see His image, although distorted, or does He see Adam's image?


Hi Nasher,
why would it matter?
God sees things as they are. He is the only one who does, which is why He is the only one with the right to judge. Would a master craftsman recognise his masterpiece even when it had been vandalised? Would he still feel a connection and responsibility for it? Would he still be interested in its welfare and want to see it restored to its original glory? Would he be grieved at the vandalism? Would he be angry with the vandal?
I think the answer to all these questions is 'yes'. God's anger is not contrary to His love; it is an expression of it.


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Ron Bailey

 2003/11/7 8:58Profile
almondBranch
Member



Joined: 2003/10/6
Posts: 91
Tralee, Ireland

 Re:

Quote:
I guess what I am trying to ask is, when God sees a unsaved person, does He see His image, although distorted, or does He see Adam's image?



If Adam was created in God's image...
If after the fall he still had God's image(though distorted)...
If the unsaved are in fallen Adam's image...

Then the answer to your question is...both.

God sees His image (though distorted), which is Adams image.

The amazing thing about God though, is that He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. Not that He was the beginning and he will be the end but he IS both.

Romans 8:29-30 ¶ For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

I think its also fair to say that God can and does see the finished product. Like Michelangelo, when he looked at a block of marble he saw david!

Jesus saw more than just a field(the world) He saw the treasure buried in the field, and He sold all to get that treasure.

Stuart.


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Stuart

 2003/11/7 11:33Profile
todd
Member



Joined: 2003/5/12
Posts: 573
California

 Re:

Quote:
"I think its also fair to say that God can and does see the finished product. Like Michelangelo, when he looked at a block of marble he saw david!"

Stuart,
That's powerful. Thanks.

 2003/11/7 20:01Profile





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