26 And 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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Our opening Scripture reveals the plan of God for man at creation. The word ‘God’ from this verse is from the root word ‘Elohim,’ which is used in the plural form, that is, God in three Persons but in one Godhead: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ, the living Word) and God the Spirit. It says “…let us make man in our image.” So, God’s original intent was to make man like Himself, in His image. This is the will of God for man as revealed in Genesis 1:26. God said, come let us make man in our image, after our likeness. The Word ‘image’ is from the root word ‘tselem,’ meaning resemblance or a shade of God, with the same character, the same life. God said, let us make man like us, in our outlook. So, when you are asked, what does God look like? You are the likeness of God, a reflection of His character. Glory!!! You look like God because you were created in His image and after His likeness. When people see you, they ought to see God in you; for you are the image of God.
When Jesus came into the world, He didn’t take the form of an angel; He took the form of man. John 1:14 says “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” Jesus went about doing good (Acts 10:38), meaning He had legs. He touched people and healed them, showing that He had hands. He taught and cast out devils with His Word; He also ate, and the food digested, reflecting that he was 100% God and 100% man. He was the perfect image of the Father. All over Scriptures, there are clear descriptive expressions of God. For example, God sits upon the throne (Psalms 47:8), the earth is His footstool (Isaiah 66:1), meaning He has legs. His eyes run to and fro through the whole earth (Zechariah 4:10), His hand does valiantly (Psalms 118:16) and His finger does great wonders (Exodus 8:19). Scripture also speaks of the face of the Lord (1Peter 3:12), the breastplate of God’s righteousness (Isaiah 59:17) and of Christ, it was spoken “…and the government shall be upon His shoulders…” (Isaiah 9:6). All those specific expressions of God’s Person are a reflection of man. Indeed, man is a reflection of God. To be the image of God means to be shaped like Him, in outlook, in form. It is not proper to represent God with the image of animals. Yes, God can describe Himself using the different strengths and characters in animals, for instance, the boldness of a lion, the strength of a horse, the vision of an eagle but it is not proper to use any form of an animal to represent God. Man is the best likeness of God. Take a good look at yourself and say, “I look like God”. Beloved, God made you in His image or character to function like Him. You have the capacity to function as God, you only need to give expression to this ability resident on your inside. Shout it out loud, “I am the image of God.”
MY SOLID FRONT (YOUR CONFESSION):
Thank You Father God for making me in Your image and after Your likeness. I make bold to say, I am Your image; I function like You, talk like You, act like You and succeed like You.
Further Meditation:
Genesis 1:27; Psalms 8:4-6.