You Are An Image Bearer!

This morning before my girls headed out the door for school I talked to them about being "image bearers" for Christ.  I wanted them to have something to remember throughout the day as they entered their battle field.  A visual picture is always something that sticks with us.  So, we talked about how every coin has the image of someone on it, whether it's George Washington or Abraham Lincoln.   The image is molded into the metal.  Every time we look at a quarter we are reminded of George Washington. When we reach into our pockets for a penny we are reminded of Abraham Lincoln because his image is forever minted or ingrained into that particular piece of money. 

In Genesis 1:27 God's word tells us "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."  We were made in the image of God!  We were intended from the beginning to be image bearers of our Creator.  So, what does it mean to be made in the image of God?  The word image in the original language is the word tselem which means: image, likeness or resemblance.  In the beginning we were made in the likeness of God.  We were made to resemble God.  How cool is that! 

Now, we know the rest of the story.  How the crafty serpent twisted God's truth and deceived Eve and she and Adam who was with her; took the bait, hook, line and sinker and sin entered into the world.    Sin distorted and marred the image of God in us. According to Genesis 5:3 -  When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.  So no longer "image bearers of God" but image bearers of sinful man.   But God had a plan,  the Father knew one day His one and only, perfect, sinless Son Jesus Christ (born of a virgin), would restore us back to God through His shed blood on the Cross.  He would be crucified, to die a cruel brutal death for our sins and be placed in a borrowed tomb and on the third day He would rise from the grave ALIVE (not a ghost) flesh and blood.  He would once again be joined with His Father in heaven, seated at His right hand, making intercession (praying) for His children. 

Jesus Christ has made a way for us to be restored and reconciled back to our Father.  To once again be "image bearers of God".  2 Corn. 5:17 - Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (18)Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, (19) namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (20) Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (21) He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

So, if you are saved by the blood of the Lamb Jesus Christ if you have repented of your sins and asked Jesus to come into your heart and forgive you of all your sins, to be the Lord (Adonai - Master) of your life, you my friend are a new creation.  No longer marred by sin, but now you and I are image bearers of Christ. 

With that being said, let me ask you a question.  Remember the coins we talked about earlier, when we look at a quarter we see George Washington's image.  If you are a born again Christian think about this question, when people look at you do they see the image of Jesus, the image of God? 

Whose image are you bearing?