Who Do You Look Like?

I looked into the face of my grandson and saw the face of his Mom when she was 5! Her DNA was giving shape to that little face. In a sense, he bore her image. His relationship to her is unmistakable. Now let me ask, who do you look like? There’s a line in a Christmas carol that poetically describes the mission of the Christ: “Adam’s likeness now efface, stamp Thine image in its place.” God created us to bear His image. Think of that. He comes to our lives, broken and deformed by a sinful nature, heals us, infuses us with new Spirit-life, and transforms our appearance!

In ancient times, the king would set up an image (TSELEM) of himself in every corner of his empire so people would know whose kingdom they were in. Just in case you think we’re past that kind of thing, take note that politicians still hang their picture in public buildings! For the same reason that a king places images of himself around so people would know who was ruling, God wants to stamp His image in you and me to show Himself and His reign to this world! N.T. Wright observes that ‘God has placed his own image, human beings, into his world so that the world can see who its ruler is.'

This is what God reveals in Genesis when He inspired this passage: “Then God said, "let us make human beings in our image; in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish..." So God created human beings in his own image, In the image of God he created them; Male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:26-27) This is single most world-changing truth about human dignity and equality ever recorded. Imagine what it did to the heart of peasants and slaves when they heard that not just kings but EVERY human being was made in the divine image.

The fact that you were made in the image of God tells you not just about your worth, but also about your destiny. The main point of ‘image of God' language in scripture is not about some ability or trait we share with God, it is about the mission He has given us. God's plan was to graciously share His power through Spirit-breathed little dust bunnies. Through our learning, our work, our culture, our relationships, technology, the arts, medicine; we are- with humility - to add goodness and beauty to families and societies and creation so that God's whole project becomes a glorious delight to all who see it; “For the earth will be filled with the glory of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14) (Before you read on, go back and re-read that paragraph!)

Your destiny is to be contribute more creative God-given goodness to the earth than you can currently imagine; and to offer more earthy joy and gratitude to God than you can currently contain. Tom Wright has a beautiful picture of the IMAGO DEI. “Imagine God up above, the earth below. In between them, human beings are set at a 45 degree angle with a mirror.” Our job, our destiny, is to reflect the holy reign of God down on to the earth-to care for all of creation and particularly human beings the way God would want you to; and then to gather up all the goodness and delight of the earth and put it into words and offer it to God in worship.

The Bibles' language for this is: “you will be a king; you will be a priest.” Peter calls us ‘a royal priesthood… that you may declare the praises of Him who called you!’ This is not a solo act. We are to do this in community- a KINGDOM of PRIESTS.

• Are you letting the Holy Spirit do His work of the formation of the inner character—the spiritual formation— that lets the image of God (IMAGO DEI) be stamped in place of the sinful, broken likeness of Adam?

• Are you regularly and faithfully opening up your heart and mind to the Spirit in prayer, in Scripture intake, in worship (both solo and in church), in service to others, in meditation, in confession? We cannot make ourselves look like God, but we must be willing to let Him work deeply in us.

The ultimate destiny our Father has planned for us is revealed in this line from the Revelation: “The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the new city, and his servants will worship him...and they will reign forever and ever.” (22:3-5) And, we can start now, by leaving our old slave lives behind and letting Him raise us up to be seated in heavenly places.
(Today’s CoffeeBreak is a re-write of an article authored by John Ortberg, teaching pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church)
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Make me more like You,
Jesus, make me more like You.
Give me a heart that filled with Love,
And make me more like You.