What Does it Mean to be Made in God's Image?

For those who would like to listen to a recording of a meeting which read and discussed this material, that content starts at the (26:26) counter mark of this link: 

            (https://soundcloud.com/user-192860936/12-jan-2024-08-06-38-est-1d8ukb7fobp4)

Question:

Gen.1:26 reads; 

"26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

What does it mean that we are made in God's image?

My Reply:

At Gen.5:1 we read;

"5 This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God."

This tells us that while everything was as yet, seen by God as "good"; Adam was in the likeness of God (Gen.1:27,31). We can begin to learn what it means to be a "likeness" and "in the image of" if we look at Gen.5:3NKJV. There it reads;

"3 And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth".

When we consider the likeness between a father and son, we notice that they share traits. There is an identifiable resemblance.

How can a human of flesh, resemble a spirit? (John4:24; 3:6)

That resemblance could not be in regard to physical traits. They then must be as regards spiritual traits.

(1Pet.1:15-16;  1Thess.4:7; Matt.5:48;  2Cor.7:1; Eph.5:1;  1John3:9).

Before Adam sinned, he possessed the spirit of God and lived according to that spirit 

(Gen.2:7; John20:22; Gal.5:16-17,22-25; Rom.8:13; Phil.2:3; Matt.7:12). 

Before sinning; Adam reflected his holy Father.

Luke 3:38 tells us that at his creation; Adam was a son of God.

As such, Adam also was placed with a dominion (Gen.1:26). The authority and power given Adam included the ability to be a steward of all the creation placed under his feet. He was expected to follow another expression of God's likeness... to be benevolent, merciful, generous, and kind.

When Adam sinned, his likeness to God was lost. Adam took on the traits of a different father. The ruthless cruelty of narcissism replaced holiness 

(John 8:44; John 10:10 a; Eph.2:2;  1John3:10; Rom.5:12; 8:20). 

His heart would now produce thorns, thistles and briers, instead of cultivating the word of God 

(Luke 8:11,15; Gen.3:18; Matt.15:18-19; Luke 6:44-45). 

The spirit of God no longer dwelt in Adam, and without God's spirit, there is no life 

(Rom.8:13; Gal.5:17,19-21) (Hab.1:13;  1Chron.28:9; Ps.104:29-30> LINK:*(see the GNT translation) 

(https://4womaninthewilderness.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-thorn-in-flesh-2cor.html)

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All this rightly sounds distressing, because we are all generated from and born in, the likeness of Adam and Eve (Ps.51:5; Rom.3:23; 5:12). 

Is there any hope for us to be able to retrieve the spirit of God, renounce sin and death, and regain the spirit and life that Adam was initially blessed with? (John 3:15-16; Gal.5:22-25).

Please consider what we learn from the scriptures to follow:

1Thess.4:1-2,3-5; Rom.7:24-25; 6:12-14,16-18,19-21,22-23; 8:2,6-7,9-11,29; Gen.2:7; Rom.5:5; 8:14-16; Gal.3:26; 5:16; 4:4-5;  1John5:1-3,4-6,7-9,10-12;  2Cor.5:17;  1Cor.15:49; Eph.4:13; 3:19;  2Pet.1:4; John6:63;  1Pet.1:3,23; Gen.2:9; Rev.22:14,1-2,17; Mal.2:7; John 13:20; 20:21; Rev.22:16

 1Pet.1:23; John 1:14;  1Cor.15:45; John3:15-16; Rom.8:13; Col.3:3,5-7,8-10

As perceived within the scriptures above,

there are various ways to gain holy spirit, its guidance, and the eternal life of holiness which results. These provisions compare to the structure of a family. To gain more understanding of this, please consider: https://4womaninthewilderness.blogspot.com/2023/12/a-spiritual-family-new-creation.html

(https://4womaninthewilderness.blogspot.com/2013/08/two-trees.html)

--  (https://pearl-copingwithsin.blogspot.com) (our-battle-with-the-flesh.html)

----  (https://pearl-holycity.blogspot.com)

------  (https://4womaninthewilderness.blogspot.com/2023/12/a-spiritual-family-new-creation.html)

--------  (https://pearl-finetrees.blogspot.com)

----------  (https://4womaninthewilderness.blogspot.com/2012/05/where-is-true-religion.html)

Gen.1:27 brings in another topic in addition to being made in God's image. It adds that God made them male and female. This is where the duel existence of having traits of both flesh and spirit comes into the picture. God's image, is spirit (John4:24). Male and female is physical. Originally, Adam and Eve were both physical and spiritual. - When we are born as spirit, as Gal.3:28 tells us, we are nether male nor female. God and the Logos were also neither male nor female in the physical sense. 

Only in the spiritual sense, are they male. Only in a spiritual sense, is the bride of Christ, female (2Cor.11:2-3; Eph.5:23-32; Rev.21:2,9-10). 

As spiritual fathers, God and Christ cause life​ (Prov.23:24NIV ; Ps.36:9; Isa.9:6). The bride covenant members, nurture what God causes to become (Gal.4:26;  1Thess.2:7-9;  1Pet.2:2; Isa.66:10-11) by caring for the children that result from His spirit and truth (Eph.5:8;  1Thess.5:5,8-9).

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