Tag Archives: Christ

Do We Really See Ourselves in God’s Image?

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Seeing Ourselves in God’s Image

MAIN PASSAGE: Genesis 1:1 – 31
A. IMAGE – Webster definition: 1: a reproduction or imitation of the form of a person or thing;

(1) What does the Bible mean when it speaks of God’s image?
Key Bible Text: Genesis 1:26 – 28 (NASB), “26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

(2) Being made in God’s image refers to characteristics that God shares with us. God obviously did not create us exactly like himself, because God has no physical body when He first created man (Adam and Eve). Jesus later on did take on our physical form as the God-man (John 1:1, John 10:30, 2 Corinthians 5:21). I believe the word teaches that it is our entire self that reflects the image of God. (Psalms 139:14, “I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.”) We do have the ability to reflect His character in our love, patience, forgiveness, kindness, and faithfulness as evidenced in the fruits of the spirit-filled life. (See Galatians 5:22-23)

(3) God’s image is the basis for human self-worth (also known as self-esteem). Knowing that we are made in God’s image and thus share many of his characteristics provides a solid basis for self-worth. John 3:16-17 is a great illustration of our worth.

(4) God’s image is shared equally by women and men. Remember Genesis 1: 27.

(5) God’s image is an important factor in all human relationships.
Key Bible Text: Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man. (Genesis 9:6, niv) Please read Genesis 9:1-7.
Here God explains why murder is so wrong: To kill a person is to kill one made in God’s image. God desires that we interact with others. When believers interact with other believers, this is fellowship. (Hebrews 10:24-25).

(6) God’s image in us means that we belong to him, those of us who are Believers.
Key Bible Text: They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him. (Mark 12:16-17, niv) *Read Mark 12:13-17.
The Pharisees and Herodians thought they had the perfect question to trap Jesus. Jesus said that the coin bearing the emperor’s image should be given to the emperor. But our life, which bears God’s image, belongs to God. Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

(7) God’s image is displayed in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is whom we should want to model. “Christian” means Christ Like or little Christ. There are also other meanings and associative terms but you get the drift!
Colossians 2:8-10, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority.”

If you don’t have a personal relationship, here is the Gospel presented in the book of Romans (also called the Romans Road).

Also John 3:16-17 are some great verses. Especially pay attention to verse 17 since this shows you God’s love toward you. 

(1) “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, Romans 3:23

(2) “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”, Romans 6:23

(3) “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”, Romans 5:8

(4) “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” Romans 10:9-10

(5) OUR PROMISE:  “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 (Eph 2:8-9 are wonderful verses as well)

 (*sidenote:  The whole chapter of Romans 8 is great for all of us to read, study and reflect on, since it covers our new position in Christ and there is no longer any condemnation.)

Is the Verbal Gospel Important to Preach?

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Yes, in fact it is vital!

Before we go on to answering this important question in detail, we want to first share the Gospel with you.  We don’t want to assume that you know Jesus Christ or even understand the Gospel well enough to make this important decision.  We pray that the Holy Spirit will touch your heart.  1 Corinthians 1:18 (KJV), “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”  We hope that the Holy Spirit will clarify the Gospel to you and that it will not be foolish to you but become God’s powerful message to you.

There are several great illustrations on sharing the Gospel (Four Spiritual Laws presented by Campus Crusade for Christ, The Bridge to Life by The Navigators, Romans Road, etc.)  As long as the Gospel is presented clearly with God’s Word, we don’t take issue.  Philippians 1:18 (NASB), “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice”.  For this presentation, we chose the Bridge to Life illustration.  (Editor confession:  Hey,  I like cool illustrations and pictures!)

The Navigators (copyright), http://www.navigators.org/resources/shared/tools/bridge.pdf

God's Love
Verses for God’s Love: John 10:10, Gen 1:27
Man's Problem

Verses for Man’s Problem: SIN: Romans 3:23 DEATH: Romans 6:23 JUDGMENT: Hebrews 9:27

God's Remedy

Verses for God’s Remedy: CHRIST: 1 Peter 3:18, Romans 5:8

Man's Response

Verses for Man’s Response: BELIEVE: John 3:16, John 5:24

Are We Obedient to Christ?

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Are We Obedient to Christ?

49 General Commands of Christ

What are 49 Ways to Love God and Others?

The theme of all Scripture is to love God with all of our hearts and to love one another. (See Matthew 22:40 and John 13:34.)

  1. Repent—Matthew 4:17—Humility
  2. Follow Me—Matthew 4:19—Meekness
  3. Rejoice—Matthew 5:12—Joyfulness
  4. Let Your Light Shine—Matthew 5:16—Generosity
  5. Honor God’s Law—Matthew 5:17–18—Love
  6. Be Reconciled—Matthew 5:24–25—Responsibility
  7. Do Not Commit Adultery—Matthew 5:29–30—Self-Control
  8. Keep Your Word—Matthew 5:37—Truthfulness
  9. Go the Second Mile—Matthew 5:38–42—Deference
  10. Love Your Enemies—Matthew 5:44—Creativity
  11. Be Perfect—Matthew 5:48—Sincerity
  12. Practice Secret Disciplines—Matthew 6:1–18—Faith
  13. Lay Up Treasures—Matthew 6:19–21—Thriftiness
  14. Seek God’s Kingdom—Matthew 6:33—Initiative
  15. Judge Not—Matthew 7:1—Discernment
  16. Do Not Cast Pearls—Matthew 7:6—Discretion
  17. Ask, Seek, and Knock—Matthew 7:7–8—Resourcefulness
  18. Do Unto Others—Matthew 7:12—Sensitivity
  19. Choose the Narrow Way—Matthew 7:13–14—Decisiveness
  20. Beware of False Prophets—Matthew 7:15—Alertness
  21. Pray For Laborers—Matthew 9:38—Compassion
  22. Be Wise as Serpents—Matthew 10:16—Wisdom
  23. Fear God, Not Man—Matthew 10:26—Boldness
  24. Hear God’s Voice—Matthew 11:15—Attentiveness
  25. Take My Yoke—Matthew 11:29—Obedience
  26. Honor Your Parents—Matthew 15:4—Honor/Reverence
  27. Beware of Leaven—Matthew 16:6—Virtue
  28. Deny Yourself—Luke 9:23—Determination
  29. Despise Not Little Ones—Matthew 18:10—Tolerance
  30. Go to Offenders—Matthew 18:15—Justice
  31. Beware of Covetousness—Luke 12:15—Contentment
  32. Forgive Offenders—Matthew 18:21–22—Forgiveness
  33. Honor Marriage—Matthew 19:6—Loyalty
  34. Be a Servant—Matthew 20:26–28—Availability
  35. Be a House of Prayer—Matthew 21:13—Persuasiveness
  36. Ask in Faith—Matthew 21:21–22—Patience
  37. Bring in the Poor—Luke 14:12–14—Hospitality
  38. Render to Caesar—Matthew 22:19–21—Gratefulness
  39. Love the Lord—Matthew 22:37–38—Enthusiasm
  40. Love Your Neighbor—Matthew 22:39—Gentleness
  41. Await My Return—Matthew 24:42–44—Punctuality
  42. Take, Eat, and Drink—Matthew 26:26–27—Thoroughness
  43. Be Born Again—John 3:7—Security
  44. Keep My Commandments—John 14:15—Diligence
  45. Watch and Pray—Matthew 26:41—Endurance
  46. Feed My Sheep—John 21:15–16—Dependability
  47. Baptize My Disciples—Matthew 28:19—Cautiousness
  48. Receive God’s Power—Luke 24:49—Orderliness
  49. Make Disciples—Matthew 28:20—Flexibility

Editor’s Note:  This is copied in its entirety from Bill Gothard’s website.  Bill Gothard is founder and president of the Institute in Basic Life Principles, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to serving youth and families through God-ordained leaders.  We praise the Lord for Bill’s dedication to this important ministry.  Dr. Gothard and his ministry has had a deep impact in the editor’s own life.

Is There A Literal, Future Second Coming of Jesus?

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Is There A Literal, Future Second Coming of Jesus 

Jesus promised His disciples He would come again. It’s in the Bible, John 14:1-3, TLB. “Let not your heart be troubled. You are trusting God, now trust in Me. There are many homes up there where my Father lives, and I am going to prepare them for your coming. When everything is ready, then I will come and get you, so that you can always be with Me where I am. If this weren’t so, I would tell you plainly. And you know where I am going and how to get there.”Christ’s return will be literal and real. It’s in the Bible, Acts 1:10-11, TLB. “It was not long afterwards that He rose into the sky and disappeared into a cloud, leaving them staring after Him. As they were straining their eyes for another glimpse, suddenly two white-robed men were standing there among them, and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky? Jesus has gone away to heaven, and some day, just as He went, He will return!'”
To read more, please visit this link bibleinfo.com/en/topics/second-coming-jesus .   Editor Note:  We do realize this is from a Seventh Day Adventist website and although we may not agree with all their doctrines, we do believe they did give an acceptable but “safe” overview of the literal, future second coming of Jesus Christ.

For additional teaching and more solid food about Rapture, Tribulation, Millennium (1000 year Reign) and 2nd Coming, Dr. David Hocking isn’t afraid to take this topic head on and explained this well in his famous, expository style of teaching.  He broke this down into two parts:  (1)  The Second Coming of Christ Part One.  (2) The Second Coming of Christ Part Two.  On this website, we hold to the views that Dr. David Hocking teaches although we discuss other views if requested.