Christ's work in each of us - What exactly is God doing?
June 4, 2010God created humankind – male and female in His image (Genesis 1:27). We are physical, but somehow we are representative of God – we are created to be like Him – in His image. God is spirit. He does not have shape or form that we can see or feel Him. Spirit is likened to the wind (John 3:8), that we cannot see, but it moves across the face of the earth (John 3:8). Perhaps God has ears, eyes, nose, mouth, hands and feet. For humans these are tools whereby we experience the world. These are a means for us to live, work and play in a physical creation. However, given God’s altogether different make-up it would be hard to make God conform to our image, for He lives beyond the physical world.
Perhaps it is more pertinent to think of the semblance of God according to other attributes humans possess and are blessed with.
God made us to have dominion over the whole of the earth (Genesis 1:26-28) – He puts us in charge – like God Himself, who is in charge over the whole universe (Hebrews 1:1) and every living thing and every inanimate object within it.
God made us to have a relationship with Him – to walk and talk with Him in the Garden. Communication, love, companionability – these are attributes we have that we are like God. He made us to love (1 John 4:7-12, John 15:17). He Himself is the epitome of love and loving (1 John 4:7-8).
God gave us a commission – to tend the Garden (Genesis 2:15) – we can put to use our imagination and creative talents. He gave us a heart to appreciate beauty and to play with it, to organize it in terms of shapes, colours, textures, tastes, sounds, smells and structures, to create great diversity and uniqueness in all we do. God is divine creator and we too create.
God is the author of life. He breathed life into us (Genesis 2:7) and we were created to live. God is creating sons and daughters (Romans 8:14) in His image. We have children and in those children – each one of them – is a re-creation of a child in our image and in God’s image – we share this pro-creation with God. We guide our children in wisdom and morals as they grow.
God is creating us in His image, in terms of our spiritual nature as well. We are to conform to the image of the Firstborn – Jesus. “For this is eternal life, to know God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent” (John 17:1-3). Jesus sets us on the path of Spiritual enlightenment and maturity through the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit which sustained Him and inspired Him. In our character we develop Godliness, love, true righteousness. We are transformed to be like Christ (Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 3:18) and we will follow Him (John 15:24, 12:26, as God’s children (John 1:12) into Heaven, to a home (John 14:1-4) He has prepared for us. We are His workmanship, created in His image and likeness. This is what Christ is creating in us when He calls us to be His disciples and empowers us with His mighty Holy Spirit.
Posted by Veronica Ligteringen
