God's Image

Morning Bible Study Lesson

"Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1: 26, 27 NIV)

What does God look like? If we know this, we will be able to recognize any pictures, likenesses, or images of him.

"And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness. And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice. And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it. Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth: And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven." (Deuteronomy 4: 11-19 KJV)

God has no "form," nor "body" or "shape," nor "similitude." He is pure Spirit, as Jesus said. (John 4: 24) Spirit, said Jesus, does "not have flesh and bone." (Luke 24: 39) God has essentially, therefore, no physical appearance.

God is "invisible." He has no material visibility. (I Timothy 1: 17 & Hebrews 11: 27) Wrote John:

"No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him." (John 1: 18 NKJV)

If God is invisible and cannot be "seen," then why does the Lord Jesus say that the "pure in heart will see God"? (Matthew 5: 8 KJV) And why do the scriptures say men will "see God face to face"?

"And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads." (Revelation 22: 3, 4 KJV)

And, why do the scriptures say that Moses "saw" the Lord?

"By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible." (Hebrews 11: 27 NIV)

Though God is "invisible" Spirit, yet he may make "appearances" to the eyes, in various forms, though he did not do so while appearing to the Israelites on Mt. Sinai. There he appeared in no form or likeness. Later, however, when appearing to Moses, he would appear first in a "burning bush," and then later in some other glorious manner, when he spoke to Moses "face to face."

Other times he would appear to other patriarchs in human form, as an angelic man, and then later to the prophets in various manners. To Ezekiel the Lord made an appearing, manifesting his presence in a glorious manner.

"To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain." (Exodus 24: 17 NIV)

The writer to the Hebrews seems to refer to this appearance of God, saying "our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12: 29) Moses too wrote:

"For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God." (Deuteronomy 4: 24 KJV)

"Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee." (9: 3)

"And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed." (Exodus 3: 2 KJV)

God is not fire, but fire is one of the ways in which God has manifested his "presence." God is like fire, as he is like wind, being Spirit.

"Then the woman went to her husband and told him, "A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome." (Judges 13: 6 NIV)

Awesomeness is a quality of the divine being and presence. This awesomeness is peculiar to the "divine nature," and is what is shared by glorified men and angels. The "divine nature" is glorious, beautiful, and spectacular. The "sight" of God's being and radiant glory fills the soul with awe, fear, and wonder and amazement. There is a "brilliancy" to the divine presence, when it is manifested, such that dazzles the eye.

"He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods." (Daniel 3: 25 NIV)

Who was this "fourth man" in the fire? It was no man, but an angel of God, perhaps even Christ himself, in one of his pre-incarnate appearances. Notice how there is a "likeness" to heavenly and divine beings, an image that is awesome and beatific.

"...saw his face as it had been the face of an angel." (Acts 6: 15)

"Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking." (Ezekiel 1: 26-28 NIV)

This was either a description of some holy angel or of Christ, who is styled in scripture "the Angel of the Lord" and the "angel of his presence." and the "angel (messenger" of the covenant." (Isaiah 63: 9 & Malachi 3: 1) Notice how the divine presence is described as being fire, and glowing molten metal, and a brilliant rainbow of shining glory.

"And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen." (Exodus 33: 14-23 KJV)

Moses was not granted a full revelation of the "glory" of the "presence" and "face" of God. Rather, he was granted a limited vision, seeing only the "back parts" of God, his lessor glory. Such a full revelation Moses could not receive, for these greater revelations were reserved for those under the New Covenant and for the glorified and resurrected saints.

"Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God." (Exodus 3: 6 KJV)

Moses had apparently been strengthened in his courage and confidence with the Lord between chapters 3 and 33. He went from being afraid to look upon the Lord to greatly desiring to see his "face."

Further, from the teaching of the New Testament, it is clear that Christ, the Son of God, the one who was known in the Old Testament as the "Angel of Jehovah," is the "face", and "glory," and "presence" of God. (See II Corinthians 4: 6 & James 2: 1)

A man has his "natural face" (James 1: 23), the face of his body, but he also, by implication, has a "face" to his soul.

"And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." (Genesis 32: 24-30 KJV)

God is so awesome, and his presence so spectacular, that the experience drains mortal men of all their life. Men must be equipped and qualified to behold God in the plenitude of his glory. Jacob and Moses survived it, but they did not see the fulness of God's glory, and were both divinely enabled.

"As I looked, "thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him." (Daniel 7: 9, 10 NIV)

Again, this is but one vision of God in his relation to the coming Day of Judgment and is not to be taken literally as expressing his complete likeness. It is a visible representation of the invisible God, yea, of Christ, the Son of God and coming Judge and King.

God is not so much "seen" with the physical eyes but with the "eyes of the soul," with the "eyes of the understanding." (Ephesians 1: 18 KJV) The ancients called this man's "third eye," his ability to see in spirit the things of the realm of spirit. He is not seen corporeally, but mentally or intellectually; nor is he "seen" in his essence, but rather in his works of creation and providence. He is also not seen immediately, but mediately in and through Christ. Moses saw Christ visionally, and symbolically in the bush and in the consuming fire, and prophets and holy men saw him by faith, and with the eyes of their understanding.

It is therefore impossible to make an image, picture, or likeness of him, and to attempt to do so, is a direct violation of his expressed will, and a degradation to him. The only place to have an "image" of God is to have it in one's mind and understanding. Men have "mental images" of God, and they may be true and accurate or false.

The word imagination involves seeing "images" in the mind. What is our mental image of God? When the gospel and truth is preached and taught, false images of God are "cast down" while correct images of God are acquired. (II Corinthians 10: 5)

This is not to say that there are absolutely no images or likenesses of God, however. The above words say that God made man in his image and likeness. Thus, man, pristine man, is a picture of divinity.

But, it is not the physical being of man that resembles the divine being, but his spiritual, moral, and rational being, or in his soul and mind that resembles deity.

Yes, man is the only animal that walks erect, on two feet. Man is therefore physically "upright." Indirectly, therefore, does the physical body depict deity, for "uprightness" is a metaphor for being righteous and obedient.

"Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all." (Colossians 3: 9-11 NIV)

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4: 22-24 NIV)

These verses define what it means for man to be made in the "likeness" and "image" of God. The "image" of the Creator is reflected or mirrored in the soul or mind of man, the place where he entertains his ideas and images about God. It is in knowledge, and righteousness, and holiness, that man most is "like" God.

The "old self" or "old man" is debased in his knowledge of God and divine things. The "new self" or "new man" is "renewed," however, in his knowledge and understanding of God, truth, and righteousness. The old self is unlike God because it is sinful, not righteous, and not holy, while the new self is like God in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness.

"To whom, then, will you compare God? What image will you compare him to?" (Isaiah 40: 18 NIV)

God is beyond description, so why would men attempt to make an image of him? How could man do better than God himself, who made man and angel to be an image or likeness of him?

"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill." (Acts17: 29 NIV)

"Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another." (Romans 1: 22-24 NIV)

Thus, idolatry is a most heinous crime against God. No creature could possibly be an "image" of God.

"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (II Corinthians 4: 4 NIV)

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him." (Colossians 1: 15, 16 NIV)

"Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high..." (Hebrews 1: 3 KJV)

These verses tell us the the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the only full and "express image" of God. The face of Christ is the face of God. The glory of Christ is the glory of God. The likeness of Christ is the very likeness of God.

"Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." (John 14: 8-10 KJV)

Christ being the "express image" of God, he could properly say, "he who has seen me has seen the Father." He looked like his Father, the perfect image of him. You cannot tell them apart.

"And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven." (I Corinthians 15: 49 NIV)

"For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." (Romans 8: 29 NIV)

Believers are predestined to be "conformed to the image of Christ," the "man from heaven." They will then "bear the image of the heavenly," rather than the earthly.

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is...This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother." (I John 3: 1,2, 10 NIV)

Children are the "images" of their parents. One can see the faces of parents in the faces of their offspring. So too with the children of God. In becoming his children by spiritual birth, they take on the nature and likeness of God.

"...and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection." (Luke 20: 36 NIV)

To become fully "like God" as his children, he must be "renewed in knowledge" and in understanding of God, and must be made righteous and holy in Christ, and must be made immortal. Believers have now become God's people in spirit, though not in body, not yet fully, and will not become such till the resurrection of the body.

"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." (Romans 8: 16 NIV)

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children." (Ephesians 5: 1 NIV)

"...so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe." (Philippians 2: 15 NIV)

"But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." (Matthew 5: 44, 45 NIV)

Those who are "conformed to the image of Christ" are they who have come to a true and saving knowledge of God, who have been made righteous and holy in Christ, and who are therefore "blameless" and "pure" and destined to shining glory. They are people who love.

"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (II Corinthians 3: 18 NIV)

"On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the LORD going before them." (Zechariah 12: 8 NIV)

Those who will behold with faith and love the beauty and glory of Christ are they who even now are being transformed into the image of God. When this transformation is complete, then the children of God will be "like God" and "like the Angel of the Lord," that is, like Christ.