MAN MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD Devotion #11 of 17

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle , and over all the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them"

(Genesis 1:26-27)

We are being changed into His image

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18). This process is gradual, yet effectual. It is by degrees, or in stages--but that does not mean that it is necessarily slow. I am confounded at the number of expressions in the professed Christian community that deny this reality. To hear the average "churchman" talk, you would think salvation had nothing whatsoever to do with transformation. This is not a fair representation of the case. This is a staggering consideration: becoming more like the Lord! This cannot be accomplished by Law! You will recall that the Law said, "Sanctify yourselves, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God" (Lev. 20:7). But Law could not accomplish this objective. A few men throughout pre-Pentecost history fervently desired to be like the Lord. The Psalmist cried, "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple" (Psa. 27:4). The dominance of sin and death, however, forbade the realization of this desire prior to Christ. Since Jesus "appeared, to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself" (Heb. 9:26), this objective CAN be realized. As we gaze upon Christ, we are transformed by the vision, much like Moses face was affected by His exposure to the glory of God. Looking into the face of Christ involves a dominating contemplation of His Person and work. You will never be "changed" into the image of Christ by a contemplation of duty--although such contemplations are occasionally necessary. Given this situation, those that make the contemplation of Jesus difficult, by distracting us to lesser things, have performed a great disservice to us! Nothing must be allowed to hinder us from due and prolonged consideration of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit adminishes us, "Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart" (Heb 12:3). Jesus is compelling! His name is "Wonderful," because that is what He really is. This is another way of saying He attracts those who will consider Him, particularly as He is revealed in the Gospel. That consideration becomes the means through which change is accomplished in our lives. This type of change cannot be accomplished by methodology or routine. The reason for this circumstance is simply this: method and techniques do not require the commitment of your total person.

-TOMORROW: RENEWED IN KNOWLEDGE AFTER THE IMAGE-