To Bear the Image of the Heavenly Man

(Ge1:27; 1Co15:35-49)

God is the origin of image.

Though He is without an image,

From Him came image and

Hetreatseachaccordingtohisimage.

Faith is acknowledging Him, and

The life of this faith is putting effort to take off the image of the earthly man, in order to bear the image

of the heavenly man.

An image refers to a character, a form or a shape.

While all creations have their characteristic image

According to their species, according to God's design (Ge2),

Man was the only creation made in the image and the form of God (Ge1:26-27).

When birds in the sky, fish in the sea, animals on earth

Eat, sleep and produce offspring, they live according to their image.

In addition to the same, man must live according to his conscience to live as a man.

Furthermore, the living being Adam must

Live according to the Word of God to live as the living being (Ge2:7, 17).

The image of God, however, became corrupted when

He was deceived by the devil, the corrupted angel, and sinned,

Becoming his servant (2Pe2:19).

The exodus of Israel was the transformation of the image of the slaves of Egypt to

That of the people and the priests of God (Ex19:6).

Though they ate spiritual food and drank spiritual drink in the desert (1Co10:1-4),

Because of their animal-like lust they complained and thus

All fell in the desert and died (Nu21:5-6).

God commanded them to not make any idols or bow down to them as

It was the ethics regarding image (Ex20:4),

While the sanctuary where the name of the Lord God, Jehovah, was

Reminded them that because God was mindful of their humanness

He provided them with daily bread.

Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days (Jn2:19), because

Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,

He would give the true bread and the true drink for the souls of men (Jn6:32-33), for

He is the incarnate Word, the life-giving spirit (Jn1:1, 14; 1Co15:45).

In spite of this, the devil targeted the weakness of His flesh and

Tempted Him to bow down to himself, a creature, attempting to corrupt the image of God (Mt4:1-11).

However, Jesus declared that man does not live on bread alone but

By doing the work of God (Jn4:32-34).

Thus, as He died, Jesus said, "It is finished (Jn19:30), declaring that He:
1) Made as the eternal rule that dying for the glory of the Father is the true image of man (Jn10:17-18; Php2:6-11);
2) Condemned the devil, the creature that became corrupted in his image (Is14:12-15; 1Jn3:8); and
3) By dying in place of all men gave them a chance to bear the image of God (Mt20:28).

Through His resurrection

Christ was confirmed to be the image of God (2Co4:4).

The Holy Spirit who came in the name Yeshua

Lets the believer know that man must live neither like animal nor like man;

Rather, he must live like Christ, like the image of God.

The man of the Spirit, therefore, puts every effort to

Grow his spiritual body while living in the flesh on earth (1Co15:42-44) and

Even if he is treated lowly like animal on earth

He does not try to avoid it because

When Christ returns

He longs to bear the image of the heavenly man ” the spiritual resurrection (1Co15:45-49).

O Lord,

Even if we face trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger or sword,

Let us never exchange the image of the heavenly man with that of the earthly man.

Holy Spirit, help us

To hastily grow our spiritual bodies, our spiritual wings so

We can soar up to heaven and meet the Lord in that day! Amen.