Jackie Chan once said in one of his movies “Who am I?”. He had just fallen from a crashing helicopter and hit his head and lost his memory. After lots of clever battles and pretty girls, in the end he remembers who he is, the baddies go to jail, and he gets the girl; no surprises there!
But it is a good question: “Who am I?” and, another good question is: “Why am I here?”. Only God knows the full answer to these questions, but He has left us a few clues in the scriptures.
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
Genesis 1:26
So we were made in the image of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit; in other words in the image of the triune of God. God is spirit (Genesis 1:2) we are flesh (Genesis 2:21-22). So what does this mean; this is what the notes in my study bible say about this passage:-
“Since man is made in God’s image, every human is worthy of honour and respect; he is neither to be murdered (Gen 9:6) nor cursed (James 3:9). ‘Image’ includes such characteristics as ‘righteousness and holiness’ (Ephesians 4:24) and ‘knowledge’ (Colossians 3:10). Believers are to be conformed to ‘likeness’ of Christ (Romans 8:29) and will one day be like him (1 John 3:2). Rule. Man is the climax of God’s creative activity, and God has Crowned him with glory and honour and made him ruler over the rest of his creation (psalm 8:5-8). Since man was created in the in the image of the divine King, delegated sovereignty (kingship) was bestowed on him.”
So we were created to be all of these things, a “Royal Priesthood” (1 Peter 2) pointing the way to God, created for God’s Glory (Isaiah 43:7). However, there is a problem, we were born into a fallen world, born of the image of Adam the Fallen man (Genesis 5:3), born into death (Romans 5:12-14). So our very nature is to be none of the things God created us to be, unable to demonstrate the image of God to others; instead to be disobedient, to reject God, to put ourselves and our desires first. Not only does this put God into second place, but also everyone else. So we were unable to be in relationship with God. Therefore we were fighting against our created purpose, a creation broken, fallen and in rebellion against the one who created us. With no Hope of being able to find a way to back, to relationship with God and eternal live in His image.
But although we were a broken and destined for eternal separation from God He loves us so much, and did not give up on us. God Himself became the man Christ Jesus and walked the earth in perfect obedience to God the Father, showing us what it means to truly be made in the image of God. This is why Jesus died for us, paying the price for our rebellion so that we can be brought back into relationship with the Father, to live again as one created in the image of God. Not by anything we could do, but by His grace (Ephesians 2:5). Jesus has done it all and if we accept Him we are clothed in his righteousness and we become “a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Cor 5:17). Once again we will be able to walk through life, truly reflecting the image of God to others.
We are by no means perfect, but were are being “transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is Spirit” (2 Cor 3;18). The Holy Spirit at work in us means we carry the righteousness of Jesus with us in our day-to-day lives we are the image of God to friends, work mates, school friends, strangers in the street etc. So remember this next time you go to the cinema, work, school or supermarket. You are made in the image of God, reflecting his glory to others that they may see Jesus in you, hear his call and turn and be saved.