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The Persecuted Church

 

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Can we interpret Genesis 1:27 as meaning our divinity?

 There is only one God- God does not make other Gods. Isa. 46:9 “Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me,”

Exod 15:11 "Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

Isa 43:10 “believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me.”

Isa 44:6: 'I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.”

God makes it clear that He alone is the creator, sustainer and life-giver of all, there is no other in this category.

Gen 1:27: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

To be created in the image of God does not mean we have any of His unlimited attributes such as omnipotence, omnipresence or omniscience; human beings were not made to be little gods. Man is a creature who has limited abilities like His maker's unlimited abilities. God cannot duplicate himself by creating another like him. A creature can never be equal to the eternal creator.

What are the features that man was created in, that reflect his creator since we are made in His image and likeness? God is Spirit (Jn.4:24) He is invisible. When it states we were created in His image it means man was given a spirit. It does not mean that God is a physical being or that we are like him in every manner. In the Hebrew language Image tselem- is related to nature, the immaterial part of man. It means we have a spiritual nature like God, in a finite way. Likeness- Heb. Demuth does not mean in a physical sense. This means we have a spiritual nature like God, God is Spirit. Man has moral likeness and quality within him like His maker.

God has communicable and incommunicable attributes. He alone possesses eternality, He is uncaused, uncreated, always existing. He has omnipresence, omniscience, immutability, holiness as His nature (perfect, no flaws in any part). The uncreated God is unlimited in His knowledge Isa.40:13,14; Ps. 147:5

Man is limited in his knowledge Isa.55:8-9

God is present everywhere Jer.23:23-24 Ps. 139:7-12

Man is confined to one place at a time Jn.1:50

God possesses eternality, He is infinite, immortal, deathless, God has eternal life in himself. Jn.5:26 Ps.90:2

Man dies physically and can die spiritually. Gen. 2:17

God is almighty is able to do all things and is not dependent on anyone. Job 4:2 Isa.40:10-13

Man is dependent on God to sustain him. Jn. 1:3-4,9 acts 17:28; man is weak 1 Cor. 1:25

God is the creator of all things. Jn. 1:3 col. 1: 16

Man cannot create from nothing but can only use what materials are already there.

Deut 4:35: “To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD Himself is God; there is none other besides Him.”

God has incommunicable attributes such as eternality; He alone is uncaused and uncreated. He has omnipresence, omniscience, immutability, holiness as His nature (perfect no flaws in any part) God is unlimited in knowledge Isa.40:13,14 Ps. 147:5 man is limited in his knowledge Isa.55:8-9 God is present everywhere Jer.23:23-24 Ps. 139:7-12.

Man is confined to one place at a time. Jn. 1:50

God possesses eternality He is infinite, immortal, deathless, God has eternal life in himself Jn.5:26 Ps.90:2

Man dies physically and can die spiritually Gen. 1:26 man is dependent on God to sustain him. Jn. 1:3-4, 9; Acts 17:28.

Image means a personal likeness. God is a personal being, so is man. There is also a moral likeness we were created in. Each of us have individuality. God is Holy. Man like his creator had what is termed unconfirmed creature holiness in his original state in the garden. “God is a Spirit” (John 4:24) and He created a being with an immortal spirit and soul, with whom He could communicate. Because of the fall, man died spiritually. Genesis 5:3 tells us that Adam became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth. Adam was first created in the image and likeness of God, but because of his sin, his offspring were born in Adam's own image and likeness, his sin was passed on. If Adam had not sinned this would have been passed on to his offspring. After Adam sinned the same nature of sin was passed on to all.

This is why the Bible says we must be “born again” (“born from above”) in order to be formed in God's image and likeness. Through a spiritual rebirth God wishes to restore fallen man in his sinful state to begin a relationship with him (creator to creature) by making his home with him (John 14:23). In Rom. 8:29 we are told that we are “to be conformed to the image of his Son.” This is a continual process starting from the time we are born again. When we a renewed we don't become God, nor will we be exactly like him in the resurrection. Jesus said to Philip: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9), we can never say we are the exact perfect image or representation of the invisible God, we are creatures and will be creatures even in the resurrection.

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