Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - IMAGE

IMAGE

And God said: “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…” and “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).

Many people look at the word image and conceive of something similar to what one sees in a mirror - an image of a person.  This is the impression of what God is like; another person, perhaps a fatherly or grandfatherly type, white beard and all, sitting on a throne just waiting to spoil His kids or grandkids. And if you haven’t had a good experience with your father, perhaps instead you picture God as a woman (even though the Bible never suggests this) ready to indulge your children in the same way.

But the Bible doesn’t give this as an image of God at all. God is spirit, not flesh and overall is displayed as a powerful entity, immense, mighty with extreme intelligence, all present and all knowing, and with an aura so magnificent that even looking on Him means death.  “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”(Exodus 33:20)

So how does a person relate to a being who cannot be really understood, whose regulations cannot be lived up to, whose majesty cannot be perceived and overall an entity no one can truly comprehend? In truth, it’s really impossible. So God devised a way.

He created a persona of a Son in human flesh and came to us in a way we might understand. He did not need to understand us, but it was the best way for us to understand Him. Thus, He said: “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him” (John 14:7).

So the image of God has two forms, Father and Son, but He also left part of His spirit with us as a third entity, if we desire It. “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever - the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:15-17)

Thus the image of God developed in three aspects, the Father (spirit), the Son (flesh) and the Holy Spirit (truth).

So how does this relate to man? After all, we are much more likely to relate positively to any being if we ourselves have a structure similar to that being. So God came to earth as a creature of flesh because we are beings of flesh. God gave us the “Spirit of truth” because we have a mind and soul to seek out and recognize the essence of truth. And God Himself, who is Spirit, provided in us a spiritual aspect to relate in kind to His Spirit. “God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth”(John 4:24).

God has three forms: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We have three aspects: body, soul, and spirit; each relatable to a form of God. Truly made in His image and giving us something to think about.