In His Image

Genesis 1:27 (NIV)
²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

We seek God because we were created in His image. This is at root of our longing and our emptiness without Him. Denying Him and seeking to fill that longing with anything else does not long or truly satisfy. This is a confirmation that God exists and that we are made for Him.

Jesus is described as the exact image of God. The difference between our image and Christ’s exact image is the result of sin. Sin entered the world through disobedience. Jesus perfectly obeyed the Father, and because of that, He reflected the true image of God. He accomplished the obedience that we, man, did not.

Adam’s disobedience resulted in death, which is what God said would happen. Adam did not immediately die, but died later because he was not able to eat from the Tree of Life. His disobedience precluded that opportunity for eternal life. God sent His only Son to receive that judgment of death for all who accept this redemption and salvation. The Tree of Life had to overcome death to provide life. Through His obedience life is restored. We can now eat from the Tree of Life. What once was lost is found. Eternal life was restored through His love and mercy. As we grow in our walk with Jesus, we will become more and more like Him- renewed in His image.