God created the heavens, the earth, and man. All that the Lord made was according to His purpose and His plan. Nothing came into being without the Creator. When the Lord had completed His design “[He] saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1: 31). This simple verse depicts the Lord’s power, perfection, and pleasure. With a mere word the Lord spoke the entire universe into existence! What an awe dropping illustration of the marvelous power of the Lord Almighty. A finite mind can not fully comprehend this truth let alone realize that it is only a slight glimpse of the Lord’s unending and intense power. Not only did He prove His power but He established His perfection. When the Lord created He fashioned all things in goodness. He did not make mistakes or fail to construct good things. His perfect and good nature would not allow Him to. His breathtaking power and flawless perfection elicited in Him delight and satisfaction. When he surveyed His new world and the new creatures in it He was pleased. He had given life so He would be able to love His creation and His creation would honor and worship Him, continuing to provide Him with pleasure and happiness. “[I]n creating God was creating a personal being who, in manner impossible for other animate creatures, is capable of personal fellowship with and personal response to his personal Creator” (pg 5, Hughes). This shows that the Lord did not fashion man blindly or separate from Him but instead as a part of Him. The Lord had created man in His image. “[He said], 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…[s]o 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). “Three things are plain from this passage: (1) man is the last of God’s creatures to be brought into existence and the crown or peak of creation; (2) man alone is created in the image of God and in this crucial respect is unique among God’s creatures; and (3) man’s creaturely supremacy and uniqueness find expression in the dominion which he alone is given, and which he alone is fitted to exercise, “over all the earth” (pg 3, Hughes). He is the pinnacle of creation, fitted to the image of God, and the guardian of the rest of creation. In these ways man is set apart from the rest of creation. As a result, the part of creation that mirrors Him most closely is man.
The account of Adam and Eve in Genesis shows how the Lord formed a world and a people who were not tainted with sin but how man given their free will strayed from God’s will. The king of deceivers, Satan, enticed the pure creation of the Lord, Adam and Eve, by waving the temptation of ultimate knowledge and understanding in front of them. Satan draws them in saying, “for God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). When they bit onto the lure of temptation all of humanity would feel the consequences. The taste of sin would never leave man’s mouth because an innate sin nature would forever be passed on to every generation. This nature would eternally separate man from God, for He is perfect, as well as, just and despises all sin. Despite this schism man continues to mirror his Creator, God. How might man in his imperfection see the similarities between himself and God? The continued discovery and study of the facets of God leads to a greater understanding of who the Lord is which then allows man to distinguish the attributes in themselves that emulate the Lords. The facets of the Lord are unending and many even indescribable. Therefore, it is utterly incomprehensible for man’s finite mind to draw all the parallels between themselves and the attributes of God that they may embody.
First, man must realize that he does not physically model God. The first century philosopher Philo of Alexandria in reference to Genesis 1:26 said, “no one should represent the likeness as relating to bodily form [since] neither is God in human form nor is the human body God-like” (Hughes). John 4:24 says that, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." Romans 1:24 says, “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” 1 Timothy 1:17 says, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever.” These verses both illustrate and describe the Lord’s qualities as invisible demonstrating that He does not have a physical body but exists in spirit. To further prove that the Lord does not have a physical body man must understand that God is the first cause. He is the uncaused cause of all that is and therefore can not be a finite being or limited by space or time. He is not a created being but the Creator of all beings. 1 Kings 8:27 says, “"But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!” Job 11:7-9 says, “"Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens—what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave —what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea.” Isaiah 66:1-2 says, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?’ declares the LORD. ‘This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.’” Colossians 1:17 says, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” The grandeur of God is uncontainable, unexplainable, inescapable, invisible, and infinite. Although, the Lord does not have a physical body and is not comprised of matter and cells does not mean He can not utilize a physical form.
Even though man does not exemplify God in a physical sense he does reflect certain attributes of God. Yet, because of man’s fallen state all attributes of God found in man are tainted and are not fully mastered by men. Some of the many shared attributes that characterize God and man strives towards are love, faithfulness, wisdom, justice, holiness, prayer, fellowship, moral judgment, patience, mercy, forgiveness, grace, creativity, and suffering. The few that will be explained in detail are love, faithfulness, and wisdom.
Throughout the Bible readers notice the constant acts of God’s love. 1 John 4:8 says, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Love in the Bible is defined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a which says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” God’s ultimate act of love was shown when He sent His Son to this sinful wicked unloving earth so that He may suffer, bear the wrath of God, and die for all man’s sins in order for all of humanity to be able to be saved from eternal damnation. Jesus would be the atoning sacrifice for all mankind. No one deserves this sacrifice yet while man was unworthy, unlovely, and undeserving the Lord nevertheless demonstrated His love. God’s love is uninfluenced, eternal, sovereign, infinite, immutable, holy, and gracious. This is the epitome of love! How does man portray the attribute love? Man must first understand God as love in order to love others. The finest type of love that man can express is agape love. This sort of love is selfless and is only given to man by God. Romans 5:5 tells man that agape love is derived from God by saying, “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” For man’s basic instinct is not of love or kindness but of selfishness and personal gain. It is not man’s nature to love someone who despises him or abuses him. Agape love is separate from romantic and brotherly love. It breaks the mold in saying love is a feeling and turns love into an action. The Lord’s way of loving is a love of the will and choice. This means man does not only love those who are kind, are brothers, are deserving, and are loving but the drastic opposite, those who are heartless, are enemies, are unworthy, and those that hate. This is how Christ loved man and this is how man should love one another. We are given this command in John 13:34 it says, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” This agape love is seen in 1 John 3:16 which says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” Love others sacrificially, selflessly, and remembering that the Lord loved man when he was an undeserving sinner not worthy of even the Lord’s glance. Man must take on the role of a good Samaritan with the Lord’s help to fully live out agape love.
Faithfulness is another theme that is constantly reoccurring in the Bible. The definition of faithfulness in Strong’s Concordance literally means "firmness," figuratively means "security" and morally means "fidelity." The Lord is faithful. Scripture solidifies this point. Deuteronomy 7:9 says, “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.” Deuteronomy 32:4 says, “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” Isaiah 49:7 says, “This is what the LORD says -- the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel -- to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: ‘Kings will see you and rise up, princes will see and bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.’” 1 Corinthians 1:9 says, “God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24 says, “The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3 says, “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” Lastly, 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” A few ways the Lord is faithful is by keeping His promises, remaining steadfast, always defending, forever saving, staying trustworthy, and remaining everlastingly with man. Today man lives out faithfulness in self centered ways. Man is faithful to his families, his friends, his work, his school, and his hobbies. Yet, man has strayed from being faithful to His Creator and His God. The Lord has been faithful through out history therefore man must return by acting with faithfulness toward the Lord. Man must live a life of obedience and submission to the Lord. Man must take off their self centeredness and put on a God centered life. This means pushing aside the list of things that man values most and replacing them with things that God values most. This means living for the glory and worship of God. Paul gives us a great example of how to be faithful when he says, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14). Men like Paul know what it means to be faithful to the Lord because He was first and continues to be faithful to all.
Wisdom is yet another attribute of God. God’s wisdom is unending, true, and available to man. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning, the Word existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Lord is the truth and the wisdom man needs to understand, desire, and obey. Scripture declares God’s wisdom and knowledge. Job 12:13 says, "With God are wisdom and might; He has counsel and understanding." Jeremiah 10:12 says, "It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom, and by His understanding stretched out the heavens." Romans 11:33 says, "O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!" Finally, James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him." The world values wisdom and knowledge for temporary earthly gain. Education leads to a well paying job which then leads to wealth. Wealth in the world satisfies many of man’s ungodly desires. This is a misguided search for knowledge and wisdom. True wisdom comes solely from the Lord. Man receives wisdom when he asks it of the Lord. Another way man can become wise is by studying the word of God. Studying and living out the word of God showers wisdom upon man and raises Him up to the Lord.
The attributes held by God are manifest in His Son. Therefore, Christ is the ultimate example for all humanity as the Lord in human form. “It is true that the Son is the Image in which man was made and to which he must conform, that the whole created order coheres or holds together in the Son (Col. 1:17), and that the incarnate Son actualizes the perfection of the manhood which we have sinfully perverted. But the whole thrust and purpose of the incarnation was not to complete or consummate creation, which was already complete at the beginning, though with the prospect of a glorious future; its design was that of recreation, restoration, and reconciliation. The incarnation was not the capping or crowning of an incomplete structure; it was a rescue operation” (Pg 13-14 Hughes). He is holy, just, loving, faithful, merciful, wise, forgiving, obedient, righteous, sinless, patient, good, joyful, self controlled, gentle, trustworthy, respectful, kind, and sacrificial. Jesus is what man should strive towards and long to be. Jesus is what man should closely follow after. Christ was perfect as a human on this earth. He endured and triumphed over the hardships, pain, and temptation offered by the world. His victory is man’s light through the darkness and sin of this world.
Thankfully, Jesus is not just our prime model but He is man’s Savior. He is the one who can bring man closer to the image and throne of God. God’s gift to His creation was His Son. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus bore the agonizing wrath of God and the excruciating pain that came with man’s sin. In doing this Christ satisfied the wrath of God and became our righteousness. Jesus becomes the filter that His father sees man through. Instead of seeing man with all his faults and sins God sees man as pure and holy. Jesus is our saving grace. Man must accept this free gift in order to attempt to move closer to the Lord on earth and become complete and perfect in heaven with the Lord. “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls” (1 Peter 2:21-25). No matter what man does he will never wholly exemplify the attributes of God. Only through salvation in Jesus can man find righteousness, holiness, and perfection. Man even with Christ will not reach perfection until after death. “We will be established ‘unblamable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints’ (I Thess. 3:13). The full image of God will only be imprinted onto man when he accepts Christ and then comes before the Lord in heaven. There man will be perfected and completed. Then and there man will take on the attributes of God and will see first hand who he strove to emulate and longed to become.
Annotated Bibliography
AllAboutGOD.com Ministries, M. Houdmann, P. Matthews-Rose, R. Niles, editors, 2002-2008. Used by permission."
Bisagno, John. God Is. Wheaton, Illinois: SP Publications Inc, 1983.
Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for 'faithfulness' in the KJV". Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2008. 5 Dec 2008.
Bright, Bill. God Discover His Character. Orlando, Florida: NewLife Publications, 1999.
Hughes, Philip. The True Image. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1989.
Orr, James. God’s Image in Man. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1948.
Pink, Arthur. The Attributes of God. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House Company, 1975.
Reuben Archer Torrey. What the Bible Teaches. Chicago: Fleming H. Revell, 1898.
Roberts, Linleigh. Let Us Make Man. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: The Spartan Press Limited, 1988.
The Holy Bible, New International Version. Grand Rapids, Michigan: 1996.
Verduin, Leonard. Somewhat less than God: The Biblical View of Man. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970.
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