“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female created he them.” Genesis 1:26-27
Question: God said, “Let us make man in our image.” So, who is “us”? To whom was God speaking in the beginning? This isn’t a mistake in interpretation. He’s revealing the powerful elements of the gifts you have been given from creation.
YOUR IMAGE
God left breadcrumbs to create a path for you to follow. Through his Word, he has not only shown the potential within you, but also mapped out his plan with specificity. This path will plant your feet on the strong foundation he has created and established within you. In effect, he is putting prophecy into your hands. You have the power to reflect his image.
“We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are chosen to be a part of His plan. God knew from the beginning those he predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. So He chose them and made them to be like His Son, that he might be the firstborn of many brethren.” Romans 8:28-29
God has documented that the Spirit, the Word, Jesus the Christ, and Wisdom were all with God in the beginning. More importantly, he reveals that you were created in their image and have inherited these attributes: creative, planner, ability to discern good from evil, wisdom, power, holy, organized, faithful, loving, trusting, merciful, gracious, eternal, accountable, steadfast, sincere, committed, empowered to speak life-changing words, passionate, peaceful, orderly, fruitful, forgiving, obedient, giver.
What does this mean to you? You have inherited great things from God. You have the inherit right, the choice, to give yourself an upgrade. For instance, Romans 4:17 reveals you have the gift of ‘calling things that are not as though they were,’ so that they will be. This is an image of God. For instance, if you don’t feel well, you have the ability to either make yourself better or worse. Your body, in essence, obeys your words. You say, “I feel awful.” or “I just need some rest and I’m going to feel terrific.” Does this make sense? It works. Pay attention to your words and watch what happens. And then there’s the gift of prayer. Develop your relationship with God through prayer and discover the treasure he has for you.
“We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
SPIRIT OF GOD
The Spirit of God shattered the waters. Continually throughout scripture God connects the Holy Spirit of God with water.
“And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:2
“I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your seed, and my blessing upon your offspring; and they shall spring up as among the grass, like willows by the water courses.” Isaiah 44:3-4
“And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:” Mark 1:10
“And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said to me, upon whom you shall see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” John 1:33
Crucifixion was cruel and extremely painful, taking 3-4 days for death to occur. However, Jesus laid down his life after only a few hours. Normal practice was to break the legs of those being crucified to hasten the process, but when they came to Jesus and saw he was dead already, they didn’t break his legs; but “One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out.” John 19:34
“And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three are in one”. 1 John 5:8
“This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.” 1 John 5:6
“Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witness in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8
“And the Spirit and the bride [Christ] say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. and let him that is thirsty come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Revelation 22:17
God provides a strong correlation between the Spirit and the water many times in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. The above references are only a few.
WORD OF GOD
Within the creation story in Genesis, we know God created everything, except man, with his words. He called everything into being by his words. Each word was very powerful and was filled with life.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. and the light shines in darkness; and the darkness overcame it not. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…” John 1:1-5, 14
“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God so that things that are seen were not made out of things that appear.” Hebrews 11:3
In Ephesians God connects the sword of the Spirit to Jesus, who is the Word. “Take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God… and pray.” Ephesians 6:17
“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” Psalm 33:6
“For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the splitting of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
“Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord does man live.” Deuteronomy 8:3
“Truly I say to you, Whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 18:18
“And I saw heaven opened and, behold, a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called, The Word of God.” Revelation 19:11-13
JESUS
Colossians 1:15-23 – “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme overall creation. Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see – kings, kingdoms, rulers and authorities. Everything has been created through him and for him. He existed before everything else began, and he holds all creation together. Christ is the head of the church, which is his body. He is the first of all who will rise from the dead, so he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross. This includes you who were once so far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions, yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand in it firmly. Do not drift away!”
Hebrews 1:1-4 – “God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who, being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the Word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, being made so much better than the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”
WISDOM
“I, Wisdom, dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth – when there were no fountains abounding with water, before the mountains were settled, before the hills, was I brought forth; while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. When he prepared the heavens, I was there; when he set a compass upon the face of the depth; when he established the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains of the deep; when he gave to the sea its decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment; when he appointed the foundations of the earth, then I was by him as one brought up with him, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him.” Proverbs 8:12, 22-30
“… Put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.” Colossians 3:10
“You, you alone, are the Lord. You made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are in it, the seas, and all that is in them, and you preserve them all; and the host of heaven worships you.”
Nehemiah 9:6
See Also: Accept Christ