"And God Said Let Us make Man in Our Image and Our Likeness" Genesis:1:26
The great God who brought all things into being announces his divine intent for the creation of humanity.
God declares from the pages of the Holy writ that humanity was to be in his "image and likeness".
"let us make man in our image and our likeness" Gen:1:26
Over the centuries Christian Scholars and Theologians have come to understand that God is telling us, that he himself, is the pattern for each and all of us; that the human race is to be an expression of who God is.
All Things Human
When we read the words of the Holy Bible, which speaks to us that we are made in the "image and likeness" of God, we understand that this applies to us as individuals, but when we look closer at just what God is telling us about us, and then consider who God is, it speaks to each and all of us about much more. God is telling us that all of human society individually and collectively was to be in the "image and likeness" of God. This gives us a deeper understanding as to who our Lord is and what he has accomplished for us in and by Jesus Christ.
The Shema:"Hear, O Israel"
The people of Israel, the very descendents of the Patriarch Abraham to whom and with whom the creator God had made a Covenant with, had been set free out of the bondage of slavery and led forth to freedom. To this people the Lord God had declared to them his uniqueness that he and he alone is God and that there is but one God.
The people of Israel expressed this understanding of the one God in the great Shema Creed or Profession which framed and supported Israel's understanding of who their God is and defined their national relationship with their God. The Hebrew word Shema means to "hear" or "give great attention to" .
The Shema Creed is found in the book of Moses Deuteronomy: 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one".
The Shema Creed , expressed the people of Israel's understanding of God, and gives Christians insight into the very one who came and continues to come to each and all thru the very person of Jesus Christ in the Gospel proclamation, as the Reformer John Calvin observed "Christ comes to us clothed in his own Gospel" .
The God proclaimed in the Shema Creed we are told is "one" . The Hebrew word translated "one" in the Shema is "Echad". This word's emphases is not on the numeric nature of God, but rather stresses his "perfect wholeness", and his "self unity" .
Incarnation:God in the Flesh
In the ancient world, in which the Apostolic Church ministered and proclaimed the Gospel , there were many views of God and or gods. Some saw God as a lone divine being. Some ancients peoples believed in a host of or pantheon of gods each with their own particular realm of influence over human affairs or resident powers of nature.
Some viewed God as a consciousness or over mind or impersonal force or power which over saw and guided the material creation.
The Ancient Church however, came to grasp something altogether different than the pagan peoples around them. Christians now understood that in the person of Jesus Christ, God himself has visited humanity , and not only that, but , the very Creator who speaks his divine intent to make humanity in "image and likeness" took on our very humanity and lived a human life and forever joined himself to us and we to him all thru the incarnation and the resurrection and the glorification of the humanity of Jesus.
The Gospel of John, which reflects a deep grasp of the very deity and humanity of Jesus gives us a view into the nature of our Lord Jesus Christ.
" In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.…" Jhn:1:1-2
John begins his account of the history of Salvation and God's purposes, in "Eternity Past" before all else was, even prior to the creation the Heavens and the angelic host there was God alone. The Apostle John is stressing and emphasizing to us all the very divine nature of Jesus, who he reports takes on our humanity and brings to us a revelation about who the very creator God is which the Shema declares is "one". That in Jesus,, in his incarnation , this God is made known.
" and the Word became flesh"(14)
In the incarnation all of God is made manifest in the person of Jesus , that is in Jesus no "part" of God is excluded in this divine self revelation. This tells us that if Jesus was not God himself, and the self of God ,than God could not reveal himself in Jesus. This is the God of the Shema who has "perfect wholeness" and "self unity".
In the person of Jesus , the Second Person of the Holy Trinity , all of God is perfectly revealed, that is, all his fulness is seen in it's clearest and most powerful revelation thru which we are invited to live in and out of this community of the Trinity.
"And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began." Jhn:17:5
This "oneness" in the glory of Eternity with the Father and the Son is the same in which is found in the Shema.
The Apostle Paul recognizing that Jesus Christ is the very Son of God tells Christian two thousand years ago, and to believers thru out the ages, that in the fullness of time God sent his Son.Gal:4:4
That in Jesus, this God who is declared in the Shema Creed , the very one who made us in his "image and likeness" is made known to us thru Jesus and is now ,in his incarnation truly takes on "our image and likeness" so that we might share in his. This one in who's "image and likeness" and who has "perfect wholeness" and "self unity" , in whose image that we are declared to be made in invites us all to join him in this divine relationship that he has within himself .
This relationship of "perfect wholeness" and "self unity" , is what our Lord Jesus prays that we, that is believers and by extension all humanity , to share in for eternity. Jesus Praying for his disciples two thousand years ago and thru out the ages lifted up his voice in his high priestly prayer for each and all.
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me" Jhn:17:20-22
This prayer for "oneness" for believers is the same "oneness" that Jesus has with the Father and the Holy Spirit in Eternity and into which we invited to be apart of thru Jesus.
This "oneness" that God has in himself is the very "image and likeness" that we were created to live in and out of. That is, all of human society, individually and collectively, was intended to be "in the images and likeness " of God reflecting the "perfect wholeness" and "self unity" of the Holy Trinity.
We see that Jesus does not reckon the Father and the Holy Spirit to be "separate persons" from himself in the way in which we might normally think. Jesus sees the Father and the Spirit to be "one" with himself, yet distinct but not separate, this is what Jesus prayed that believers would have. Jesus wants Christians and all humanity to see each other as "distinct" yet not separate.
God wants us to live in a mutually edifying and extended community of love toward and for each other, as the Holy Trinity has for eternity, and thru Jesus we are able to join in this community relationship with God and one another thru his shared humanity with us and the Holy Spirit.
The Ancient Church described this relationship that God, the Holy Trinity has within himself as the Paracorisses, a Greek word which means to "dance together in eternal joy" that is how the Trinity lives, in joyful eternity in mutual love and regard and speaks of what our Lord wants for each and all of us if we will but freely receive it.
This way reckoning of each other, is the same way that the Father , Son, and Holy Spirit do, this would transform our lives and relationships with those around us, we would begin to see others as "distant" yet not "separate" from one another. We would "love them as ourselves", for as Paul wrote " no man ever hated his own self but takes of himself".
" and the Word became flesh"(14)
Where is the Holy Spirit?
Some ,when examining the passages in the Gospel of John, have note the expressed mention of the Father and Son, so they have questioned regarding the Holy Spirit, that if the God of the Shema is the Trinity, would not this be the obvious place to find the Holy Trinity?
If we look closer to John's Gospel we will perceive the Holy Trinity in clear view, some may ask "where is this revelation taking place?"..It is there before our very eyes in the account itself , for it is the Holy Spirit the Third person of the Holy trinity who is speaking to us from of the pages of the Bible and he speaking about the Son of God. That means when we look into Eternity it is the Son of God who the Sprint declares to us , the very Son the Second person of the Holy Trinity who comes to us bearing our "image and likeness" in the incarnation that we may bear the "image and likeness" of God.
The Self of God
In the person of Jesus , the Second Person of the Holy Trinity , all of God is perfectly revealed, that is, all his fulness is seen in it's clearest and most powerful revelation thru which we are invited to live in and out of this community of the Trinity.
"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.For
in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible
and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all
things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
And
he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the
firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the
supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him," Colss:1:15-19
In and thru Jesus God in his fullness is revealed to us. Every thing of eternal value is found in Jesus and made available to us.
"My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so
that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order
that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" Colss:2:2-3
Prayer for Oneness
Jesus, in speaking of his place in Eternity, says in his Highly Priestly Prayer says;
This "oneness" in the glory of Eternity with the Father and the Son is the same in which is found in the Shema.
The Apostle Paul recognizing that Jesus Christ is the very Son of God tells Christian two thousand years ago, and to believers thru out the ages, that in the fullness of time God sent his Son.Gal:4:4
Wholeness and Perfect Unity
That in Jesus, this God who is declared in the Shema Creed , the very one who made us in his "image and likeness" is made known to us thru Jesus and is now ,in his incarnation truly takes on "our image and likeness" so that we might share in his. This one in who's "image and likeness" and who has "perfect wholeness" and "self unity" , in whose image that we are declared to be made in invites us all to join him in this divine relationship that he has within himself .
This relationship of "perfect wholeness" and "self unity" , is what our Lord Jesus prays that we, that is believers and by extension all humanity , to share in for eternity. Jesus Praying for his disciples two thousand years ago and thru out the ages lifted up his voice in his high priestly prayer for each and all.
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me" Jhn:17:20-22
This prayer for "oneness" for believers is the same "oneness" that Jesus has with the Father and the Holy Spirit in Eternity and into which we invited to be apart of thru Jesus.
This "oneness" that God has in himself is the very "image and likeness" that we were created to live in and out of. That is, all of human society, individually and collectively, was intended to be "in the images and likeness " of God reflecting the "perfect wholeness" and "self unity" of the Holy Trinity.
We see that Jesus does not reckon the Father and the Holy Spirit to be "separate persons" from himself in the way in which we might normally think. Jesus sees the Father and the Spirit to be "one" with himself, yet distinct but not separate, this is what Jesus prayed that believers would have. Jesus wants Christians and all humanity to see each other as "distinct" yet not separate.
God wants us to live in a mutually edifying and extended community of love toward and for each other, as the Holy Trinity has for eternity, and thru Jesus we are able to join in this community relationship with God and one another thru his shared humanity with us and the Holy Spirit.
Paracorisses
 |
| The Paracorisses |
This way reckoning of each other, is the same way that the Father , Son, and Holy Spirit do, this would transform our lives and relationships with those around us, we would begin to see others as "distant" yet not "separate" from one another. We would "love them as ourselves", for as Paul wrote " no man ever hated his own self but takes of himself".
We would build each other up in love ,showing courtesy , respect, forgiving and forbearing one another, gentleness and kindness and more , this is the true "image and likeness" of God lived out in our lives in Community with God and one another, this was God's intent at the very beginning.
One God Not Three
As the early Church proclaimed the Gospel about Jesus thru out the world, some pagans interpreted the message of about the One True God as a message about three Gods. The Apostolic Church had to address this charge and come to a means which explained what they saw in the writings of the Apostolic Fathers and experienced in their own lives, which is God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that is, One in Three who live in "perfect wholeness" and "self unity" , "distinct" but "not separate"; co- eternal all of one essence, not less than the other "distinct" yet not "separate" this is the "image and likeness" of God , the community relationship into which humanity is invited into. The "image and likeness" of God which God has always decreed for humanity . This is the God of the Shema Creed.
Tri-Theism
Tri-Theism, "three in one" would provide no entrances into a "whole" and "unified" relationship for they would be "separate" and "distinct" with out a bound of true "oneness" , only and agreement to come together. The concept of Tir-Theism , three in one, is that , there are three "separate" and distinct divine "persons" who have chosen to work together and is referred to as Tri-Theism.
Community Found in Jesus
When we come to Jesus, we find all that God has to show us about himself, the Holy Trinity, which is a community relationship that God has within himself . That in Jesus , we find anything and everything of eternal value. In Jesus we are part of community relationship that we see ultimately will be shared by any and all who will but freely received.
This Community relationship, the New Jerusalem, which perfectly express the Holy Trinity , the "image and likeness" of God is found at the end of human civilization descended from God out of Heaven, that is only God can bring this to pass for it is not found nor brought about thru the agency or wisdom of humanity but comes from God alone.
John saw the full expression of the "images and likeness" of God as it will be made up of those who have entered into the very relationship of the Holy Trinity thru Jesus. The Scripture calls this Community relationship which reflects the "wholeness" and "self unity" of God as the New Jerusalem.
"And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and
showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It
had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the
gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of
Israel.
There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb" Rev:21:10-14
This is where and when humanity will live eternally in a Community relationship that perfectly express the "image and likeness" of the Holy Trinity in perfect "wholeness and self unity" all thru our Lord Jesus Christ as God has always intended for us even from the every beginning....Amen
Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor
The
Fountain of Life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion
2101 Old National Pike.
2101 Old National Pike.
Washington,
Pennsylvania. www.gcfountainoflife.org
The Fountain of Life is heard on the RKP Radio Network 1710 and 1670 AM in Washington and North Franklin ,and 1790 AM in the Arden Fair Grounds area of Washington Pennsylvania, and on 1710 AM in Bentleyville and Monongahela, Pennsylvania. And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com
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