IN HIS IMAGE
THE WHOLE GOSPEL MESSAGE
By W. G. Guy
Most Christians know that God made man in His own image and likeness. Mankind started out having God’s character and nature.
Genesis 1:26-27 – 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 creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
That original likeness and image of God that was placed in Adam was the exact same image and likeness that Jesus had. We fail to recognize what Adam was like before sin entered the scene. Only two men ever came directly from God, Adam and Jesus, and both had the same character and nature. One was made of the earth, the other came from heaven; both came directly from God. (We only consider what Adam is like after sin entered; we fail to recognize what he was like before sin. This is another significant lesson that believers need to understand.)
This image and likeness is God’s divine character and nature, and is called The Fruit of the Spirit as recorded in the Bible.
Galatians 5:22-23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Note that the first, and prime fruit, is LOVE; because God is LOVE! Note also that love is the Great Commandment!
Mark 12:30-31 – and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Romans 13:8, 10 – Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
This Fruit of the Spirit can only be produced in man by being as a branch attached to the tree of life, or as referred to by the apostle John, abiding in “the vine”, which is Christ.
John 15:1-5 – I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
(Note: the desired fruit is not man’s works because man can do many things without Christ. Man can even build churches without Christ, as in the Church of Laodicea in Revelation 3.)
That holy and righteous image that clothed the first man was lost due to the entrance of sin. Mankind lost his righteous garment with which he was originally clothed. Sin separated man from God, (separation from God is “spiritual death”), and they lost that likeness of God, and now had the sin likeness of Satan to whom they submitted. At that point they recognized they were naked having lost their garments of the holy and righteous image.
Genesis 3:6-7 – And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
They both lost their relationship with God along with the godly qualities God placed in them. Jesus came to seek and restore that which was lost!
Luke 19:10 – For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
What was it that was lost?
Romans 3:23 – for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
We know about the “sin” portion of this verse, but most people fail to recognize that it was the “glory” of God that was lost. The word “glory” is translated from the Greek doxa, which means dignity. Dignity refers to one’s character and nature. It was God’s character and nature, His likeness and image that was lost!
What most Christians fail to recognize is that God made provision for His likeness and image to be fully restored to mankind. This was accomplished through what God provided in sending His Son to be the sacrificial sin offering for all of mankind’s sins. The ministry of the church is to promote what Jesus began. This is the work of the five gift ministries that Jesus gave to man, is to build that character and nature of God back up in man to the full likeness of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-13 – And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
The lack of all five ministries functioning in this end-time church is a reason why the Body of Christ is in the condition that it is in with Christians not fully maturing in Christ; a condition that is described by the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy – (listed on the next page).
Galatians 4:19 – My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
The proper focus for true ministry to the church is to have Christ fully formed in believers as Paul declared.
Colossians 1:25-27 – whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Thus we are called to walk in the spirit and not walk after the flesh.
Romans 8:1 – There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Galatians 5:16-17 – This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Too many preachers are promoting the flesh: how you can have this; how you can get that; how you can be prosperous and successful in this life; all the while ignoring the things of eternal life where the real value is.
Luke 12:15 – And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
These fleshly things are of the world and have no eternal value; in fact, they put you at odds with God and His plan for you.
1 John 2:15-16 – Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
The apostle Paul warned us about such focus on fleshly lusts and how it would influence the church in the last days.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 – This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
Note that Paul is addressing conditions in the last day church, because where do you find a “form of Godliness”, but in churches – not in the world. Paul further warns about the outcome of walking after the flesh.
Galatians 5:19-21 – Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Our focus in these last days should be on walking in the spirit, even though it is in conflict with the lusts of the flesh; abiding in Christ is our victory over lusts.
Galatians 5:24-26 – And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. (Traits of the flesh.)
How can we do this? Jesus gave us the answer:
Luke 9:23 – And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
The key is dealing with “self” which is the same as the flesh with its lusts. Denying “self” means dying to the “self”; stop fulfilling the fleshly lusts. This needs to be done daily as the fleshly self will resurrect itself anew every day. That is why Jesus also said to take up your cross, the symbol of death, daily; then follow Him as His disciple.
If we comply with the Word and Will of God, seek Him and abide in Christ, and walk in the spirit, it will be fully evident in each of us when Christ returns.
1 John 3:2-3 – Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
God’s goal is that we Christians can be seen and recognized as the SONS OF GOD.
Romans 8:19 – For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Romans 8:29 – For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
1 Corinthians 15:49 – And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
God wants us fully restored to His image and likeness; this is why Jesus came! It is called REDEMPTION! Restored to His Glory, which will then glorify God and Christ!
THE WHOLE GOSPEL MESSAGE
By W. G. Guy
Most Christians know that God made man in His own image and likeness. Mankind started out having God’s character and nature.
Genesis 1:26-27 – 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 creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
That original likeness and image of God that was placed in Adam was the exact same image and likeness that Jesus had. We fail to recognize what Adam was like before sin entered the scene. Only two men ever came directly from God, Adam and Jesus, and both had the same character and nature. One was made of the earth, the other came from heaven; both came directly from God. (We only consider what Adam is like after sin entered; we fail to recognize what he was like before sin. This is another significant lesson that believers need to understand.)
This image and likeness is God’s divine character and nature, and is called The Fruit of the Spirit as recorded in the Bible.
Galatians 5:22-23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Note that the first, and prime fruit, is LOVE; because God is LOVE! Note also that love is the Great Commandment!
Mark 12:30-31 – and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Romans 13:8, 10 – Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
This Fruit of the Spirit can only be produced in man by being as a branch attached to the tree of life, or as referred to by the apostle John, abiding in “the vine”, which is Christ.
John 15:1-5 – I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
(Note: the desired fruit is not man’s works because man can do many things without Christ. Man can even build churches without Christ, as in the Church of Laodicea in Revelation 3.)
That holy and righteous image that clothed the first man was lost due to the entrance of sin. Mankind lost his righteous garment with which he was originally clothed. Sin separated man from God, (separation from God is “spiritual death”), and they lost that likeness of God, and now had the sin likeness of Satan to whom they submitted. At that point they recognized they were naked having lost their garments of the holy and righteous image.
Genesis 3:6-7 – And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
They both lost their relationship with God along with the godly qualities God placed in them. Jesus came to seek and restore that which was lost!
Luke 19:10 – For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
What was it that was lost?
Romans 3:23 – for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
We know about the “sin” portion of this verse, but most people fail to recognize that it was the “glory” of God that was lost. The word “glory” is translated from the Greek doxa, which means dignity. Dignity refers to one’s character and nature. It was God’s character and nature, His likeness and image that was lost!
What most Christians fail to recognize is that God made provision for His likeness and image to be fully restored to mankind. This was accomplished through what God provided in sending His Son to be the sacrificial sin offering for all of mankind’s sins. The ministry of the church is to promote what Jesus began. This is the work of the five gift ministries that Jesus gave to man, is to build that character and nature of God back up in man to the full likeness of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-13 – And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
The lack of all five ministries functioning in this end-time church is a reason why the Body of Christ is in the condition that it is in with Christians not fully maturing in Christ; a condition that is described by the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy – (listed on the next page).
Galatians 4:19 – My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
The proper focus for true ministry to the church is to have Christ fully formed in believers as Paul declared.
Colossians 1:25-27 – whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Thus we are called to walk in the spirit and not walk after the flesh.
Romans 8:1 – There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Galatians 5:16-17 – This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Too many preachers are promoting the flesh: how you can have this; how you can get that; how you can be prosperous and successful in this life; all the while ignoring the things of eternal life where the real value is.
Luke 12:15 – And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
These fleshly things are of the world and have no eternal value; in fact, they put you at odds with God and His plan for you.
1 John 2:15-16 – Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
The apostle Paul warned us about such focus on fleshly lusts and how it would influence the church in the last days.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 – This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
Note that Paul is addressing conditions in the last day church, because where do you find a “form of Godliness”, but in churches – not in the world. Paul further warns about the outcome of walking after the flesh.
Galatians 5:19-21 – Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Our focus in these last days should be on walking in the spirit, even though it is in conflict with the lusts of the flesh; abiding in Christ is our victory over lusts.
Galatians 5:24-26 – And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. (Traits of the flesh.)
How can we do this? Jesus gave us the answer:
Luke 9:23 – And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
The key is dealing with “self” which is the same as the flesh with its lusts. Denying “self” means dying to the “self”; stop fulfilling the fleshly lusts. This needs to be done daily as the fleshly self will resurrect itself anew every day. That is why Jesus also said to take up your cross, the symbol of death, daily; then follow Him as His disciple.
If we comply with the Word and Will of God, seek Him and abide in Christ, and walk in the spirit, it will be fully evident in each of us when Christ returns.
1 John 3:2-3 – Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
God’s goal is that we Christians can be seen and recognized as the SONS OF GOD.
Romans 8:19 – For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Romans 8:29 – For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
1 Corinthians 15:49 – And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
God wants us fully restored to His image and likeness; this is why Jesus came! It is called REDEMPTION! Restored to His Glory, which will then glorify God and Christ!
