Setting the Perspective of Christianity
12:27
Lev 26:11-12
11 And I will set my tabernacle among you:and my soul shall not abhor you.
12 And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.
I want you to think about something. Think of God. The one and only God, the Alpha, the Omega, The All Powerful One. The Creator of all things that we see and cannot see. Think upon our God. See Him in the light of His glory. All things are subject to Him and He has knowledge of all things. Go ahead, take a few seconds close your eyes and imagine God.
Are you back?
Now, I want you to ponder on this as well for some time. What if that same God, became a man? What if that same God took on a human body?
Go ahead close your eyes and think about it.
What did you imagine of Him? I saw His power, His love and His character manifest. I saw him walk in boldness and wisdom proceeded from His mouth. (Write what you saw in the comments section)
Right now we are looking upon Him in third person perspective, but let your imagination move you from looking upon Him to actually being Him (first person). Look through His eyes, the eyes He has now attained, having now become a man. Look through this new man, called God.
One thing we can say for sure is that if God were a man His spiritual make-up would look something like this:
 |
| Fig 1. God as a man. God inside of a human body |
THE IMAGE OF GOD
There are two scriptures that I want us to assess.
Gen 1:31
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
AND
Col 1:16
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers:all things were created by him, and for him:
Genesis 1 speaks of the creation of the earth, and of all that dwell therein. It was God who created all things, however consider what God said about His creation - "it was very good". Now let us parallel this information with what Colossians says - all things were created by him, and for him.
If the earth and the fullness thereof was made by God and for God, what do we think He meant when He said that the earth was very good. God was simply saying that the earth and all he had made was very good for Himself.
Now follow with the revelation here as we consider these two other scriptures.
Gen 1:26-27
26 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.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Col 1:13-15
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Well Genesis, lets us know that God created man in His image, however Colossians lets us know exactly who that image is.
IMAGE - a visual representation of something (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
Now if an image is a visual, let us look at the scriptures again.
Gen 1:27 - ...Let us make man in our [visual], after our likeness:...
Col 1:15 - Who is the [visual/visible] of the invisible God...
The revelation of the image of God is this. God is invisible, he however created a physical earth for Himself. He therefore needed a physical form in order to relate to the physical earth. That physical form is the human body also known as the flesh.
The scripture lets us know that Jesus is the image of God. He therefore is the physical/visible of an invisible God. Jesus is God in the flesh. We learnt in the Salvation Series Pt. 1 that the soul (an invisible being) is given expression and access to the earth through a body. The body is physical, and therefore the invisible and intangible soul, can access a physical environment because of it. Likewise, for the invisible God to be able to relate to the earth, he needs a physical body, and that body is the body of Christ Jesus.
If Jesus is the image of God, this therefore means that Adam was made after the likeness of Jesus.
What does all this mean? It simply means that the body Adam was made in (human body) was of the same form/shape that Jesus' was. Doesn't the scripture lets us know that Jesus was before all things? (Col 1:18). This is how Adam could be made like Jesus; even though Jesus had not yet been born in time. Jesus existed in eternity as the Word and it was predetermined how the He would look when He became physical. He would be a man; then Adam was made in the likeness of that man.
However God made man (Adam) in His image. The real man is the soul, and the soul was placed inside of God's image - the body. As I said, the real man is a living soul, and that living soul was brought alive by a human body. However Jesus is a quickening spirit, and this Spirit was inside of a human body, which was supplied by Mary. Mary was the seed of David, and of Abraham, and therefore ultimately she was the seed of Adam. Therefore Adam (the living soul) was inside of the image (body) that God would someday walk in, however God attained that body by a daughter of Adam - Mary.
God has a shape in the spiritual. He has eyes (Gen 6:8), ears (Gen 21:17), a nose (Gen 8:21), hands (Ez 8:3) and feet (Ps 99:5). The shape of God in the spiritual is the same shape that man has in the physical. It was never God's intention to be in the shape/form/body of a plant or an animal when he came on earth, but he would be a man and that man is Jesus Christ.
Consider these scriptures:
Jn 14:8-10
8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself:but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
God was inside of Jesus, and therefore God was given a human body to express himself through. He was given physical appearance, therefore the very face that Phillip looked upon was the face of God.
Phi 2:5-8
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
The form the scripture speaks of here, refers to his shape. The form of God is the human body. God was fashioned as a man. He was given a human body. However Jesus had a soul (Acts 2:31). His soul was inside of God and God was inside His body (Jn 17:21)(Jn 14:10). His soul is therefore inside of the man that God has become. We could therefore simply place Jesus' soul inside of Fig 1. and he would appear as this.
 |
| Fig 2. The Make-up of Jesus |
Adam was made in the likeness of Jesus because even though they were both in human bodies one was a living soul and the other was a quickening spirit (1 Cor 15:45). He was therefore not the same as Jesus but he was like him. The quickening spirit is the soul inside of the Holy Spirit. (also known as the new creature) See Fig 3. below.
 |
| Fig 3. The Make-up of Jesus vs The Make-up of Adam. Jesus was a quickening spirit while Adam was a living soul |
I hope you are learning here.
SETTING THE PERSPECTIVE OF CHRISTIANITY
Remember when I asked you earlier to imagine God as a man? Well we have learnt that he did exactly that, through Jesus Christ.
Jn 1:1&14
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
The invisible God was given expression through a human body. He could now experience the earth He made for Himself. He could smell flowers, taste food, dance and sing. God was walking the earth in a human body.
Did this however end with Jesus?
Rom 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.
This scripture lets us know that there were some souls that God had seen in eternity that would love him and would ultimately believe upon His Son. Having seen these souls before the world began, He predestined that they should be conformed to the image of His Son. It is this conformation that would allow Jesus to be the FIRST of many brethren.
The scripture is clear concerning this. When we get saved we all are conformed to the image of Christ. Let us remind ourselves that the image of God is Jesus Christ, i.e God in a body. The scripture above lets us know that Jesus would not be the only person with God in His flesh, but He would simply be the first.
I hope you reviewed the Salvation Series Pt. 8 in order to follow the rest.
Col 3:9-10
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Every son that is born again has put on the new man, who is Christ in the flesh.
THE NEW MAN = JESUS CHRIST = THE IMAGE OF GOD = GOD
THE NEW MAN IS GOD AS A MAN.
And we all that are saved, our souls have put him on. We therefore look like this.
Our make-up is the same as Jesus Christ's because he was the first of many brethren. God therefore has the same intent through us as he did in Jesus. He is able to access the world through us. The hills melt like wax at His presence, He is unapproachable in His spiritual form, He therefore became approachable by taking on flesh. He is now able to hug man and kiss man through His body. His body is the body of the born again believer. That is why the scripture says let this mind be in YOU, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:(Phi 2:5-6).
SETTING THE PERSPECTIVE OF CHRISTIANITY
Remember when I asked you earlier to imagine God as a man? Well we have learnt that he did exactly that, through Jesus Christ.
Jn 1:1&14
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
The invisible God was given expression through a human body. He could now experience the earth He made for Himself. He could smell flowers, taste food, dance and sing. God was walking the earth in a human body.
Did this however end with Jesus?
Rom 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.
This scripture lets us know that there were some souls that God had seen in eternity that would love him and would ultimately believe upon His Son. Having seen these souls before the world began, He predestined that they should be conformed to the image of His Son. It is this conformation that would allow Jesus to be the FIRST of many brethren.
The scripture is clear concerning this. When we get saved we all are conformed to the image of Christ. Let us remind ourselves that the image of God is Jesus Christ, i.e God in a body. The scripture above lets us know that Jesus would not be the only person with God in His flesh, but He would simply be the first.
I hope you reviewed the Salvation Series Pt. 8 in order to follow the rest.
Col 3:9-10
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Every son that is born again has put on the new man, who is Christ in the flesh.
THE NEW MAN = JESUS CHRIST = THE IMAGE OF GOD = GOD
THE NEW MAN IS GOD AS A MAN.
And we all that are saved, our souls have put him on. We therefore look like this.
 |
| Fig 4. The Born Again Believer |
Our make-up is the same as Jesus Christ's because he was the first of many brethren. God therefore has the same intent through us as he did in Jesus. He is able to access the world through us. The hills melt like wax at His presence, He is unapproachable in His spiritual form, He therefore became approachable by taking on flesh. He is now able to hug man and kiss man through His body. His body is the body of the born again believer. That is why the scripture says let this mind be in YOU, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:(Phi 2:5-6).
Look at this scripture.
1Co 6:15-20
15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price:therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
I hope we are beginning to see the perspective of Christianity. Our souls are inside of the man that God has become.
Gal 2:20
20 I am crucified with Christ:nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
It is Jesus who lives through us, it is no longer us who have use or ownership of this flesh. There is nothing sinful about our flesh, because it is the body of God. Consider these scriptures and let us read them within the perspective
Jam 1:13
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God:for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
Let no man say that the new man (our human body with God in it) is tempting me to sin because the new man cannot be tempted with sin and it doesn't tempt us to sin anyway. Let us not forget that God has taken on flesh. He is the new man.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of [the flesh/the new man]:for [the flesh/new man] cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
Jam 1:14
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Now if a man sins it is not because of the flesh, it is because the soul desired sin and used God's flesh (the new man) to commit that sin. The soul was tempted and drawn away by his own lust. When lust is there we will use the body to fulfil that lust, that is what is explained in 1 Cor 6:15-20 above. Now the body cannot sin against us, because God remains in it (1 Jn 3:9).
God is enlightening this perspective to us. He is saying that if a born again believer looks in the mirror he/she looks at the face of God, because we have taken on His image.
2Co 3:18
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
THE COMPLETE PERSPECTIVE
Usually when we think of our salvation, we often see it in this light; I am a sinner, trying to please God and he has given me help to do this by sending this Holy Spirit. However this is an incorrect perspective of salvation.
First of all, you don't have to sin if you are born again. This is the very reason Jesus is inside of you. He has destroyed the old man with his sin and you have put on the new man, who is made in righteousness. God has made us free in Christ Jesus, that freedom is the ability to choose. Before we were saved we didn't have that ability, because sin dwelt in our bodies. Satan had taken our ability to choose righteousness, by his presence in our flesh. However when Jesus enters the flesh we can choose righteousness, or sin if we desire to. Jesus, however, stays in the flesh, to empower us to choose righteousness and so that the devil cannot re-enter.
God saved us to be holy!
We are His holy habitation! Why does God call His habitation holy, and we call it sinful. Our bodies are His habitation. The body is therefore 100% holy.
The perspective of salvation is not us trying to be holy, but it speaks to the fact that God is in us living through us, and if we allow him to live we will never sin again.
The new man is an individual. He is a man in and of Himself. He has desires and emotions. He is God in the flesh and he has a reason for being there - God desires to live here on earth through our bodies. He is not tempted with sin so He places us in Him. God will not however force us to let him live through us, but he will encourage us to, by loving on us and giving warnings by the conscience if we begin to consider sin.
Rom 5:10
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
His life is the only thing that can save us. His life must be lived through our flesh till we die in order for us to be saved. Jesus is a human again through us, and He has a life to live. If we allow Him to live by agreeing with His word, then we will see His glory through us.
ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS AGREE WITH THE WORD
When we agree with the Word, sin will not be a struggle. Jesus will manifest his power over sin through us, and He will be glorified.
Therefore in short, the perspective of the gospel is not that we are sons of God trying to be holy, but it is God in flesh, living His life through us. We are made his righteousness. Now it is not for us to fight against sin, it is simply for us to be who we are - His righteousness. We don't have to ever sin, because we are made the righteousness of God.
Mat 5:48
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
- His Apostle
Kareem Flowers
0 comments