Created Man Regenerated and Conformed to God’s Image

Genesis 1:26 tells us that God created man in His image. Although this man had the image God, he did not have the reality of God. At that time man was like a photo—man had the image but not the life.

Therefore in Genesis 2 man was put into the garden of Eden to partake of the tree of life to receive God’s life in addition to the human life he had from creation. But in Genesis 3 man turned away from God and was shut out of the garden and lost access to the tree of life.

When Jesus was crucified and died, “one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water” (John 19:34). The blood portrays the redemption He accomplished and the water signifies the eternal life He released for us to receive.

As a result, “as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God” (John 1:12). Now, as those born of God, we have God’s life. The more this life spreads in us, the more God can be expressed through us.

The spreading of God’s life in us is expressed by the phrase conformed to the image of God’s Son in Romans 8:29. To be born of God in our spirit (John 3:6) is simple and quick. To be conformed to the image of God’s Son is lifelong, requiring our cooperation day by day. This conforming process is bringing us into the reality of New Jerusalem.

Photo courtesy of pexels.com.

Posted by Don on June 30, 2025

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