Image Bearers

"God... has in these last days spoken to us by His Son... being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person."
                                                                                                                                    Hebrews 1:1-3




One of the reasons God sent Jesus to this earth for us was so that we could visualize who God is.  He wanted us to tangibly see how much He loves us and how big His heart for mankind truly is.  When we trace the steps of Christ throughout the Gospels, we see His power and His compassion and His tenderness.  We also witness Jesus' beauty, goodness, truth, justice, and love.  More than all these, when we survey the cross, we see the fierce longing of a God who sacrificed everything just so He could have a relationship with us.  So vast, and yet so close.

In the same way that Jesus was called to be the image bearer of God the Father, we are called to be image bearers of Christ. We have been given the tools (the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit) to do so.  But, ultimately, it will be our values that determine our course.  That is because we are created to pursue that which we love.

The prophet Jeremiah penned a portrait of godly values in the book of Lamentations when he wrote: "Oh, remember the bitterness and suffering you have dealt to me!  For I can never forget these awful years, always my soul will live in utter shame.  Yet there is one ray of hope: His compassions never end.  It is only the Lord's mercies that have kept us from complete destruction.  Great is His faithfulness; His loving-kindness begins afresh each day.  My soul claims the Lord as my inheritance; therefore I will hope in Him.  The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for Him, to those who seek for Him.  It is good both to hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."  (Lamentations 3:19-26).

We are called to be agents of change on this earth and more than likely that means that we will live with opposition and persecution.  Jeremiah was faithful, in spite of what it cost him.  He continued to love his people until (and even after) they were destroyed for their sin.

True faithfulness to God can only occur after we have had a thorough reformation of our heart and life.  It is not enough to have right actions, if we don't have the right motives to go along with them.  It is only by God's grace that we become God-pleasers, both in what we say and in what we do.

In the first chapter of the book of Galatians, the apostle, Paul, asks a rhetorical question: "Now am I trying to win the favor of men, or of God?  Do I seek to please men?" (Galatians 1:10a).  He goes on to answer his own question by emphasizing the fact that being a God-pleaser and being a man-pleaser are mutually exclusive.  He says, "If I were still seeking popularity with men, I should not be a bond servant of Christ (the Messiah)." (Galatians 1:10b).

Mutual exclusivity.  That means that no matter what our actions may be, if our motives are to please ourselves or to please others, we still miss the mark.  When our motive is our own self, we will continually seek the approval, acceptance, and favor of others.  This makes it impossible to please God.  In the gospel of John, he asks: "How can you believe when you are always wanting honor from each other?"  (John 5:44a).  He goes on to add that, in this, "you do not look for the honor that comes from the only God." (John 5:44b).

Honoring God is very costly.  When the apostle Paul surrendered his desires to God, he paid a high price.  He lost the ability to be promoted in the Sanhedrin.  He lost the opportunity to rise among the ranks of the Rabbi's.  He also lost his security, comfort, reputation, dignity, and the predictability of his life as he knew it.

And yet, he gained so much more!  He moved from living a life in the natural to a very supernatural life.  Because his troubles were beyond his human ability, Paul learned to full trust God.  There is nothing that will conform us as quickly as intense pressure will.  Paul became a beautiful example of a God-pleaser, living in the center of God's will, bringing glory and honor to the name of God.

It is only by God's grace that we can become God-pleasers.  It was the grace of God that called Paul and it was the grace of God that revealed His Son to him. The same will be true for our lives, as well.

It was the grace of God that turned Paul from a persecutor of the Church to being persecuted for Jesus' sake.  This required a transformation from within.  Not only did the grace of God choose Paul, but it also changed him.  The same is true for us.  If there is not a change in our lives, then it is not really God's grace that is at work.

A life of obedience does not come from making good impressions on people.  Nor does it come from looking good on the outside.  It comes from the peace and joy of knowing that God loves us, is not done with us, and despite our sin, He still chooses us for His service and glory.

We please God by obeying His Word and doing as He commands (in His Word).  We are equipped through the power of His Holy Spirit. David tells us that, "Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces will never be ashamed." (Psalm 34:5).  This is how we fully become the image bearers of Christ, our King!


"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.  For this comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
                                                                                                                            (2 Corinthians 3:18)