Bearing Our Heavenly Image Now

Feature 4 – April 2014 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Bearing Our
HEAVENLY Image Now!

As the apostle Paul assured the saints in Corinth that Christ had indeed risen from the dead and had become the firstfruits of those who slept (1 Cor. 15:20), he guaranteed by the authority of God that those who had fallen asleep in Christ would also be resurrected! The doctrine of resurrection has been a comfort to saints throughout the ages. Christians have the assurance that those who have been called home to glory, dying before the return of Christ “for His own” (known as the Rapture – 1 Th. 4:13-18), will experience a bodily resurrection from the dead. Among the many beautiful thoughts that Paul gives us is the idea of “bearing the image of the heavenly” in a future day: “And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man” (1 Cor. 15:49 NKJV ). We currently bear the image of Adam in its glory and weakness. However, God would have us bear the image of the heavenly Man, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, even now. Yes, the second part of the verse is in the future tense, but as heavenly-minded believers we can reflect Christ’s image today.

The Glory Of Adam
One would not have to look far to see the dignity, intelligence and creativity of man. Before the fall Adam’s intelligence and creativity was evident in naming the animals. Genesis 2:19 says, “And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.” The number of creatures he named is one of the marvelous silences of Scripture, but it must have been innumerable. Adam also had the dignity of having been created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). Indeed, Adam was the crown of God’s creation. God set Adam in the place of dominion over His creation (Gen. 1:28) and in a realm of fellowship and personal relationship with Himself (Gen. 3:8). What more could Adam want? But alas, the fall occurred and Adam was driven from the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3). Although the world has plummeted into sin and we see its deadly and devastating effects, some of the glories of Adam are still seen. Christians recognize the abilities of man but do not put their confidence in the arms of flesh! Because of God-given intelligence man has excelled at every level. He has built beautiful structures; his literature and poetry have brought many to tears; and his advancements in science and technology are amazing. Yet this marvelous man is tainted by sin. We are all born with the Adamic nature (Ps. 51:5) and, just as the Lord told Nicodemus, we need to be born again (Jn. 3:1-21). Thus the heavenly-minded believer is careful to recognize man’s virtues but conscious not to pattern himself after Adam. He avoids the temptation of trying to become important in this world through intellect and creativity at the expense of Christ. At an initial glance, the Christian and the unbeliever look alike. It reminds us of what Reuel’s daughters said to their father when he inquired about the fact that they had watered to flock so quickly, “And they said, the Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock” (Ex. 2:19). Moses, a Hebrew, looked like an Egyptian. Egypt speaks of the world. While we bear Adam’s image, we can exemplify Christ’s character.

The Sinfulness Of Adam’s Image
The sinfulness of Adam’s image, which is all around us, is more prevalent than its glory. The sinful nature of man is seen in the most powerful person residing in a palace and in a lowly peasant living in poverty. It expresses itself in every ethnic background and at every educational level. It is both insidious [deceitful] and blatant – a rampant, negative constant. Yes, this is the horrible reality in the world over which the Lord laments.

Believers must be careful on two levels: we should never be involved in the gross ugliness of sin or the deceptive subtleties of sin. We might think that a Christian would never be involved in the gross ugliness of sin, however a careful study of the New Testament would awaken us. The apostle Paul was constantly reminding the saints to keep clean from sin’s filth, as seen in the Adamic nature. In Galatians 5, for example, he encouraged the believers to live in the power of the Holy Spirit instead of fulfilling the lust of the flesh – the works of it being described in verses 19-21. It is an unbelievable list of sins that Christians are able to carry out. The secret of living in the power of the Holy Spirit, exemplifying His fruit and thus bearing the image of the heavenly Man, is found in the expressions: “Walking in the Spirit” (v.16), “If we live in the Spirit” (v.25) and “Let us also walk by the Spirit” (v.16). We don’t need more of the Holy Spirit – He needs more of us individually!

Another example of a believer living in the ugliness of sin is found in 1 Corinthians 5 where the young man, who was in fellowship, was sleeping with his stepmother. The apostle had to tell the believers to put the wicked person away. Later, Paul reminded the saints in Ephesians 4:25-32 about behaviors that grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Many more examples could be cited, but clearly gross sins should be avoided at all cost.

The second trap for the Christian is the subtleties of sin. The Adamic nature wants to draw us into the world. Paul told Timothy that “Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world” (2 Tim. 4:10). At times, if we are not careful, we become earthly-minded, becoming engaged in the business of pursuing material possessions, positions of power and influence in our chosen professions – making a name for ourselves in the world. Gradually the Lord, family and the assembly [church] are neglected. The believer’s intentions may be good, desiring to make his family comfortable and securing their future, but in a subtle fashion he becomes earthly-minded and bears the image of Adam, like the unbeliever. No wonder the Scriptures remind us, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of the God abides forever.” (1 Jn. 2:15-17)

The Image Of The Heavenly Man
In a soon-coming day all true believers will literally bear the image of the heavenly; it will happen at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ for His Church (1 Cor. 15:51-54; Phil. 3:20-21; 1 Th. 4:13-18). We look forward to that glorious day! Yet it is abundantly clear that God would have us to bear the character of Christ now. In bearing His character in our moral lives we are, in some sense, bearing His image, and that through the ability and resources God has given us.

We are reminded by Paul that God has “blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love” (Eph. 1:3-5). Although the “counsel of God” (Acts 2:23 KJV) occurred in eternity, He wanted us to walk before Him in holiness. He wanted us to be blameless. God wanted these moral characteristics displayed in the world for His glory. We will be blameless in eternity when we are with Christ, but God is glorified as believers now bear the image of His Son on earth. The Holy Spirit is the source of power to accomplish God’s purposes.

How can this happen? It can happen if the believer maintains an intimate and personal relationship with the Lord! “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18 NKJV). The Holy Spirit can reproduce the attributes of Christ in each believer as we allow Him. As we focus on Christ and Christ alone, we are consistently changed from glory to glory.

It takes exercise to reflect Christ’s image. Yes, the Holy Spirit plays a major part; but we must exercise ourselves! We must read the Word of God, meditating on every portion that we read. We must be obedient to the Scriptures. We must have a consistent and active prayer life. Finally, we must gather with the Lord’s people in the assembly (church).

Conclusion
“Beloved, now are we the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure” (1 Jn. 3:2-3). Yes, we bear the image of the earthly, but soon we will bear the image of the heavenly. The literal change has not occurred for over two thousand years, but God wants the moral change to begin now. Let us bear the image of the heavenly Man now!

By Albert Stuart