Image of God

Genesis 1:27

So God created human beings in his own image.

In the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

The first chapter of Genesis is a beautiful reminder of who God is,  who we are, in relation to God and the creation He spoke into existence. However there have probably been more arguments over  how it is to be understood than any other chapter, however I think that all Christians would agree with the statement in Hebrews 11:3:   By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. God made the universe for His own pleasure and enjoyment it reflected his majesty and creativity coming to a climax in the creation of humankind in His image.

So what does the image of God mean?  Looking at the verse, the first thing we see is the joint creation of man and woman as one. Separate persons, but the image in unity, a reflection of God as three persons in one. In the garden of Eden, we see Adam and Eve walking and talking with God; the perfect trio enjoying conversation in the cool of the evening. 

We reflect the image as we abide in loving relationship with other people in a mutuality of love, whether that is as family, church or just a group of friends in some sort of bond of love with each other, a love empowered by the Spirit living within us. 

Every human soul living is made in the image of God, so we have a special duty to love care and respect every human being, regardless of race class or creed. 

It is often helpful to understand a passage to ask, how the writer and the first hearers of the passage would have understood it. The people of the ancient world would have understood an image of God as an idol in a temple. However, the ancient Hebrews understood from very early on that God, a pure spirit, could not be represented by anything made by human hands and the first clauses of the Ten Commandments forbid the worship of any man-made image.Exodus 20 
So, we become the image as the breath of God is breathed into us. Genesis 2:7  As Christians, we are filled with the Spirit who makes us alive in Christ. Our job as image bearers is to reflect the loving character of God to the rest of creation with our own Christ inspired love to a world that has lost sight of God’s presence and character. We are to be the image of Christ to everyone who we meet.

In the next verse in Genesis we are commanded to rule over the rest of creation. This does not mean using creation to our own, ends wrecking it as we do so. It is a command to care for it and look after it just as God himself would, in a sacrificial manner.

However, I think it means much more than this.  At the fall Satan took that authority away from humankind, and Jesus had to come as the second Adam, the perfect image of God, to win back all that was lost. In Christ, we now have the power and authority to change the fallen creation bringing it back into the state God meant it to be through prayer and our own loving and prayerful actions.  

Every soul living is made in the image of God so we have a special duty to love care and respect every human being regardless of race class or creed. 

I close this blog with a fragment from a Celtic liturgy:

Leader: I open my heart to Christ in the stranger,

People: To Christ in the face of colleague and friend,

Leader: I open my heart to the one who is wounded

People: To Christ in the hungry, the lonely, the homeless

Leader: I open my heart to the one who has hurt me

People: To Christ in the faces of sinner and foe

Leader: I open my heart to those who are outcast

People: To Christ in the broken, the prisoner, the poor

Leader: I open my heart to all who are searching

People: To Christ in the world God’s generous gift

In the beginning God created

This first verse of Genesis rings out with the founding principle of Hebrew and Christian religion. In the beginning God.

God is first cause, always has been, always will be. The existence of God as sole creator of the universe has been an idea from the beginning of time. One of the oldest books in existence is probably the book of Job.

Job 38 provides a lovely poetic description of God at work as creator.

Modern science agrees with the bible in that there was a beginning to the universe the so called Big Bang which according to Professor Stephen Hawking occurred about 15 billion years ago. 

 However because it is impossible to observe anything from before the big bang (all matter and radiation came from a single point) science has nothing provable to say about what happened before that event. So, although science can say a lot about the mechanics of creation it has nothing to say with certainty about how or by who the universe was made from nothing.

Christians believe that the universe was created by the uncreated trinity of Father, Son and Spirit who have been in an eternal state of loving relationship. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. Hebrews 11:3

However, we see God as much more than the blind watchmaker who threw the world into being and then withdrew. Creation is an active and ongoing process in which God is intimately involved. God is the Sustainer as well as the creator, sustaining all things by the power of His word Hebrews 1:3.  God is intimately involved not just in the creation of humankind but in the creation of you and me. This is beautifully expounded in Psalm 139

Going back to Genesis 1 we see the Hebrew word “bara” used multiple times it means created out of nothing and is only used with God as the subject.  A word study of the word Bara is worthwhile and reveals just how beautiful is the creator’s relationship with His creation

In relation to man, Christ makes him a new creation, the psalmist knew about this desperate need of the human heart when he cried out "Create in me a new heart” Psalm 51:10. 

Jesus explained this to Nicodemus in John 3 when he talked about the need to be born again. Christ begins a new creative work in every human heart surrendered to Him, a work brought to final perfection when we meet Christ face to face on that final day of judgement and renewal.  The final creative act will be as prophesied by Isaiah in Ch 65:17 I will create a new   heaven and a new earth and the old will be remembered no more. The recreated family of Adam and Eve, which includes every newly recreated Christian, will live in a new heavenly city with Christ enthroned in the middle of His people.   

Christ in all the scriptures.

Somebody asked me this week, "as Christians we don't have to study the Old Testament do we?"
In the same week we had a wonderful talk from Nick McQuaker from the Sussex Gospel partnership on the revelation of Christ in the Old Testament. In John 5:38-40 Jesus himself says the scriptures, (that is the Jewish books of the Law Prophets and writings what we call the Old Testament,) point to Him.
In Matthew 5:17-18 Jesus says the He comes to fulfil everything in the Law and The Prophets, and that He will accomplish all that is set out in the unchangeable scriptures .  So Jesus endorsed the Old Testament, as did God the Father when He raised Christ from the dead, endorsing not just Jesus' sacrifice but all of His teaching .
One of the key themes of the Old testament is outlined for us in the Eden story in Genesis.
God places Adam in the Garden of promise, he sins and is expelled but there is a promise of a seed of Eve who will crush the serpents head as the serpent strikes his heel. Finally accomplished in the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.

So we have this idea of the seed of promise, the liberator who will overcome the serpent and bring the children of God back to the garden of promise. Hence we have the seeming endless genealogies
which trace the descent of the seed as well as the numerous blind alleys. These are summarised in Matthew and Luke as the line of Jesus running from Adam through   Noah and Abraham and the patriarchs  onward through David and the kingly line to eventually arrive at Jesus.

So we have this theme of sin, exile from the Land, appearance of a redeemer and return to the Land of Promise. So we have these key figures called to rescue the people of God but all with feet of clay such as Noah, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, culminating in the enigmatic figure of the Servant of the Lord in Isaiah and quoted by Jesus about Himself in Matthew 12:15-21.

 Which brings us to the theme of covenant. This is basically a solemn promise between parties especially between the creator God and His created beings typified in the agreements with Noah Abraham and the patriarchs and  with David. In the first chapter of Genesis God creates and blesses humankind and in Chapter 2 has a practical relationship with them as he walks and talks with them in the cool of the evening. However Adam and Eve rebel against this overwhelming generosity by seeking self determination and independence and cause a separation between themselves and God which forces them out of the garden.The covenants renewed that relationship, with people who God chose, to be his special blessing to the rest of mankind, by means of his protection, guarantee of a place to live, and guarantee of an eternal inheritance. Thus the need for a barren Sarai to become Sarah and produce a son or seed of promise  .   

One elaboration of this is the theme of a search for a King who will rescue the people and establish the Kingdom of God;  with God dwelling in the centre of the the King's Holy city in the Temple.
This was achieved by David and his son Solomon who established the kingdom and built the Temple where the  Shekinah glory resided. However the dynasty was still fatally flawed and sank from bad to worse until the exile. However God was faithful to His promise to David which was finally fulfilled as Jesus entered Jerusalem as the servant king.  Matthew 21:5

Going back again to Genesis 3  we see that the result of a broken relationship with God is separation and death. This is the righteous judgement of a Holy God who remains in loving harmony with His creation and wants to embrace them into the loving community of the Triune God. So there is a tension in the Godhead between the love that wants to unite and the Holiness which demands separation and death.

The problem is solved by the idea of a substitute who takes the place of the one under judgement.
In the old testament the life is always represented by the life giving blood., by which Gods covenants are sealed. We see the idea in the story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22 with a ram  provided by God as a substitute for his son.
This is greatly elaborated in the covenant given to Moses with the whole system of sacrifices and the picture of the scapegoat when the high priest places his hand on the goat's head transferring the sins of the people onto the goat which is driven into the wilderness. The high priest was like the king an inherited position. The high priest was the specially representative between God and man and Jesus was the Final Great High priest as explained in Hebrews 4ff
All this points to Jesus'  death on the cross and all that it achieved.

So my post has become overlong but I hope it at least whets your appetite to go and delve into the wonders to be found in the old testament itself.

The Bible: Mark, read and inwardly digest.

BLESSED Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. Thomas Cranmer, 2^nd collect in Advent

This month in our Trinity teaching series we will be looking at the bible; so I thought I would give my personal slant on this massive subject. I was brought up on a daily diet of bible reading which I heard every day at school or Sunday School and am still able to quote whole chunks in the old King’s James version. However, it was not until I was converted in my first year at college that the bible really came alive as the living word of God.

As the living and active word of God, breathed throughout by the Holy Spirit, it is essential daily reading for every child of God who has a desire to grow and be more like Jesus. As we read it we should be actively praying that God’s Spirit should be with us to illumine what God is actually teaching us today through His word, to change how we think speak and act.

Really good and accurate texts of the bible exist today in the original Greek and Hebrew, however few of us have much ability to read these so we need good translations. This is very much personal preference, there are two main methods of translation, one is word for word; translating the actual words into good English. The ESV is a good example which I enjoy personally, as it is very accurate and still maintains a lot of the beauty of the AV. The other is taking the meaning or thought of the original text and rendering the meaning in free flowing English, such as the New Living Translation.   The New International Version, the text we use in church, is somewhere in the middle of these two methods. There are also paraphrase translations which seek to capture something of the rhythms and idioms of the original text, such as The Message, which is a really exciting read and is helpful particularly in some parts of the Old Testament.

I think it is important to open and read the Bible as a daily devotion. I find the online resource WordLive particularly helpful, which comes with two commentaries on the passage and lots of other explanatory notes. There is also a list of readings to enable you to read through the bible in a year. This is very helpful as it gives you an overview and helps see how the Old and New Testament fit together and complement each other. On embarking on reading the bible through there are two books which I find particularly helpful “How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth” by Stuart and Fee, available online at: How to read the   and  How to read the Bible Book by 

There are a lot of other free helps online. There are superb bible apps especially the ESV for iPhone or Android which is very quick and easy. There are many translations at: Bible gateway and Bible Hub  which also has interlinear Greek and Hebrew Bibles which you can use as a concordance. Click on a word to get all the occurrences and how the word is translated into English. There are many other helps such as good Bible dictionaries both Baker and Easton here: Biblestudytools 

  

Biblical meditation.

As well as getting the big picture it is good to focus down on a small piece of text, learning, chewing over and meditating on a passage. One method is called Lectio Divina, Traditionally, it has four separate steps: read; meditate; pray; contemplate. First a passage of Scripture is read, then its meaning is reflected upon. This is followed by prayer and contemplation on the Word of God. Again available online  at Lectio

I hope this blog has helped you to really get excited about getting into God’s word, as a way of listening to and obeying what the Lord Jesus has to speak into your life day by day.

Spiritual strongholds

I am writing this the day after a teaching evening on Spiritual warfare.

One of the things I came away with is how we all manage to harbour Strongholds of the enemy in our life that are not fully surrendered to God.  These are   the recurrent temptations and sins that we persistently succumb to in our daily life and try as we might they persist just making us feel more weak, guilty and useless and fuelling a persistent cycle of sinning repentance resolving not to do it again and yet again falling.  To quote St Paul in Romans chapter 7 ²¹

^" I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. ²² I love God’s law with all my heart.²³ But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me." 

So what is the big problem? Why are these lusts and desires so powerful?  I think the answer deep within our brains.  The things that we struggle with are highly pleasurable, they activate structures deep inside our brain which fire pleasure and reward centres. The more we activate these centres the more we crave; we become addicted as we need more and more stimulus to attain the same level of pleasure, eventually patterns of behaviour become learned and imprinted on the more ancient areas of our brain which only are partially controlled by our neocortex (our conscious minds).

So how do we break out of the stronghold? Paul has the answer, Rom 7: ²⁴ …Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? ²⁵ Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord…

We stop having a love affair with sin and start having a love affair with the person of Jesus Christ, to invite Him into our very beings through the power of the Holy Spirit flooding into every corner of our lives.  We discover (Romans 8) that there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus and because we belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed us from the power of sin that leads to death. As we fully comprehend the amazing love which dies on a cross for us we are enabled to put to death our sins and live for Christ and our deepest desires are to please Him and serve Him. Daily desiring to bring His Kingdom into our lives and neighbourhoods by acts of compassion and servant-hood empowered by the inner workings of His Holy Spirit. As we abandon the strongholds of Satan we discover complete rest in the loving arms of God.

 Psalm 91 (NLT)

1Those who live in the shelter of the Most High

will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2This I declare about the LORD:

He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;

he is my God, and I trust him.

3For he will rescue you from every trap

and protect you from deadly disease.

4He will cover you with his feathers.

He will shelter you with his wings.

His faithful promises are your armour and protection.

Why pray? Why pray in community?

So, what is the value of coming together in the middle of the week to pray?  If God knows our most intimate thoughts and desires, why do we need to come before Him in prayer?

We could ask: why does the stream need the spring, or the lover to speak to his beloved?  Prayer is about coming into an intimate relationship and meeting with our Creator and Saviour.  It is not so much about changing the mind of God; it is Christ changing us into effective agents for the bringing down of His kingdom from heaven to earth.

True intercession is a syncing of minds and spirits with the God of the universe and bringing heaven down to earth.  Prayer as a private devotion is the powerhouse of the Christian, but prayer in community is the powerhouse of the church. Jesus said that when two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst (Mat 18:20); in the same chapter, Jesus speaks of the power of binding and releasing things in the heavenly places.

 Jesus wants us to be a community of people who learn, like the woman at the well in Samaria, that Jesus is the only source of living water, and we have to come to Him and drink.  Jeremiah pointed out two sins of God’s people: they had forsaken God the fountain of living waters, and hewed out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no water Jeremiah 2:13  Community prayer is the sign that we are not relying on our own wisdom and organisation as a community, but on the creative power of the Holy Spirit in everything we do as church together, working to His agenda, not ours.

I often think of prayer as coming into the throne room of God. Just as God’s people of old entered into the tabernacle with songs of joyous praise (see the Songs of Ascent in the Psalms 120-134), so we start with a beautiful time of sung worship and praise. We enter through the gate into the Holy Place where the altar  of incense burns: the prayers of the saints, and we walk through the curtain which was torn in two by the death and resurrection of Jesus, into the presence of the throne of Grace where we can bring our requests in confidence before our enthroned  Father, hand in hand with our friend and Saviour Jesus, our high priest and friend of intercessors.

So will this little band of friends who meet together on a Wednesday evening change our selves, our church and our town? I will leave you with a quotation from Spurgeon 

Our prayers are God's decrees in another shape. The prayers of God's people are but God's promises breathed out of living hearts, and those promises are the decrees, only put into another form and fashion. Don’t say, “How can my prayers affect the predetermined will and plan of God?” They cannot, except in so much that your prayers are decrees, and that as they come out, every prayer that is inspired of the Holy Spirit to your soul is as omnipotent and as eternal as that decree which said, “Let there be light, and there was light;” ……You have power in prayer, and you stand today among the most potent ministers in the universe that God has made. You have power over angels, they will fly at your command. You have power over fire, and water, and the elements of the earth. You have power to make your voice heard beyond the stars; where the thunders die out in silence, your voice will wake the echoes of eternity. The ear of God himself will listen and the hand of God himself will yield to your will. He commands that you pray, “Your will be done,” and your will, will be done. When you can plead his promise then your will is his will. 

New Wine 2016

New Wine 2016

For us, the main joy was soaking in God's presence and learning more about cultivating a love affair with Jesus. We spent a lot of the week in the Hungry venue, which was a quieter, more meditative space than some of the other events on offer, although we also enjoyed the amazing corporate worship with thousands of others in the main arena. 

One of the speakers, Charlie Cleverly, has written a commentary on the Song of Songs, and I have really been enjoying reading this. Christianity is much more than a religion - it is an intense personal relationship with our Maker and Redeemer. It is being drawn into the vortex of love, servanthood and mutual adoration which exists between the three persons of the Godhead, with each person acting as servant and lover to the other two. The Holy Spirit always points to Jesus, sublimating himself, like a spotlight illuminating Jesus. We see Jesus on earth always subservient to His Heavenly Father, always looking and pointing to what the Father is doing. Likewise, the Father’s voice comes from heaven, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”

Jesus acts as the divine lover, with an intense desire to be in close relationship with His bride. Our separation from God at the fall meant that we could no longer walk with God in the cool of the evening, but the sacrifice of love on the cross means that we have been reunited with Christ, and we who were far off have been brought near. Lovers have a desire for closeness and intimacy; this is Christ’s desire for His relationship with us. However, we are ever wayward lovers: pursuing lesser gods and desires that glitter but lead only to death and separation from Christ.

We need to create an inner temple where we commune with our lover; a space - in our minds and in our activities devoted to seeking the one our hearts desire; seeking him in the pages of scripture, in our acts of public worship and private prayer; cultivating a meekness of Spirit and purity of mind that transforms us into the beautiful lovers that Christ requires. Slowly our ugly sin-filled selves are transformed by being in the presence of the one who is altogether beautiful, to be more like our wonderful Jesus who we love and adore.

Once we have tasted and seen that the Lord is indeed good, we share all the desires that Christ has for his world. We want to share the relationship which we have; to make our love affair known. As we worship the king we want to increase the kingdom, to bring heaven down to earth, and point others to the heaven of love which is loving unity with Christ.