“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.” (Gen. 1:26) I am sure that you realize that in “this image” are the character traits of the Most High God, not that all humans are bipedal or relative in size and structure to each other, but made in the image of how our Creator acts and reacts to that which He has created, His nature. The finest, most Holy men and the vilest, most evil men are all created in the image of God.
We have, as much as the Lord allows, the ability to create, to love, to show compassion, we have the ability to kill, to hate, to exact vengeance, we are made with the ability to discern between good and evil, but we were also created with free will, the power as we understand it, to choose our own path in this life. Herein is where the divisions, if you will, arise within each individual, to what extent do we have the right to exercise that power.
Weak men are neither voted in or assume power of their own volition over a nation, men that lead, and lead well, rarely have any such desires, they prefer to assist from the background those who wield such power. The majority of people on this planet are followers, they have within themselves the same ability to lead, but have chosen not to extend those abilities, yet not by their own self-determination, but by fear, they do not prefer the background, but it is where they have chosen to be because leadership invites much criticism, usually from those who do not have the abilities to lead men.
The image of God that all men were made in is within every person that has ever lived, but because of sin, that image is corrupted. A prime example is one of comparison, what is the greater offense in the eyes of man, murder, or a born-again believer who will not stand for Christ, an easy question to answer, if one does not think spiritually. Another example would be Hitler, how can one contend, not by who he could have been, but who he was, the actions of his life, that this man was made in the image of God. Because my friends, it is impossible for us to think like the Most High. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.” (Isaiah 55:8)
Those who seek world domination rarely do so through peaceful efforts, pain is a much better persuader than offerings of peace, this has been proven throughout human history, and it is beginning to appear again in our days. Those who are now and have in the past attempted world conquest exhibit the character traits of our Lord, but with evil intent parasitically attached to that image that they were made in, wrath, vengeance, no mercy, anger, all of what the so-called Christians of today see as negative aspects, negative character traits, yet each of these and more can be ascribed to our Lord.
In the Scriptures we are told that we are gods, (Ps. 82:6) even Christ emphasized and expounded on this verse, (John 10:34) yet just because we have the power to do a thing, does not mean that we have the right to do it. We are told that “To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.” (Deut. 32:35) Yet we are also commanded to “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath,” (Eph. 4:26) we have the power to kill, yet we are commanded not to. (Exo. 20:13)
The born-again believers spend their lives submitting to the will of the Lord God, listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit, attempting with a humble heart to be Christlike, but will never attain in full these greatest of desires, it is what Paul meant when he said he had not attained to that which he sought the most. (Phil. 3:12) The followers of Christ have much more power than they have the right to wield, through faith we can move mountains, walk on water, do all manner of things that the lost would call magic, yet we constrain ourselves from these abilities, and instead choose on our own to submit to the Most High, we love instead of hate, we serve instead of exerting the power that is rightfully ours as ambassadors of the kingdom of God. We see the world differently than the lost do, we know it is temporary, we know the end of all those who will not call Jesus Christ Lord, we love our enemies and leave the vengeance to God.
The image that all men were created in is the same in all men who have been created, we as believers have simply been shown the truth of the One in whose image we were created, and have accepted the limitations placed on us, for we love Him who first loved us. (1 John 4:1) We were not only called, we were chosen, (Matt. 22:14) we are the representatives of Him that holds all power. “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matt. 28:18) We are the leaders of men to the cross, we are the only individuals on this planet that know the truth, that wield the only sword of power on this planet, the truths of the Word of God. We have not only the power to do so, but the right and responsibility, we have been commanded to go into all the world, (Mark 16:15) the lost are to see the image of the Lord in us, in every aspect, as much as the measure of faith that we have been blessed with.
We are the representatives in this age of grace of Christ, an age which will soon end, do not be slack in your service, represent fully He whom you serve, in all humility, for His glory, and the glory of the Lamb.
