John 17:20-26 “Father may they be one as we are one” God’s intention was never “I, me”, but “us, and we. one another, together.” His likeness is born from “Us and our, not Me and Mine”
This is reflected in Jesus' prayer for us, which goes back to God’s original intent and design - that “it is not good for us to be alone” because we were never meant to be alone, isolated, or separate. We were meant to be like God, in a perpetual and mutual relationship - of love and edification.
Genesis 1:26-28 “26Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness,…” with dominion over Our Creation 27So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28God blessed them and said to them…”
Romans 1:19-20 “20...since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made...”
God’s likeness, that is His invisible qualities, is seen in what He has made - us - and seen most clearly, not merely in me, (though they are) but most clearly when I live AND love - that is, how I/we participate in the Body, the One-ness of the community, or fellowship (Phil 2) – God’s invisible qualities are best and most clearly seen in how we love one another, together in righteousness and goodness, just like the mutuality of God’s Divine community – the Divine “US and OUR”.
Why is sin in the life of the believer so destructive? Because. it is keeping us from being all that WE were meant to be – what we were meant to reflect. As relationships are perverted, so is the expression of His likeness, as we then, live and love like Jesus, and in particular as part of His body, God’s invisible qualities begin to shine again, as was intended from the beginning, and realized in Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit (His sanctifying power), and people, seeing God in us and among us “...will know WE are His discipleS by how we love one another”, just as God, invisibly, loves One Another. In Jesus, with one another, not alone, but together, we are the visible expression of God’s invisible qualities seen by the world - that is by His grace.
First, sin separates us from God, distorting and perverting God’s image and likeness in us (as sinful humans), it brings division not only (tho most profoundly) between God and man, but also, between man and man or person and person – thus making our being visible expressions of God’s invisible qualities less than representative. It life in Christ, by the Spirit, with one another as the Body of Christ, that the restorations process begins, and we begin, more and more, to better and more rightly reflect God’s image and likeness. That in loving one another, we are truly becoming imitators of God – as – dearly loved children. Thus, being more accurate visible expressions of God’s invisible qualities. Yes, made in the image and likeness of God, now redeemed, we are now born again, new creatures in Christ, Created in Christ Jesus, dearly loved children of God!
Ephesians 1:3-12 “…4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ… 6to the praise of his glorious grace that He lavished on us… 12in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.”
Ephesians 2:4-8. “…6God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”.Image and likeness, Us and them - key indicator, plural as us, like us, Me and Him - Jesus
We, too often, divorce the term “let us make them in our image, in our likeness” from our OWN making, AND salvation - falling into the trap of believing this life (in Christ) being “about me”.
As Americans, in particular, we can often see ourselves as individualistic, independent, self-determining, and self-preserving - but that is not so in the Kingdom, and was never meant to be.
“My”, being one, as in alone, was never God’s intention, as we see from the beginning, at the inception of mankind n- God did not say “I will make a man in my image, and in my image, I will make him”.
No, what He said was “Let us make them…, …in our image and likeness…”. What God was doing was laying out His most fundamental intentions for mankind, for us, His making - not that each of us isn’t made in his likeness and image, we are image bearers - but it is that we, together, represent the Godhead’s own loving and mutual relationship – it’s not good for us, me, to be alone, just as God’s not alone, and never has been alone - it is in His triune community, in which God has forever existed in an eternally loving & mutual relationship, it is in this, that He, They, have made us, to be like Him – to live and love like God does, the one we have been made by, reflect, and are to imitate.
So, it is in being loved and loving that we find our purpose, our significance, our identity, and our value - it is here we find and express our very meaning and find ours, and God’s, delight - as we fulfill what it is that God has made US for - His glory and honor in expressing His invisible qualities - finding our joy in Him and our making - and this ALWAYS - in the context of relationships - right and good relationships.
It is the mystery of that relationship, of those three being one, that repeats itself in the mystery of humanity. And in particular, the church. As the many become one. and we are the answer of Jesus' prayer “Let them be one as we are one”, and the consummation of God’s original intent of “Let us make them in our image, and then I’ll like this let us make them”
In other words, we were never meant to be alone. As people, persons, being made by God, but in particular, as Christians being created in Christ Jesus, not only saved into Him, the Person but saved into Him, that is, His body - as members belonging to Him and to one another (koinonia).
A study on mutuality! Imitating God, as dearly loved children – together.
1 Corinthians 12 – over the past couple of months we have talked about our value as ascribed to us by God. First, in our having been made in His image and likeness, second, and even more profoundly, in the price He was willing to pay - that our value is inherent in our being God’s image bearers, and that value expressed in and with the body - with one another.
How does the Body (of Christ), most and best express God’s invisible qualities, that likeness with which we have been made? When we realize and express our own value to God and in and to the Body, and see and appreciate the value of the others I, we, have been placed with - and we do this being serving and being served, loving and edifying - one another, seeing and treating each other according to that value.
This is to the glory of God as we are all revealing his invisible qualities - that are good and glorious, and to our joy, the joy of mankind - witness, Adam‘s delight, when being re-connected and having his emptiness filled by the woman in Genesis.
How do we know God most profoundly and see Him most completely? When the Body of Christ acts like it was intended - loving, edifying, mutually, just LIKE God, in loving and harmonious relationship. As we have and find our value in Christ, we express value with one another
The Divine Fellowship, in true and real, eternal, koinonia – loving, giving honor, and dignity - recognizing and respecting Each for who He is and what Each does, Each glorifying the Others - working together, humbly with one another in mutual submission one to another in perfect harmony and delight.
So, it is for us in Christ, that we would submit first to God, and then to one another. That our humility would be marked by an accurate and sober view of ourselves, and an accurate and right view of one another - each an image bearer of God, made to live as God lives, redeemed by Jesus’ life, work, death, and resurrection - as God ascribes out worth to us by Jesus, thus worthy of esteem and love. God demonstrates for us, perfect mutuality and harmony, love and mutual admiration, perfect humility in one’s own other self-sufficiency in this willingness and ability without self-diminishing lifting the other. God edifies us and now calls us to edify one another.
The Trinity
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three unique and distinct persons, that these Persons are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute, with joyful cooperation, distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption in mutual and glorious cooperation. Matthew 28:19, John 1:1-4; 14:16-17, 26-27; 15:26, 1 John 5:7; Ephesians 5
The Father
We believe in God, the Father, an infinite personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of each person, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
John 3:16-17, John 4:24, John 17:5
The Son
We believe that Jesus Christ, the Word, was with God and was God in the beginning through Whom all things were made. We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit, God incarnate. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth. We believe that it is in Jesus that we are created and to whom we are conformed by the work of the Father.
Isaiah 7:14, John 1:1-4,9-14, Philippians 2:5-11, Hebrews 1:2-3, 1 John 1:7; 15:11, Ephesians 2:10; Romans 8:29
The Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and the Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide. We believe it is ours to cooperate with the Spirit in obedience - to walk with and be influenced by Him to accomplish the perpetual realization of the working out of our salvation and sanctification.
John 14:26; 15:26-27;16:7-15, Romans 8:14-17, Ephesians 1:13-14; 5:18, Galatians 5:16,26; Philippians 2:12-13
The Divine Fellowship, true and real eternal koinonia, - giving honor, and dignity - recognizing and respecting Each for who He is and what Each does, Each glorifying the Others - working together, humbly with one another in mutual submission one to another in perfect harmony and delight.
So it is for us in Christ, that we would submit first to God, and then to one another. That our humility would be marked by an accurate and sober view of ourselves, and an accurate and right view of one another - each an image bearer of God, made to live as God lives, redeemed by Jesus’ life, work, death, and resurrection - as God ascribes out worth to us by Jesus, thus worthy of esteem and love. God demonstrates for us, perfect mutuality and harmony, love and mutual admiration, perfect humility in one’s own other self-sufficiency in this willingness and ability without self-diminishing lifting the other. God edifies us and now calls us to edify one another.
A study on mutuality! Imitating God, as dearly loved children – together.
1 Corinthians 12 – over the past couple of months we have talked about our value as ascribed to us by God. First, in our having been made in His image and likeness, second, and even more profoundly, in the price He was willing to pay - that our value is inherent in our being God’s image bearers, and that value expressed in and with the body - with one another.
How does the Body (of Christ), most and best express God’s invisible qualities, that likeness with which we have been made? When we realize and express our own value to God and in and to the Body, and see and appreciate the value of the others I, we, have been placed with - and we do this being serving and being served, loving and edifying - one another, seeing and treating each other according to that value.
This is to the glory of God as we are all revealing his invisible qualities - that are good and glorious, and to our joy, the joy of mankind - witness, Adam‘s delight, when being re-connected and having his emptiness filled by the woman in Genesis.
How do we know God most profoundly and see Him most completely? When the Body of Christ acts like it was intended - loving, edifying, mutually, just LIKE God, in loving and harmonious relationship. As we have and find our value in Christ, we express value with one another
