We are in a sermon series entitled, “The Road.” In this series, we are discussing developing a discipling mentality in our spiritual lives. In theological terms, this is called “Sanctification.” This is just a fancy word that means “to make holy.” Lev 20:26 and 1 Pt 1:15-16 tell us to be holy, as the Lord is holy. The Greek word for holy is hagios, which is used here in the moral sense of purity. Essentially, these verses are telling us to be morally pure in the same way that God, himself, is morally pure. Wowzers! That is a pretty intense challenge.

But actually, that is how we were originally made. Gen 1:26 tells us that God made us in his own image. This is the distinguishing factor between humans and all of the rest of creation. There are two terms that are used to describe this phenomenon. They are “image” (Hebrew, tselem; Greek, eikon) and “likeness” (Hebrew, d’muth; Greek, homoiosis). The term image refers to the idea of a Xerox copy or the representation of an object by a picture or statue. The term likeness refers to sometime that is like or similar to an object. The two terms together tell us that man is a representation of God who is similar to God in certain respects. Therefore, we can best understand the meaning of being made in the likeness of God in the same way that a statue is made in the image of a person or the way that a mirror reflects the image of something.

There are several ways that man is made in the image of God. There are several characteristics that both man and God share. These are:

1. Personal consciousness

Human beings are able to recognize their selves as a person. They are also able to recognize other persons as persons. Because of this humans are able to relate to one another interpersonally and with emotions (e.g. love, hate). This is the capacity for humans’ ability to maintain relationships between one another and with God.

2. Intellectual capacity

This is the ability to think abstractly, to reason, and to use logic. We are able to use this capacity to know and understand God as a person. We are able to think about who he is and what he wants for our lives. We are also able to utilize this ability to know one another and formulate strategies to interact with one another whether in a good way or in an evil way.

3. Linguistic capacity

This is the ability to communicate verbally, not simply with sounds, but with language. We are able to us this capacity to communicate to one another and to communicate with God. Once again we have the ability to utilize this capability for good or for evil.

4. Volitional capacity

This is the capacity for self-determination (free-will). Humans have the ability to make decisions, to deliberate, and to choose. This is in contrast to animals that only act based on instinct. Humans have the ability to make informed decisions and to act with premeditation. We are able to think about what we are going to do before we do it. We are able to use this ability to respond to God positively (choose to love and obey him) or negatively (choose not to love and obey him).

5. Moral or ethical capacity

This is our sense of right and wrong, the sense of guilt or shame and our understanding of our responsibility to choose to be righteous. We sometimes call this quality as our conscience. This allows us to know that we are responsible to God for our choices and actions.

6. Creative capacity

This refers to our ability to invent. This often fulfills a utilitarian purpose, but sometimes only fulfills an aesthetic purpose. We are able to create things out of necessity, but also to create things of beauty whose very existence gives pleasure. We are able to use this ability to create things that bring glory to God.

7. Emotional capacity

This refers to our ability to feel emotions such as happiness, joy, sorrow, anguish, and hatred. With this ability we are able to experience joy while serving him and sorrow after disappointing him.

8. Religious capacity

This is our capacity for worship and spirituality. This is our ability to be conscious of the existence of God and depend on him as our creator. Our worship of him encompasses all of the above characteristics of mankind as made in the image of God.

All of these characteristics of mankind are perfectly representative of God until sin gets in the way. Man’s linguistic capacity is in the image of God until sin causes man to utilize this ability for evil or immoral acts. Man’s creative capacity is in the image of God until sin causes man to utilize this ability for sinful purposes. Discipleship is realigning our lives back into the image of God in all of these categories. Discipleship is the processing of becoming holy in the exact same way that God is holy.

This week Ben talked about how Jesus invites us into relationship with him and then challenges us to take a step closer to becoming more like him. What area is Christ challenging you to become more in line with his image? How is Christ inviting you to relate to him this week? This week be thinking about Christ’s invitation for relationship and also his challenge to realign your life back into his image.