In the Image of God

Today I would like to share this beloved song of mine that has really touched my heart over the past few years. The song centres upon the image of God. The 1st stanza with have what God has done for man and in the 2nd stanza we have what man ought to do. Here are the beautiful lyrics:

In the image of God,
Man was made long ago,
With a purpose divine,
Here His glory to show;
But we failed Him one day,
And like sheep went astray,
Caring not for the cost,
We His likeness have lost,
But from eternity,
God had in mind -
The cross of Calvary, 
The lost to find,
From his heaven so broad,
Christ came down earth to tread, 
So that man might live again,
In the image of God. 

Now that I have believed,
And the Saviour received;
Now that I from the guilt,
Of my sin am relieved;
I will live for my Lord,
Not for gain or reward,
But for love, thinking of
What His grace has restored.
I’ll never comprehend,
Redemption’s plan,
How Christ could condescend,
To die for men.
Such a Saviour I’ll praise 
To the end of my days,
As I upward, onward, trod
In the image of God.

I’ve been reflecting about the image of God for quite a while. What did it actually mean when God said “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness,” in Genesis 1:26a? Does it mean that we look like God? Yes, I think perhaps we are like God in some sense, not be a physical likeness, but nevertheless, a spiritual likeness. We have the spiritual attributes of God like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness to a certain extent, despite our fallen nature.

But the word ‘image’ actually reveals something more stated in the song

The purpose of being God’s image is to show his glory. An image is a reflection. Likewise, we are a reflection of God’s glory. When others see us, theywould see him.

What a wonderful thing it is if we could live out this purpose that he has for us from the very beginning, to be his image, the reflection of his glory!