Dynamic Power

8.2  The image of Jesus

In Chapter 1, about the purpose of God, we already saw that He wants us to grow up as sons of Him and be revealed to heal and release creation. She looks forward to it ‘in eager expectation’ (Romans 8:19).
We shall grow up to the image of the perfect human, Jesus Christ, “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).

To grow up to the image of Jesus:
The word ‘image’ in the original text means:
(1) ‘(resembling) portrait, image’ and
(2) ‘(mirroring) image, reflection’.
In transferring sense we come across the word for something that has been made according to an example and resembles that.
In this way is the men the resemblance of God (see 1 Corinthians 11:7), a reference to creation (see Genesis 1:26-27).
Especially Christ is the image of God, who is being called invisible Himself (see Colossians 1:15 and 2 Corinthians 4:4), which means: He is the manifestation, the visible resemblance, the mirroring of the Father.
Men will be changed according to that image (see 2 Corinthians 3:18 and compare Romans 8:29); as he first carried the image of – Adam - the earthly, even so he will also carry the image of – Christ – the heavenly. 1 Corinthians 15:45-49 – “And just as we have born the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.”
The Lord will do this (after all He gives growth!), because of the fact that we give optimal room to the love, the expressions and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our Church.

This is indeed THE most important purpose of our lives!

And this is what satan wants to prevent. He doesn’t want men to be on the throne, which he had reserved for himself (Isaiah 14: 13 and 14). Therefore he wants to keep men focused on the earthly, away from God and he doesn’t want, men to discover which spiritual power and possibilities he is to obtain from God!

God shows us the way to the throne, which He has reserved for us indeed!
“To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne”(Revelation 3:21).

To reach that goal through us God gives us:

• a) his Word (visualized in Jesus Christ);
• b) his Spirit (through the baptism in the Holy Spirit);
• c) his Being in us (in the fruit of the Spirit).

The nine fold fruit encloses the whole image of a balanced, harmonious life, in agreement with the Godly nature (see also 2 Peter 1:4).


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