God created man in His own image, in His own likeness.
Genesis 1:26-27 [26] Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” [27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Genesis 9:6 Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.
1. To what do “image” and “likeness” refer?
Contrast Hebrews 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, . . .
An image is an inexact copy. It has some, but not all, of the original’s characteristics and qualities.
2. What are some of the characteristics which we as created as “images of God” include?
a. Intellect. God knows all. We know some.
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 1 Cor 13:12 KJV)
b. We have the ability to make moral choices.
“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may Deut 30:19 KJV)
c. God has emotions, we have emotions.
But our ancestors made the God of heaven angry, so he handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who destroyed this Temple and took the people to Babylon as captives. Ezra 5:12 (NCV)
Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them, for I Jehovah thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate me, Ex 20:5 ASV)
A woman must not wear men’s clothes, and a man must not wear women’s clothes. The Lord your God hates anyone who does that. Deut 22:5 (NCV)
The LORD despises the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue godliness. Prov 15:9 (NLT)
And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart Gen 6:6 (RSV)
d. God is all powerful , we have some power.
And let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Gen 1:26
And Jehovah God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. Gen 2:15 ASV)
And out of the ground Jehovah God formed every beast of the field, and every bird of the heavens; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them: and whatsoever the man called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
e. God is a spirit, we have a spiritual part.
But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty giveth them understanding. Job 32:8 ASV)
The spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah, Searching all his innermost parts. Prov 20:27 ASV)
God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” God breathed into him “the breath of life.” God gave man life which is physical or psychological, and then He gave him life which is spiritual.—J. Vernon McGee’s Thru The Bible
Body
Soul: mind, emotions, will
Spirit: that component which has the ability to come into relationship with God.
So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died. Gen 5:5 KJV)
3. So, why didn’t Adam die like God said he would when He ate of the fruit?
Death means separation, and Adam was separated from God spiritually the very day he ate, you may be sure of that.—J. Vernon McGee’s Thru The Bible
Adam died spiritually on the day he ate and he began to the process of dying physically. Adam was designed to live forever, He would still be alive and look exactly like he did when God created him if it not for the effects of sin.
And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. Gen 5:3 KJV)
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, Romans 5:12 KJV)
So now we have Adam and Eve both now spiritually dead and in the process of dying physically and as they have children and these children have a birth defect. The defect is that they are now like born in the image of their parents.
As these kids have kids the disease is passed on to the entire human race. Within a few generations the condition of the human race so bad that:
And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. Gen 6:6 KJV)
The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. Gen 6:5 (NIV)
I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. 16 I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 But I can’t help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things. 18 I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can’t make myself do right. I want to, but I can’t. 19 When I want to do good, I don’t. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. 20 But if I am doing what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing it. Romans 7:15-20 (NLT)
4. Yeah, but I think I’m a pretty good person, at least I’m not that bad. Surely I’m better than 
Hitler or 
Charles Manson, I haven’t murdered anyone! I go to church,I pay my taxes (well most of them), I’m a law abiding citizen. I mean, well I’m not perfect after all I’m only human.
Yes, that the problem. I’m only human.
“There is none righteous, no, not one;11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” Romans 3:10-12 KJV)
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23 KJV)
”The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? Jer 17:9 KJV)
John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
20 The soul that sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself Ezek 18:19-20 (RSV)
Revelation 20:15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 [8] He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. [9] They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power
5. Yeah, but I thought the purpose of God giving us the Commandments was so that by trying to keep them we could achieve eternal life!
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.Romans 3:20 KJV)
20 Now do you see it? No one can ever be made right in God’s sight by doing what the law commands. For the more we know of God’s laws, the clearer it becomes that we aren’t obeying them; his laws serve only to make us see that we are sinners Romans 3:20 (TLB)
6. Wait a minute! What about my good works? I do some good stuff! Shouldn’t that count toward getting into Heaven?
But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; Isaiah 64:6 KJV)
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, Titus 3:5 KJV)
5 He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:5 (NLT)
7. Ok, Ok, but what about my good works?
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Eph 2:8-10 KJV)
8 Because of his kindness, you have been saved through trusting Christ. And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God.9 Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it.10 It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others. Eph 2:8-10 (TLB)
8. So what if I don’t believe in Jesus, but I still believe in God, what is my position?
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6 KJV)
WARNING: YOU ARE IN EXTREME DANGER
Revelation 21:8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars — their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death
9. Ok, but I’m just not ready, can’t I just decide to accept Christ later after I’ve done some of the things I still want to do?
44 ”No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:44 KJV)\
13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins. Col 2:13 (NLT)
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins Eph 2:1 KJV)
10. How much ability does a dead man have?
11. So what does a dead man need most of all?
Life !!!
12. What does Jesus tell us we need?
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”John 3:3 KJV)
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 ”That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.7 ”Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 ”The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:5-8 KJV)
