God created man in His own image; not only in outward appearance, but also in character. Man’s love, goodness, purity, and holiness were all in the image of God. What God liked, man liked also. In all things they were in harmony. But then man changed. Now he is in the image of Satan. His character, his taste, his ambition, his selfishness, his pride, his hatred, and his hypocrisy, are all in the image of Satan. Man hates one another, and commits crimes, he kills, he steals, and they make each other’s lives miserable.
“Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves.” Romans 1:21–24
Men became vain; while professing to be wise, they became fools. The image of God was changed to the image of beasts and creeping things.
How did this happen? It happened through the lust of their hearts. The body of man was made to be the temple of the Holy Spirit, but it became defiled by lust and sin, and became the dwelling place of evil, unclean spirits.
Man is so far out from the divine image that humanly his restoration is impossible. It takes the miracle-working power of God to change man back to his original image.
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” 2 Timothy 3:1–5
These are professing Christians, but their characters have been corrupted. Their form of godliness will not benefit them.
All these characteristics must be overcome, or we will be lost, and never make it to heaven. Yet millions of professing Christians think that they can enjoy the world and go to heaven also.
Why does a religious person want to enjoy the world, its amusements, and partake of its spirit? Why does a professing Christian put away the Bible and turn on the television?
Why? Because his heart is in the world, he loves the entertainment of the world. He may be a member in the church, but will never reach sanctification, the character of Christ, and will not make it to heaven.
Satan has taken the image of religion to himself. He controls the fallen churches, and the churches that were never churches of God.
“And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” Revelation 18:2
People who visit these churches think that they are listening to the word of God, and do not realize that they are hearing the word of Satan. Miracles that they do are done by Satan. Instead of receiving happiness and peace, they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.
This is a terrible spiritual deception. Instead of spiritual health, they are sick, ready to die spiritually. They may have a sickness of envy, which is a terrible condition. “A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.” Proverbs 14:30
Greed is another sickness that many are suffering from. “So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.” Proverbs 1:19
Professing Christians are suffering from many other spiritual diseases. It normally starts from the least sin, which is hardly noticeable, but then it grows bigger and separates them further from the image of God.
To Eve, the first sin was to look at with desire at the forbidden fruit. “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” Genesis 3:6. (Emphasis mine). This desire or lust grew to the point that she ate of the fruit, and tempted her husband to eat of it also. “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust [desire], and enticed. Then when lust [desire] hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” James 1:14–15
The same thing happens today, often it is not realized that looking at vanity on the television, or on the Internet, is a great sin, but by looking at sin it leads us to do sin.
What we love, that we want to see. If we love God, the Bible is very precious to us, and we read it at every opportunity. If we love the world, then the television is dear to us, and also worldly books and magazines.
How much do careless Christians miss out on, without realizing it? They lose the joy in the Lord. “These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” John 15:11
Also they lose the peace in the Lord. “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7
Careless Christians lose the countless blessings that God has promised to the faithful Christians. We may know God personally, and become His friend. “He who is at peace with God and his fellow men cannot be made miserable.” –Reflecting Christ, p. 38
“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8. If our hearts are pure, then our minds and imaginations are pure. Then only pure thoughts can enter into our minds.
Satan is tempting us to do the smallest sin, which we think is easy to overcome later. But it leads us to greater sins, which finally leads us to commit the unpardonable sin. At the same time, others are reaching a higher standard, changing the earthly to the heavenly. “As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.” 1 Corinthians 15:48–49
This earthy image must be overcome and be changed to the heavenly, to the image of God. And God will help us to make this change.
Paul, the persecutor of God’s people, was changed into a great missionary in the church of God. And Jesus came personally to him, to convert him from the army of Satan to His own army. So it is also with us, God is involved in our character change, bringing it back to the original.
This was also the desire of David. He said, “As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness.” Psalm 17:15
If this is also our desire, how can we do it? Paul writes to us, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18
By beholding Him constantly we change to His image. Keep Him in our thoughts, in our conversation, in reading the Bible, and in our prayers. Then, little by little, His lovely image will be seen in us. We become more humble, more subdued, and more patient. We will be more spiritual and missionary-minded. And the end result will be a perfect restoration of God’s image in us.
For this work of restoration God has promised us mediums, which will help us to reach our goal. Some of these mediums include the Sabbath, health reform, church meetings, Bible study, and missionary work. Salvation means to be rescued from the image of Satan and changed into the image of God. Also God has promised to give the Holy Spirit to dwell in us.
“Satan was exulting that he had succeeded in debasing the image of God in humanity. Then Jesus came to restore in man the image of his Maker. None but Christ can fashion anew the character that has been ruined by sin. He came to expel the demons that had controlled the will. He came to lift us up from the dust, to reshape the marred character after the pattern of His divine character, and to make it beautiful with His own glory.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 37–38
If it is your desire to be perfect, and to reflect the image of God fully, then you need to change your life completely. We need to denounce the world, and its vanity, and its selfish ideas. We need to put our energy, our time, and our talents into the work of sanctification, and then one day we can sing the song of victory with the 144,000 on Mount Sion in heaven. Amen.
Timo Martin