The second reason that knowing God (ie. doing good theology) is important is because knowing God for who he truly is will change our lives. The Bible lays this out by stating that God created us in his image. After the fall into sin, that image was tarnished, battered, twisted, and demented into something strange and unrecognizable. However, the image of God was not totally lost. God's work in us throughout salvation and glorification is to restore that image into us. And the main thrust is that the image of God is restored in his people only by his people seeking to know him more through reading his word and by walking with him through prayer and meditation on those words.
A. Created in God's Image
Genesis 1:26:
"Then God said, 'Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness..."
The word for image was tselem; the word rendered "likeness" is demuth. In the original hebrew there is no conjuction between the two. The vulgate renders it "Let us make man in Our image, and after Our likeness...", but that conjuction was not in the original and this is important to know when trying to understand what it means to be made in God's image. In other words, the two phrases are not describing two different things, but it is rather a parralellism that describes the same thing in two different ways. People often times try to say things like, "The image of God means one thing and the likness of God means something else", but I'll argue that this isn't the case at all.
1st, The words image and likeness are used interchangebly throughout the book of Genesis (See 1:26, 1:27; 5:1; 5:3; 9:6)
2nd, Tselem (image) comes from the root word that means "To carve out".
Tselem means something that is similar, but not identicle to what it represents. The word is used of statues or replicas of tumors of mice (1 Sam. 6:5,11), of paintings on the wall (Ezek. 23:14), and of pagan idols or statues (Num. 33:42; 2 Kings 11:18; Ezek 7:27; 16:17, et al).
The word Demuth (Likeness) is typically used where similiarity is emphasized rather than representation or substitute. It seems as if God were to say, "Let us make an image which is like us", which is exactly how Luther translates the passage, as well as others such as Anthony Hoekema (et al).
Demuth was used as King Ahaz's model or drawing of the alter he saw in Damascus (2 Kings 16:10), as the figure of bulls beneath the bronze altar (2 Chron 4:3-4), and the wall paintings of Babylonian chariot officers (Ezek. 23:15).
To summarize, Man was made by God to perfectly be his image bearer or representative on this Earth and in the universe. The way Adam bore God's image was in his perfect unbreakable bodies, as well as in his perfect righteousness. Never committing an evil act and being perfectly adoring of God. God considers his own glory as the highest goal of all things and So, Adam, as he was made perfectly adored God's glory as the highest goal as well
B. The image of God has become damaged and unrecognizable through the fall.
What does the image have to do with Theology?
The reason I've laid this ground work is to explain that the image of God has been crushed, tainted, and marred beyond all recognition. The image of God was not completely lost. We still have physical strength (God is omnipotent) and we still have intellectual ability (God is omniscient), but it was marred beyond almost all reconition. And the goal of sanctification is to become "Like" God... or to say, our goal in sanctification is to regain the fullness of the image of God. NOW, how do we do that?
Here I will try to show that the Image of God is not what it once was and then I'll try to prove at the same time that it is not completely lost.
1. The image of God is tainted and marred is evident from Genesis 5:1-3
"This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and Female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his own image, and named him Seth."
You'll notice that Seth was not made in the image of God, but rather in the image of Adam. You'll also notice here that the words image and likeness are used interchangebly since they are in the reverse position as what we saw in 1:26. So, we know they are used interchangebly to mean that in several aspects, though Seth wasn't the exact same as Adam, he represented and imaged Adam. And it was Adam rather than God who was being imaged.
We can also conclude that this image is marred from commands of Scripture to "Be Like God". These commands come accross as to remind us that we are not Like God and not Like Jesus and do not perfectly manifest the fruit of the spirit, and therefore we are commanded to "Be immitators of God" (Eph. 5:1). I'll just list some verses here that command us to be like God:
Immitate the Father:
Lev. 11:44; Matt 5:44-45, 48; Eph 4:32, 5:1; Col 3:10; 1 Pet 1:15-16
Immitate Jesus:
Heb 12:13; 1 Peter 4:13; 2 Cor 3:18; Rom 8:29; 1 Cor 15:49; 1John 3:2; 1 Cor 16:1; 1 John 2:6; Rom 15:7; Eph 5:25; Col 3:13; 1John 3:16; Heb 13:2; Eph 5:2; Phil 12:5-11; 1 Thess 1:6; 1 John 3:7; 2 John 4:17; 1 Peter 2:21; Phil 3:10; 2 Cor 1:5, 4:8-11
Immitate the Holy Spirit:
John 16:13; Rom 8:4-6; Gal 5:22-23
We can even say that one of the reasons why Jesus came to Earth was to live that life that Adam was supposed to live - the life that perfectly images God.
Jesus is called the image of God in 2 Corinthians 4:4.
Colosians 1:5 says that Jesus is the "Image" of the invisible God.
John 14:8-9 Jesus actually makes the same point. "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father"
Hebrews 1:3 says that Jesus is the exact representation of God's being. And for this Jesus is actually more than what Adam was even before Adam sinned. Because Adam was only an image and likeness. Jesus is the exact representation! Jesus is God in flesh.
If we were still in the image of God, then he would not have to conform us back into his image as he does. The Bible says that God has "Predestined us to be conformed to the likeness of his son." (Romans 8:29). Also see the command to the Colossians to "take off" the old self and "put on" the new self which is being renewed in the knowledge of the image of it's creator (Collossians 3:9-10). And finally see 1Corinthians 15:49 and compare it with Genesis 5:1-3. It says here that we (like Seth) bear the image of Adam (the man of dust), but we will also bear the image of Jesus (the man of heaven).
C. The image of God was not completely lost
Genesis 9:6
"Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image."
God is here saying that to attack another man is quintessential to attacking God because God made man in his image. To hate the image of God is to hate an aspect of God.
This same point is made about cursing at others in James 3:9, but this time instead of using the word "Image" the word "Likeness" is used, which further shows how they are used interchangebly (albeit from Hebrew to Greek).
"With it [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God."
In other words, James is pointing out an utter inconsistancy. We act as if we speak nice things to God, but by cursing other people we are in essence throwing curses at God because we are made in God's likeness.
A point of caution here; we are not "Little 'g' god" We are nothing like God in the sense that he is holy, uncreated, and infinite. We are finite, wicked, and unholy. But the point is that we obtain all of our value and all of our worth from God. There is nothing inside of us that is essentially valuable. Infact, we are evil people who do nothing good whatsoever. There is no inherent value in man. We gain all of our worth from God making us in his likeness/image. It has been wisely stated that "The cross is not a symbol of how valuable we are. The cross shows us how depraved and wicked we really are; that it took the death of God's own son to save such a wicked and perverse people as us."
D. The Restoration of the Image
Now, the goal of our glorification is to return to the full image of God, and my argument from here on is that Theology is what causes us to be molded into that image.
Seeing God Changes us into his likeness!
There are several texts which proclaim this truth, but there are four that are so explicit that they must be addressed: 2 Corinthians 3;18 (cf 4:1-6); Colossians 3:9-10; 1John 3:2; Romans 12:2
2 Corithians 3:18 says, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For This comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."
What he is saying here, is that when we Look at God it will cause us to be transformed. This looking at God is done two ways in the Bible (Prayer and Reading his word - ie. Theology). As we come to know more and more about God, he will transform us from one degree of glory to another. Some translations say "reflecting" rather than "beholding" and that's because the greek verb katoptrizomenoi comes from the root word meaning "mirror" and can accurately be translated as either "Beholding (as in a mirror)" or "Reflecting (as a mirror)". The context shows clearly though that the best translation is "Beholding". This is seen because the israelites in verse 13 were not able to gaze (behold) the glory of moses face because he veiled his face. And verse 15 there is a veil over the israelite's hearts keeping them from seeing what is truly there. And then in verse 4:6 we see that God shines light into our hearts. And that light is "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ". To summarize this passage I would say that Looking at God for who he truly is will cause you to be transformed.
Colossians 3:9-10
"Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator."
Here we have Paul telling us that the new self is being made more and more like God (ie.to better and better image God). And the way that the new self is becoming more like God is through Knowledge of it's creators image. In other words. Whatever Jesus is like, I will be like that too by coming to know him.
1 John 3:2 "...but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is."
Allow me to give a paraphrase. When Jesus gets back here the reason we are going to be utterly transformed is because we will see him as he truly is.
I think it could be argued that in order for us to see him as he truly is we would have to be transformed or else we would melt in his shear holiness, but perhaps this verse speaks to both truths and does not specify the exact workings behind it, but only affirms both truths.
Romans 12:2
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
Again, being tranformed is directly related to our knowledge. And more specifically, our knowledge of God. BUT a word of warning must be alarmed at this point. Knowledge is more than just knowing facts. There are two aspects of knowing God. We have to know facts about God through reading and studying his word, but we must also appreciate those facts about God by having a relationship with him. A relationship with God could rightly be defined as the proper appreciation of the truths about God. The truths about God will cause you to pray and to walk with him if you truly appreciate those truths. And it is wise to remember that even Jesus used the word "Knolwedge" in this since - speaking of reltionships.
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness" (Matthew 7:21-23)
Jesus is not saying, "hmm, I didn't know you existed" He is using the word "Knowledge" to speak of a relationship. In other words, those pharisees do not properly appreciate the truths about Jesus the way they should.
And in summary, Knowing God - knowing the facts about who God is and appreciating those facts properly - changes your life and makes your more like God.
Questions for further meditation:
1. Would you describe your Christian walk as one that is more of Knowing Facts about God or knowing God in a relational way?
2. Which passage of scripture (or scriptures) inspires you to know more facts about God.
3. What passage of scripture inspires you to appreciate those facts about God more?
4. In recent years the word "Theology" has taken on a bad taste in the mouths of many people because of how it has been used. Based on this teaching, what word would you use to replace the word "Theology" if you were trying to get men to know God better? (Use only one or two words that you could coin in popular culture that does not sacrifice the meaning of the word Theology).
Memory verse:
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
(Romans 12:2)
or
"I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."
(Psalm 119:11)
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