We are God’s representatives. We carry the name of God with us. We don’t do it lightly or dismissively or in a way that drags down God’s reputation. Bearing the name, like when you’re in the community, we are a representative of our family, of your church, of your company. We bear the family name, we bear the company name. If we are kind of a jerk or screw up, we know that’s going to reflect badly on the people with whom we are associated with by the name. We don’t what to live in such a way where we represent God poorly, that’s a poor strategy.
Israel was supposed to be distinct from the nation’s, but there are lots of reasons they were supposed to distinct. They were supposed to attract the nation’s back to the true God, they been assigned that status by God, but the identity of this was pretty short-lived. God’s initial desire to have a people, to have a family on earth, but after the fall the only people who can do it like it should be done are the ones who are redeemed, because we need the spirits help to do that in a post-fall world. If we’re to imitate God, we need assistance, because of our flesh, our corruption. The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel.
In scripture, imaging language is used of Jesus, that’s not an accident. Scripture is intelligently designed, Jesus, who is the image of God. He is the ultimate example, the ultimate imager of how to represent God. Jesus said, I have manifested your Name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Manifesting the Name is what, he that has seen me has seen the father. Manifesting the Name showing people what God is like, thats imaging. I have made known to them your Name and will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them. It’s not about vocabulary training, it’s about living in such a way, representing God.
God has predestinated that all who believe will ultimately be conformed to the image of his son. Ultimately what imaging is, is discipleship. As we become disciples of Jesus, we image him and we fulfill our roles as human beings when we are like Jesus. We have the privilege of actually being the the kind of person we are supposed to be with unveiled face. We are being transformed into the same image, it’s conformity to Jesus. Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, we can’t be in iniquity or be characterized by iniquity if we’re supposed to be imaging God, bearing the Name.
Israel was supposed to be distinct from the nation’s, but there are lots of reasons they were supposed to distinct. They were supposed to attract the nation’s back to the true God, they been assigned that status by God, but the identity of this was pretty short-lived. God’s initial desire to have a people, to have a family on earth, but after the fall the only people who can do it like it should be done are the ones who are redeemed, because we need the spirits help to do that in a post-fall world. If we’re to imitate God, we need assistance, because of our flesh, our corruption. The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel.
In scripture, imaging language is used of Jesus, that’s not an accident. Scripture is intelligently designed, Jesus, who is the image of God. He is the ultimate example, the ultimate imager of how to represent God. Jesus said, I have manifested your Name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Manifesting the Name is what, he that has seen me has seen the father. Manifesting the Name showing people what God is like, thats imaging. I have made known to them your Name and will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them. It’s not about vocabulary training, it’s about living in such a way, representing God.
God has predestinated that all who believe will ultimately be conformed to the image of his son. Ultimately what imaging is, is discipleship. As we become disciples of Jesus, we image him and we fulfill our roles as human beings when we are like Jesus. We have the privilege of actually being the the kind of person we are supposed to be with unveiled face. We are being transformed into the same image, it’s conformity to Jesus. Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, we can’t be in iniquity or be characterized by iniquity if we’re supposed to be imaging God, bearing the Name.
