Being The Man, Husband, And Father God Wants Us To Be.

“Being the Husband and Father God wants us to be”

“In the image and likeness of God”

By

District Elder M.L. Maughmer, Jr.

Gen 1: 26-27 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them”.

Opening: - When I received the call to come here for the great occasion and be a part of this wonderful experience I began to seek God’s face and ask Him what did He want me to give to His people. I could have given my ideas and my interpretations on what I feel is involved in being a husband and a father, but it would be just that my opinion. My opinion may be different than yours because of social, economical, educational, environmental, and many other factors. Therefore I asked God to show me what He wanted me to give and as God began to reveal His word to me for this message He once again was blowing my mind. He took me to Genesis the 1st chapter and began to deal with me about being created in the image and likeness of God.

As I began to think about that the image and likeness of God I tried to analyze it in my carnal mind knowing that the Bible says in John 4:24 that “God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth”. Then I remembered in Luke 24:39 that Jesus is talking to Thomas when he said “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have”. So I was trying to figure out what God meant when He said in his image and likeness - SEE MY CARNAL MIND WAS TRYING TO THERORIZE THIS CONCEPT.

Understanding that God is a spirit that does not have flesh and bones then how can we be created in His image and likeness. I know many times we say well what about the scripture in Exodus 33:18-23 when Moses said to God shew me thy glory and God said no man shall see my face and live, but he will put him in the clift of the rock and cover him with his hand and let Moses see his back parts. Understand that this is called an Anthropomorphism. Anthropomorphism are words used to try to describe that which is not human in such a way that our human carnal minds can understand it.

So then what does it mean to be made in the image and likeness of God.

1st we must understand that the only creature created in the image and likeness of God is Adam. The Hebrew word Aw-dam (Adam) means mankind – so this includes women as well.

The word Aw-dam by definition means red because physically he is from the dust of the earth or the red clay.

WATCH THIS:- Aw-dam is created. That word created in the Hebrew is Brayah and it means to come from nothing. There was no former pattern or evolution.

WATCH THIS: - Since God is a spirit and hath not flesh and bones which means there is no physical likeness, then to be created in His image and likeness must mean that we are not physically like God, but spiritually created in His image and likeness. See this physical body is dust, but the spiritual man, the inner part of us is like God.

WHAT IS GOD LIKE?

God says in Leviticus 11:44 “Be ye holy for I am Holy” so we know God is Holy. 1st John 4:8 says “God is Love” not has love but is love. We know God is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and He is Eternal just to name a few things.

So when Aw-dam was created in His image and likeness man was created HOLY.

Not only that but he was created to be an eternal being.

Not just that but he was created to have relationship with God.

He was created to be the steward over all the earth.

He was created a friend of God.

He was created full of knowledge.

He was created fully satisfied.

But because of sin man is no longer holy – that why God said be ye holy.

He is no longer and eternal being – that’s why this corruption must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality.

No longer is there relationship – but man now walks in the vanity of their own mind having their understanding darkened being alienated from the life of God.