Every manufacturer designs his product with the right components, engineered to fulfil the function that the product is created to perform. In essence, the purpose of the product dictates the mechanical and engineering components required to fulfil the manufacturer's intent. This principle holds true for all creation, including human beings.
Remember that everything God does is motivated by his purpose. For example, God created seeds to produce trees and plants, and therefore they naturally possess the inherent abilities and capacities to perform this purpose. Fish were created to swim, and thus their ability and capacity to swim are inherent in their design and instincts. Birds, on the other hand, were created for flight and naturally come with the inherent design and ability to fulfil that purpose.
This principle begs the question, "Why, then, did the Creator create mankind?" The answer is found in his declaration of his purpose and original intent for humanity in the first book of the Bible -Genesis 1:26 reads: “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and the livestock and all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
One of the most exciting truths in the Bible is that God created man in His image, forming man from the dust of the earth and breathing into his nostrils the breath of life. "'Image' suggests reproduction in form and substance, physical or spiritual: and 'likeness' gives the idea of resemblance and outward similarity. All human life is sacred because all humans are made in the image of God. Having the “image” or “likeness” of God means, in the simplest terms, that we were made to resemble God. The image of God imparts special meaning, harmony, intelligence and design to human life. The image of God (Latin: imago dei) refers to the immaterial part of humanity. It sets human beings apart from the animal world, fits them for the dominion God intended them to have over the earth (Genesis 1:28), and enables them to commune with their Maker. It is a likeness mentally, morally, and socially.
Mentally, humanity was created as a rational, volitional agent. In other words, human beings can reason and choose. This is a reflection of God’s intellect and freedom. Anytime someone invents the machine, writes a book, paints a landscape, enjoys a symphony, calculates a sum, or names a pet, he or she is proclaiming the fact that we are made in God’s image. Saint Augustine wrote, “Man’s excellence consists in the fact that God made him to His image by giving him an intellectual soul, which raises him above the beasts of the field.”
Morally, humanity was created in righteousness and perfect innocence, a reflection of God’s holiness. Whenever someone writes a law, recoils from evil, praises good behaviour, or feels guilty, he or she is confirming the fact that we are made in God’s image. Man stands apart from all other living creatures because of his relationship with God. Throughout the Bible, the relationship of God to man is represented as that of a father to his children. And children usually have a strong resemblance to their parents.
Socially, humanity was created for fellowship. This reflects God’s triune nature and His love. In Eden, humanity’s primary relationship was with God (Genesis 3:8 implies fellowship with God), and God made the first woman because “it is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). Every time someone marries makes a friend, hugs a child, or attends a celebration, he or she is demonstrating the fact that we are made in the likeness of God.
Part of being made in God’s image is that Adam could make free choices. Although they were given a righteous nature, Adam and Eve made an evil choice to rebel against their Creator. In so doing, they marred the image of God within themselves and passed that damaged likeness on to all of their descendants (Romans 5:12). Today, we still bear the image of God (James 3:9), but we also bear the scars of sin. Mentally, morally, socially, and physically, we show the effects of sin.
The good news is that when God redeems an individual, He begins to restore the original image of God, creating a “new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). That redemption is only available by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ as our Saviour from the sin that separates us from God (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Through Christ, we are made new creations in the likeness of God (2 Corinthians 5:17). When first created, we reflected God’s “wisdom, righteousness, and goodness “but, as Paul teaches, that image was tarnished by sin and is being restored in Christ. Paul says that we are transformed into the image of God by the gospel. And, according to him, spiritual regeneration is nothing else than the restoration of the same image. (Col. 3:10, Eph. 4:23)
Of all visible creatures only, man can know and love his creator. … he alone is called to share, his responsibility by knowledge and love, in God’s own life. It was for this end that he was created, and this is the fundamental reason for his dignity. The message of the Bible shows that God created man with a mind capable of communicating with God and thinking as He thinks. And God wants us to be even more like Him—both in character and, ultimately, in composition. Our destiny is to be like Jesus Christ now is as the glorified Son of God (1 John 3:2). Humans aren’t just made in God’s image; they are called to be his image in the world. We represent God here on earth better than any idol made by human hands. The original purpose for mankind, defined and established by the Creator, was to “have dominion over all the earth." Since the word "dominion" in this case means to reign and rule, the Creator wired all humans with the capacity and natural ability to lead. We can conclude that human beings are wired for leadership.
Since God created man in His image and likeness, it’s important to know God’s intent and His character. It gives us discernment and understanding of how we ought to function. Because the earth belongs to God. Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” If we want to understand how the world works, we should certainly first look toward its Owner. If we don’t know the purpose and the character of God, we may function how can we function correctly or how can we ever know who is from God and who is not from God? The Bible says, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. (1 John 4:1) We need to know what is God and what is not God. Throughout the Bible, we read about a God who has the power to change not only our lives but our hearts, our families, and our destiny. As we work toward tackling these life changes, let’s look at 3 God’s Amazing Character that will inspire and motivate us to persevere.
God is a God of justice
The first one is Justice, out of all the aspects of God’s wonderful character, the one I enjoy studying the most is justice. God is a God of justice. That word justice is so awesome because it means that He will always make anything that’s wrong into right. For example, if somebody mistreats me, I don’t have to worry about it because God is going to bring justice. He loves justice. Nobody can mistreat you and get by with it if you have your trust in God. One way or the other, what was unjustly taken from you will come back to you. Nobody can mistreat you and get by with it if you have your trust in God.
As Micah wraps up his prophecy to the people of Israel, he slips into profound thought. In one short sentence, he tells what God requires of his people. It’s succinct and simple. It’s startling but profound. Equally astonishing is what Micah doesn’t include in his list of things God requires.
God doesn’t say go to church, develop the right theology, or obey a bunch of rules. Yet these are some of the many things we put great importance on today. We focus on these elements—and others like them—at the expense of what God requires.
Bible says “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”. (Micah 6:8) The above are the Bible answers to the question of what God requires of a man. God requires that His people do what is right in their relationship with Him and their relationships with one another. As they are motivated by love, their actions will be tempered by justice, mercy, and humility. God’s people are not to oppress others, but to do what is just, righteous, and honest toward one another.
We often hear the word justice, but we don’t often hear of acting justly. What does justly mean?
To do justly means to behave justly. Behaving justly includes treating people fairly in an even-handed manner, without favouritism, prejudice or self-interest. God requires that we do so. Here are some ideas. To act justly we should: be honourable and fair in how we deal with others, behave morally (that is, righteous), and do all things properly. Disciples of Christ are characterized by straightforwardness and integrity and honesty. There is nothing underhanded, sly, deceitful, or hidden in Christ. Everything is straightforward, with no beating around the bush. Those who are His disciples are trained to be the same when they follow in His footsteps.
God is good all the time
Second. the Goodness of God- this fact never changes. And God is good all the time—not just once in a while or when things go your way. Psalm 34:8 says, Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. The Goodness of God is evident in all His creations and accomplishments. Genesis 1:31 says, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good..." We cannot earn and do not merit His goodness. It is available to us regardless of our station in life, and even though we are not worthy of it. Matthew 5:45 says: “...He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." And we read in Psalm 145:9 that “The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made." God’s goodness represents everything God is, everything God has, and everything God does. The goodness of God surpasses anything the world has to offer. James 1:17 (The Amplified Bible) tells us that “every good gift and every perfect (free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives light] ….”
The Goodness of God is the core of our faith. It is because of His desire for our good that He provided salvation through His Son. Everything God does is for our good. We can see proof of the goodness of God all around us in the life-sustaining provisions He supplies—from crops that provide our food to the very air, we breathe. We can have goodness in us, and even desire to do good, but true goodness comes from the One who is perfectly good and wants good things for all people. Our goal should be to show the goodness of God to others every day.
God is Holy
The third Characteristic is God is holy. What does that mean? In Greek, to be holy is to be righteous—or to be right. You know I think it would make our lives a whole lot easier if we would realize that God is always righteous. To be honest, realizing that whatever He does is right whether I like it or not has helped me in my walk with God. He’s always right. Whether it feels good to me or not, it’s right. And whether or not I agree with it, He’s right. The core idea of divine holiness is absolute moral purity. The prophet Isaiah declared, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty” (Isa 6:3). It is the only description of God repeated in the three-fold formula – God is not only perfectly good; he is the very source and standard of goodness.
Holiness is the characteristic of God’s nature that is at the very core of His being. Only as we encounter God in His holiness is it possible for us to see ourselves as we are. The view of God presented in Isaiah 6:1–4 leaves an individual with a deep sense of awe at the greatness of His majesty. To be indifferent is impossible for the Christian when confronted by the holiness of God. The practical life of the Christian flows from the vision of the God of holiness.
Our translation for holiness comes from the Hebrew word Qadowsh which means "to cut." To be holy means to be cut off, or separate, from everything else. It means to be in a class of your own, distinct from anything that has ever existed or will ever exist. Qadowsh means a second thing: to be holy means to be entirely morally pure, all the time and in every way possible. When you put these two elements of holiness together, you're left with only one conclusion: that the Lord of hosts is the sum and definition of what it means to be holy. He occupies a moral space that no one has ever occupied before, and as such, we have no experience or frame of reference to understand what he is like because there's nothing like him.
Exodus 15:11 asks, "Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?" 1 Samuel 2:2 declares, "There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. “There’s, even more, to be said. God's holiness is not an aspect of who he is or what he does; no, God's holiness is the essence of who he is. If you were to ask, "How is the holiness of God revealed?" the only right answer would be, "In everything he does." Everything God thinks, desires, speaks and does is utterly holy in every way.
God is holy in every attribute and every action: He is holy injustice. He is holy in love. He is holy in mercy. He is holy in power. He is holy in sovereignty. He is holy in wisdom. He is holy in patience. He is holy in anger. He is holy in grace. He is holy in faithfulness. He is holy in compassion. He is even holy in his holiness! Because holiness is the essence of God's character, it becomes our calling as his children by inheritance. Peter says: "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'" (1 Peter 1:14-16, ESV)
The above three traits are not the only characteristics of God, but they are three significant and powerful ones. With the help of the Holy Spirit, each of us can incorporate these traits into our personality.
