In His Image

1. Ask the Better Question: Who Should I Be?

For the believer wanting to know God’s will for her life, the first question to pose is not “What should I do?” but “Who should I be?”

God's primary concern. We often approach God with questions about specific decisions—who to marry, what job to take, where to live—treating Him like a "cosmic Dear Abby." While these questions show a desire to honor God, they miss His primary concern: the decision-maker, not just the decision. God is more interested in transforming who we are than merely dictating what we do.

Re-imaging humanity. The gospel's hope in our sanctification is not just better choices, but becoming better people, specifically, becoming like Christ. We were created in God's image, but sin shattered that image, leaving us "cracked vessels." Christ, the perfect image-bearer, is the answer to "Who should I be?" God's will is for us to be conformed to His Son's image, repairing the cracks so we reflect Him as intended.

The narrow path. This transformation is a journey, a "narrow path" that isn't hidden but plainly revealed in Christ's example. Walking in His steps means continually "putting on the new self," renewed in knowledge after our Creator's image. This book illuminates this path by exploring God's communicable attributes—those traits we can reflect—showing us how to increasingly resemble our Savior.

2. Reflect God's Holiness: Be Set Apart

Simply put, God’s will for your life is that you be holy.

God's highest attribute. The Bible repeatedly emphasizes God's holiness, defining it as the sum of all moral excellency, utter purity, and being "set apart." Angels ceaselessly declare, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty," highlighting its supreme importance. Unlike His incommunicable attributes (like omnipotence or omniscience), holiness is a trait God calls us to reflect.

Positional and practical. Holiness is both a gift and a command. In Christ, we are made positionally holy—set apart as His children—a truth that cannot be removed. This positional holiness compels us to pursue practical holiness, striving for utter purity of character in our daily lives. This means actively shedding old sinful ways and embracing new, godly behaviors.

Acclimation to Christ. Growing in holiness is a process of spiritual acclimation, much like adapting to a new environment. We learn to behave like children of God, not children of wrath, becoming increasingly distinct from the world. This transformation, driven by the Holy Spirit, means growing in love, justice, goodness, mercy, grace, faithfulness, truthfulness, patience, and wisdom—all facets of God's holy character.

3. Reflect God's Love: Practice Agape

Agape is both the way God loves us and the way we are to love each other.

Beyond human love. Our culture often equates love with romantic emotion, but the Bible, particularly the New Testament, uses "agape" to describe God's love. Agape is not merely a feeling; it's an intelligent, purposeful act of the will—a selfless devotion that desires good for the loved one. It's the love that led Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Supernatural and unconditional. Earthly loves (eros, philia, storge) are often limited by need, a desire for reciprocity, or the perceived worth of the object. Agape transcends these limits:

• Free of need: Given by a God who has no needs, it's lavish and unconditional.
• No reciprocity required: Offered without expectation of return, even to enemies.
• Loves the unworthy: Fixes itself on those the world deems unlovable, even at great personal cost.
  This supernatural love is only possible through the Holy Spirit.

Foundation of obedience. Jesus declared that loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving our neighbor as ourselves, are the two greatest commandments upon which "all the Law and the Prophets" depend. Any righteousness not rooted in agape is "filthiness and rags." When our love for neighbor falters, it often points to a deficit in our love for God, reminding us to restore the vertical relationship first.

4. Reflect God's Goodness: Live Generously

God is the origin of all good.

Infinite and immutable. From the very first chapter of Genesis, the Bible declares God's goodness, reiterating "it was good" after each act of creation. God is the source of all good, infinitely and unchangingly benevolent, with no shadow of malice. His goodness is why His omnipotence, omniscience, and sovereignty are comforting, assuring us that He works all things for good.

Everyday graces. God's goodness radiates through all His attributes and is evident in countless everyday graces, even in a fallen world. He created a world not just functional but beautiful, appealing to all our senses with color, flavor, and fragrance. Even in our rebellion, His goodness endures, providing daily bread, joy in relationships, and more days of happiness than sorrow.

Generosity as reflection. The "good news" of Christ is the ultimate demonstration of God's goodness. As recipients of His good and perfect gifts, we are called to reflect His goodness through generosity. This means stewarding our possessions, talents, and time for others, recognizing that God gives to us not for our hoarding, but for His glory. Generosity flourishes when we trust God's provision and do not fear loss, making us lights in the darkness.

5. Reflect God's Justice: Uphold His Law

God’s justice is his love of his law on display.

Good government. God's perfect justice is a virtue to be celebrated, not concealed. As the omniscient and omnipresent Judge, God knows every fact, motive, and thought, ensuring His sentences are always perfectly just—neither over-punishing nor under-punishing. Unlike human courts, God's justice is never blind, biased, or corrupt; it is always served.

Just law. God, as the source of all justice, determines what is right and wrong through His perfect law. Our transgression of this law brought just condemnation. While pagans are "lawless," believers, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, adore God's law and are spurred toward righteousness. This means we are justified in Christ, not by our own efforts, and therefore no longer need to self-justify.

Discipline and advocacy. As our loving Father and impartial Judge, God disciplines those He loves, training us in godliness without wrath. This discipline, though not always immediately perceived as loving, shapes us. Reflecting God's justice means ceasing self-justification and actively seeking justice for the weak, oppressed, and marginalized—the modern-day "widows and orphans." We are called to intercede on their behalf, using our advantages to benefit our neighbors.

6. Reflect God's Mercy: Forgive Lavishly

Mercy is not getting what we deserve.

Active compassion. God's mercy is His active compassion toward His creation, His response to suffering and guilt. While justice is getting what we deserve (death), mercy is not getting what we deserve. The Old Testament frequently extols God's mercy, and the New Testament reveals its lavishness in Christ, who, "being rich in mercy," made us alive.

Justice and mercy intertwined. The verse "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us" (1 John 1:9) highlights a profound truth: God's forgiveness is just because Christ received justice at the cross in our place. Our guilt was assigned to His record, allowing us to receive mercy. This means mercy and justice coexist in our salvation narrative.

Mercy triumphs. Jesus's parable of the tax collector, crying "God, have mercy on me, a sinner," illustrates that mercy "exalts itself over judgment." The tax collector's plea, essentially "God, be mercy-seated toward me," acknowledges that only atoning blood can interpose between him and God's justice. As recipients of such vast mercy, we are urged to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, allowing mercy to triumph over judgment by forgiving others "seventy-seven times"—completely and without limit.

7. Reflect God's Grace: Live Abundantly

Grace is getting what we do not deserve.

Abundant favor. Grace is God's unmerited favor, an extravagant expression of His love toward sinners that is not merely adequate but abundant. Like a parent's "I love you more," God's grace is given freely and unconditionally, as He depends on us for nothing. It is unearned and undeserved, and while we can ask for more, demanding it contaminates its nature.

Eternal and transformative. Grace is not just a New Testament concept; it has been operative since the Fall, clothing Adam and Eve and leading all believers home through Christ. Jesus defines the abundant life not as worldly power or wealth, but as humility, as seen in the Beatitudes: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek..." God gives grace to the humble to live this life.

Grace teaches and strengthens. Grace doesn't just cover our sins; it actively teaches us "to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives." It strengthens us to obey God's moral law, building us up and empowering us through the "Spirit of grace." This "grace-driven effort" means we strive for holiness not in our own strength, but by the power of God's abundant favor, enabling us to deal generously with others, showing preferential treatment as we have received it.

8. Reflect God's Faithfulness: Be Steadfast

He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

Unchanging consistency. God is eternally faithful, steadfast in all His ways, always consistent between His words and deeds. Unlike fallible humans, God is incapable of infidelity. His faithfulness is both a comfort to His children, as He keeps His covenant and steadfast love, and a terror to His enemies, as He faithfully executes justice.

Reminders and trials. God, knowing our tendency to forget, has provided countless reminders of His faithfulness throughout history: the Sabbath, memorial stones, feast days, and especially the Bible. In trials, God's faithfulness is proven, even if it takes years to see, as Joseph's story illustrates. Trials produce perseverance in us, shaping us to be like Christ, who endured suffering faithfully.

Temptation and forgiveness. God is faithful even in temptation, always providing a "way of escape" because He will not let us be tempted beyond our ability. Our faithfulness in small temptations builds strength for larger ones. Furthermore, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins, no matter how many times we confess, and even covers our hidden faults through Christ's atoning death. This certainty of His faithfulness fuels our hope and calls us to reciprocate with steadfastness in our commitments and character.

9. Reflect God's Patience: Be Slow to Anger

God’s patience implies expectancy.

Divine forbearance. God describes Himself as "slow to anger," a trait repeatedly extolled in Scripture. His patience is an expression of His love, bearing with our sin and working out our deliverance in His perfect timing. This is miraculous, considering His omniscience—He knows every anger-inducing thing about us, yet patiently forbears, not wishing that any should perish.

Impatience as bad math. Human impatience often stems from "bad math"—miscalculating the cost or time required for relationships, trials, or personal growth. We expect instant gratification, unlike God, who perfectly understands the end from the beginning and the full cost of every circumstance. Jesus, in His parables of harvest, assumed the necessity of patience, reminding us that fruit bears "with patience."

Christ's perfect example. Jesus, living among sinners for 33 years, displayed perfect patience, rarely manifesting anger, and then only righteously. He was patient with circumstances, timing His ministry according to the Father's will, and patient in suffering, enduring the cross without reviling. His perfect patience serves as our example, and Paul reminds us that Christ displayed His patience in saving him, the "foremost among sinners," as an example for all believers.

10. Reflect God's Truthfulness: Embrace Reality

God is truth.

Origin of reality. God is the origin and determiner of truth; what He defines as true is eternally and unchangingly so. He is incapable of lying, and all His actions and words declare reality. Sin is not just a rejection of God's will, but a rejection of truth, a denial of what is real. Christianity, by affirming God as the benchmark for objective truth, contradicts moral relativism.

Christian worldview. The Bible offers a coherent worldview that answers humanity's existential questions:

• Origin: Created by God.
• Purpose: To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
• Problem: Exchanged God's truth for a lie, spiritually dead.
• Solution: God sent His Son to redeem us.
  This worldview is rational, good, and offers a permanent solution to guilt, unlike other belief systems that rely on earning.

Shared truth, not "my truth." The prevailing cultural message to "live your truth" is a re-packaging of self-worshiping individualism. Our hearts are deceitful, and "my truth" inevitably leads to conflict and isolation. Instead, we are called to live God's shared truth, which is communal and preserved in His Word. Abiding in Jesus's word sets us free from error and deceit, giving us "truth in the inward being."

11. Reflect God's Wisdom: Seek Discernment

Wisdom is the ability to achieve the best ends with the facts.

God's perfect insight. Wisdom is distinct from knowledge; it's the ability to make good decisions based on facts. God, as the Ancient of Days, possesses all knowledge and combines it with perfect insight, always choosing the best and good ends. His wisdom is infinite, unchanging, and transcends human wisdom, which is often clouded by bias or limited facts.

Wisdom vs. folly. Humans can choose to operate in wisdom or folly. Worldly wisdom, driven by "bitter jealousy and selfish ambition," is actually folly in God's eyes, leading to disorder and vile practices. Godly wisdom, by contrast, is "pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere." It elevates others, seeks the lowest place, and trusts in heavenly treasures.

Ask and discern. James promises that if any of us lacks wisdom, we can "ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach." This is not a request for mere information, but for an internal framework for discernment. God gives wisdom through His Word, which is "sharper than any two-edged sword," piercing to the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Repentance, turning from sin, is the most basic act of wisdom, training us to hate sin and seek the Spirit's aid.

12. The Joy of Image Bearing: Render to God

You bear the very marks of the Creator. Render unto God what is God’s.

Sanctification's motive. The gospel's hope is not just behavior modification, but becoming better people, motivated by joy and gratitude, not by earning God's favor. Jesus promised that keeping His commandments leads to abiding in His love and a "fullness of joy." Reflecting our Maker is what we were created to do, and it is the very will of God for our lives.

Engraved with His image. Jesus's response to the tax question—"Render to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's"—was a profound statement about image bearing. The coin bore Caesar's image, but humans bear God's image. This means our ultimate allegiance and service are due to God, not earthly rulers or idols. God forbids making graven images because He has already engraved His image on us.

Christ, the flawless proof. We, marred by the Fall, are like "heavily circulated, dinged-up" coins, but we still bear God's image. Christ is the "living proof of God," the perfect, flawless image-bearer. As we joyfully embrace the call to be holy, loving, good, just, merciful, gracious, faithful, patient, truthful, and wise, the worn contours of God's likeness in us begin to be restored, erasing the divots and scratches of sin and folly.