What Does It Mean to Be Made in God’s Image?

[What Does It Mean to Be Made in God’s Image?]( Current Teaching Series [Live Your Calling: What on Earth Am I Here For?]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [What Does It Mean to Be Made in God’s Image?]( By Rick Warren — 09/05/2022 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd like to share a Daily Devotional from Pastor Rick with you&body= “God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son . . . We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him." Romans 8:29 (The Message) From the very beginning, God’s plan has been to make you like his Son, Jesus. God announced this intention at creation: “Then God said, ‘Let us make human beings in our image and likeness’” (Genesis 1:26 NCV). In all of creation, only human beings are made in God’s image. It’s a great privilege—and it gives you dignity. What does it mean to be made in God’s image? It’s one of those concepts that’s too big to fully understand, but here’s some of what it means: - Like God, you are a spiritual being. Your spirit is immortal and will outlast your earthly body. - You are intellectual. You can think, reason, and solve problems. - You are relational. You can give and receive real love. - You have a moral consciousness. You can discern right from wrong, which makes you accountable to God. But there’s a problem: The image of God in you is incomplete and has been damaged and distorted by sin. So God sent Jesus on a mission to restore the full image that you—and everyone else ever born—have lost. What does the full “image and likeness” of God look like? It looks like Jesus Christ! The Bible says: “God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son . . . We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him” (Romans 8:29 The Message). The Bible says Jesus is “the exact likeness of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT), “the visible image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15 NLT), and “the exact representation of his being” (Hebrews 1:3 NIV). People often use the phrase “like father, like son” to refer to family resemblance. When people see my likeness in my kids, it pleases me. In the same way, God wants his children to bear his image and likeness. The Bible says you were “created to be like God—truly righteous and holy” (Ephesians 4:24 NLT). Live like an image bearer today so that when people look at you, they’ll think of how much you’re like your heavenly Father! [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - In what ways are you striving to become more like Christ? - What are some ways people would say you already resemble Christ? - What Christ-like characteristics do you want to start developing in your life? You can’t become Christ-like without knowing Christ. You can start your journey with Jesus by believing in him and confessing your sins. If you’re ready to surrender your life to Jesus Christ, start by praying this simple prayer: “Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is your Son. I believe that he died for my sin and that you raised him to life. I want to trust him as my Savior and follow him as Lord from this day forward. Guide my life, and help me to do your will. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.” If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus. The post [What Does It Mean to Be Made in God’s Image?]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. 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[LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: The Call is For You Message 2: Called to Be Loved Message 3: You are Called to Belong Message 4: You are Called to Become Message 5: You are Called to Bless Message 6: I'm Called to Be Sent Message 7: Why God Made You! [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( As the founding pastor of Saddleback Church with his wife Kay, Dr. Rick Warren leads a 30,000-member congregation in California with campuses in major cities around the world. As an author, his book [The Purpose Driven Life]( is one of the best-selling nonfiction books in publishing history. It has been translated into 74 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. 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