August 10 Daily Devotional

28 Jul August 10 Daily Devotional

A SERIES OF DEVOTIONS BASED ON PAUL’S LETTER TO THE COLOSSIANS

IMAGE OF GOD RESTORED

Colossians 1:15-17 “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. (Genesis 1:27) That intimate relationship was broken when they listened to Satan, disobeyed God, and ate of the fruit against Gods explicit instructions that they should not do so.  As soon as they ate, they knew they were naked and created coverings for their bodies.  That very evening when God came to take His nightly walk with them in the garden, they hid from Him.  (Genesis 3:7-8) All human beings who have consequently come into the world are born with sin.  Because of their sin they are alienated from God and His enemy.  All human beings come into the world lacking awe and reverence toward God, do not trust Him, and live afraid of Him and His wrath toward their sin.

Jesus Christ came into the world truly God and truly a human being but without sin. He is the image of God!  (Colossians 1:15)  The Bible says that Jesus, come as true man into the world, is the second Adam.  He, unlike the first Adam, kept God’s law perfectly. “Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people (Adam’s sin), so also one righteous act (Jesus keeping God’s law perfectly and paying sins wage by His death on the cross) resulted in justification (God declaring a sinner without sin) and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man (Adam) the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man (Jesus Christ) the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:18-19)

Jesus Christ, as true man, through His perfect obedience of His heavenly Father RESTORED the image of God (holiness and righteousness) to all who believe in His Son.  You, through the faith the Holy Spirit has given you in Christ, “. . . are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18) The Greek word translated “transformed” is metmorphoo.  The English equivalent is metamorphosis.  The picture given through this word is you are changed from a caterpillar into a beautiful monarch butterfly.  IMAGE RESTORED!

Prayer:  Thank You Jesus for Your perfect substitutionary work of restoring me into a right and good relationship with Your heavenly Father.  Amen.

Praise be to Christ in whom we see The image of the Father shown,

The first-born Son revealed and known, The truth and grace of deity;

Through whom creation came to birth, Whose fingers set the stars in place,

The unseen pow’rs, and sorrows cease And all the reconciled to God.

Praise be to Him whose sov’reign sway And will upholds creation’s plan;

Who is, before all worlds began And when our world has passed away;

Lord of the Church, its life and head,

Redemption’s price and source and theme

Alive, the first-born from the dead, To reign as all-in-all supreme.

Praise be to Him who, Lord Most High, The fullness of the God-head shares;

And yet our human nature bears, Who came as man to bleed and die.

And from His cross there flows our peace Who chose for us the path He trod.

That so might sins and sorrows cease And all be reconciled to God.

(LSB 538)