Genesis 1:26-28, “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
“So, God created man in His own image; in the image of God, He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Rephrased, “Then God said, “We should create mankind in our own image, reflecting our characteristics; let them dominate the aquatic creature, the flying birds and every domestic animal present on earth as well as all living beings that crawl on this planet.”
“Thus, God fashioned human beings in His own likeness – male and female He created them both – in the image of God He made them. God bestowed His blessings upon them and encouraged them to reproduce, populate the earth, and control all creatures in the sea, sky and land. He commanded that they have authority over every living thing on the planet.”
As Christians, we believe that God is the sovereign Creator of all things. He is the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit – the Trinity. Before time, space and matter were created, God had already existed in perfect unity.
When God created us in His image after Him using the likeness of His Son Jesus Christ and breathing His Holy Spirit into us, we became living beings that have an eternal existence with Him. We are wired to obey Him and seek a relationship with Him through faith in our Savior. The four sides of Jehovah Elohim are important because they reveal how deeply we have been loved by our Heavenly Father before time existed.
Genesis 2:1-7, “Thus, the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”
“This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.”
“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
Rephrased, “Consequently, the heavens and the earth had been completely formed and all its inhabitants were in place. On the seventh day, God finished His work and He stopped to take a break from everything He had done. On the seventh day, God showed His approval by sanctifying it as a special day of rest. He had already finished creating the world and all its creatures, so He rested to take it all in.”
“On the day when the Lord God created the earth and the heavens, this is what happened. Before any plant or herb had started to grow, He had already mapped out His plan for them both. This is a great reminder of how powerful He truly is. God did not bring down rain from the heavens to nourish the land. Instead, a mist arose from the ground and supplied moisture that filled up the entire earth. Consequently, no human intervention was necessary to prepare and cultivate soil for sowing.”
“Then, the Lord God took dirt from the ground and crafted man from it. Afterward, He blew life into his nostrils and man became a living creature with a soul.”
God, in His infinite wisdom, molded Man out of the earth. He then filled him with life by breathing into his nostrils a breath of existence; that’s how Man was granted life.
Since ancient times mankind has asked – who is God? What does He look like and how did we come to exist? The Bible offers an answer to these questions by claiming that before time, space, and matter existed, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were already in existence. These three entities constitute the apart of the ‘four sides of Jehovah Elohim’ and are referred to as the trinity.
When God created us in His image after Himself, He used the likeness of His Son Jesus Christ and breathed His Holy Spirit into us. As a result of this process, we became living spiritual beings who possess not just a physical body but also an eternal soul.
The consequence of Adam and Eve’s sin was an everlasting separation between us and God, which caused Him pain that we can’t conceive. This resulted in our souls being cut off from His presence forever. God was aware of the self-sacrifice that was necessary to renew and revive our soul, spirit, and mind. The only way to make our eternal souls live again is through the divine, everlasting source – Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 4:17-24, “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”
“But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
Rephrased, “As an act of testimony to the Lord, I advise you to abandon the behavior of non-believers. Their minds are often filled with futile thinking, resulting in a dim understanding, which further alienates them from committing to a godly life. This is mainly caused by the ignorance and blindness that has taken over their hearts. People who have lost all sense of morals and have become completely amoral indulge in wrongdoings with great avidity and greed.
“If you have truly listened to the teachings of Jesus and learned from Him, then your knowledge of Christ is complete. The truth is in Jesus, so follow His example. Delaying actions to address your past deeds is not the way to go. Instead, striving for transformation of your mind, body and soul towards righteousness according to God’s will is what you must aspire for. Replacing the corrupt self with a new one created as per His teachings is the path to true holiness.”
God’s love for the world is so profound that He sent His only Son to be our Savior. All who believe in Him and accept Him as their Savior will have eternal life, not face condemnation. May we all come to know the saving grace of Jesus and experience His salvation. Jesus is the only way to gain access to the Father and be saved from eternal damnation.
He fulfilled the law through his death on the cross and was resurrected on the third day, proving there is no one else that can do this for us. His name is above all others in heaven and earth when it comes to salvation. Our fourfold existence reflects the perfect image of God that has been imprinted in us. This sense of holiness is untouchable and cannot be lessened by anyone.
2 Corinthians 5:12-21, “For we do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf, that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
“Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”
“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Rephrased, “We don’t need to brag about ourselves because we know you can do it for us. This way, you have an answer to those who pride themselves in their looks and not in their character. If we seem out of our minds, it is because of God; But if we are rational, then that is all thanks to you. The love of Jesus drives us to the conclusion that if He once died for everyone, everyone has already died with Him; and in consequence, we who are still alive should no longer live for ourselves, but rather for the One who sacrificed Himself and rose again.”
“We should no longer think of anyone in terms of physicality. Even though we once knew Jesus through the flesh, we now understand and recognize Him differently. Therefore, anyone who is in Jesus is a new creation; the old has gone and the new has come.”
“God has brought us back to Himself by means of Jesus Christ and given us the responsibility of mending our relationship with Him. To do that, He was present in Christ and did not hold our transgressions against us. We have been entrusted with the message of peace and reconciliation.”
“As representatives of Christ, we plead with you to turn back to God. Jesus Himself was sinless and yet He sacrificed Himself so that we could become righteous in God’s eyes. We urge you to accept this divine act of mercy and be reconciled with God.”
From the dawn of time and beyond, three entities – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – have always been in existence as one. Even to this day they continue to be present in our lives under the Trinity title Jehovah Elohim, a four-sided figure. This power of God, unseen and yet so potent, was the reason for creating us in the image of His Son.
We were given a special gift in the form of Jesus’s virtues and blessing. Additionally, He bestowed upon us His Holiness through His Spirit to make us living beings. Therefore, we have spiritual and physical characteristics that give us the ability to relate to God, ourselves, nature and other sentient beings around us thanks to this Divine power that resides in our soul.
Colossians 1:9-18, “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist of. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”
Rephrased, “Ever since we found out about you, we have been praying that you are filled with the knowledge of God’s will and have the wisdom and spiritual understanding to apply it. We never stop praying for your success. Live your life in such a way that you may honor the Lord, pleasing Him and growing in your knowledge of Him.”
“Work diligently towards doing good and increasing your understanding of God’s will. The Lord has granted us the fullness of His mighty power, so we can have strength and joy in our patience and longsuffering.”
“We are humbly thankful for His Fatherly guidance that He has enabled us to take part in the inheritance of holiness from those who live in His gracious light. He has rescued us from the darkness and has led us into the Son of His love’s kingdom. Through His blood, we have been forgiven and have obtained redemption.”
“He is the representation of an unseen God, the firstborn before everything was made. By Jesus Christ, the Creator of all things, both visible and invisible, in heaven and on earth – whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers – was everything made. All things were created through Him and for Him. He is above all and holds the universe together. Moreover, He is the leader of His church and is the one who resurrected from death. This clearly indicates that in every situation, He has the highest authority.”
As we explore the amazingness of our Creator, we come to understand that before time, space and matter existed, an eternal triune Godhead was at work. The Father and His Son were ever existing outside of earth, however when mankind entered the scene things changed dramatically.
Through Genesis 1:26-27 it’s explained that God created us after Him using the likeness of His Son and breathing His Holy Spirit into us to establish a connection between Himself and Mankind. As a result, we became living beings filled with a wide array of gifts and capabilities reflecting on what God could do for us. He granted us creativity, joy and eternity through the Holy Spirit joining us together as a family – Us being part of the total picture of Jehovah Elohim in giving Him glory forever more.
James 1:12-18, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
“Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift are from above and comes down from the Father (God) of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures.”
Rephrased, “It is a blessing to be able to withstand temptation, for when a person does so, they will have demonstrated their faithfulness and receive the crown of life promised by God to those who love Him. When we are amid a trial, it’s important to remember that God does not tempt us. Temptation comes from our own desires, and God is too holy to be tempted by evil.”
“He will never put us through something we can’t handle- He loves us immensely and wants the best for us. All of us are susceptible to our own desires, which can lead us away from what is right and into temptation. Once we start yielding to that temptation, it will soon develop into a sin; leading to deadly consequences if not kept in check.”
“Believers don’t be deceived! All generous gifts and every perfect gift come from the Father of Light – God Almighty – who does not change. He is the source of all goodness! Through His own desire and power, He has enabled us to embrace the truth which led us to become the initial beneficiaries of His creating.”
We know from scripture that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have existed since before time. Commonly referred to as the trinity, this triune Godhead is the foundation of the Christian faith. But did you know that when God created us in His image after Him, He used a four-sided representation to do so?
This four-sided representation of Jehovah Elohim was used when God breathed life into us through His Son and filled us with His Holy Spirit. The result was humanity; us as living beings made in His likeness and imbued with attributes unique to each of us.
Ephesians 4:7-16, “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore, He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.”
(Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
Rephrased, “Every one of us was given grace in accordance with the amount that Jesus Christ had given. Consequently, He said: “He rose to the highest place and took many captives with Him; then He gave gifts to all people.”
“The idea of Jesus descending implies that He also has to ascend. And indeed, He did! He went higher than the heavens, so that His presence can be felt throughout the entire universe. Thus, the phrase “He ascended” simply means that He first descended into the lower parts of earth and then ascended far above all heavens.”
“Christ gave some of His chosen followers the roles of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Their purpose is to prepare and equip the church for its mission, in order to build up the body of Christ. Everyone should strive to achieve unity through faith and knowledge and be perfect in accordance with the standard of Christian completeness, as represented by the Son of God.”
“We must grow in wisdom and knowledge, so that we are no longer taken in by the false teachings, deceptive strategies, and manipulative tactics of unscrupulous people. It is essential that we remain vigilant against these insidious individuals who seek to mislead us.”
“Speaking the truth in a loving and compassionate manner can bring about unity, healing, and growth for the body of Christ. It is when each member contributes their own unique gifts and talents, that the body grows in love and strength. This enables it to edify itself and ultimately glorify God.”
God gave us a wonderful gift by creating us in His image and blessing us with unconditional love. Despite our sinfulness, God still loved us and offered us a chance to come back to Him. He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to provide us with a pathway of forgiveness and grace through the cross. This allows us to re-establish our relationship with Him.
Through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, we are blessed to receive the incredible love of our Heavenly Father. This four-sided nature of Jehovah Elohim helps us understand and appreciate just how much God loves each one of us. It is truly a beautiful reminder of His eternal love.
Every single one of us has been gifted with a heavenly love from God, who made us in His image and blessed us with His Holy Spirit. This makes us living creatures that were created with an important purpose. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of this divine affection.
Romans 12:3-8, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”
“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”
Rephrased, “I want to emphasize that no one should think too highly of themselves and instead cultivate humility. We all have different measures of faith bestowed on us by God, so we must use sober judgment as we live out our lives. Just like each part of the body has a distinct purpose, we too are all members of one another in Christ. There may be various parts to the body but together we make one strong unit.”
“We have each been blessed with certain gifts, so let us use these to our best ability. If it’s prophecy then we should make sure to use it in a way that reflects our faith; if it’s ministry, then let us minister responsibly. Similarly, for all other tasks – those who teach should use their knowledge for teaching purposes. If you’re encouraging someone, do it with enthusiasm; if you’re giving, be generous; when taking the lead, do it diligently; and when showing mercy, show it joyfully.”
1 Peter 4:7-11, “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore, be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
“If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
Rephrased, “The time for us to draw close to the Lord is at hand, be serious and mindful in your prayers. Most importantly, show fervent love and compassion for one another as it will bring about forgiveness. Let us be generous and kind to one another without complaints. Each of us has been given a gift, let us use it to serve each other faithfully as stewards of the manifold grace God has granted.”
“Everyone should use the words given to them by God as His messengers. When you are called upon to serve, do so with the strength and power supplied to you by Him, so that all glory and honor is brought upon Jesus Christ – who is worthy of praise forever and ever. Amen.”
Psalms 139:1-6, “O Lord, You, have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You, know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.”
