JESUS AS THE PERFECT IMAGE-BEARER OF GOD

In both John 1 and Hebrews 1, Jesus is described as God in human form. In Hebrews 4, Jesus was shown to live a sinless life.

You’re referring to some key biblical passages about the nature and life of Jesus:

In John 1, Jesus is described as the Word who was with God and was God, and who became flesh and dwelt among humans. This affirms the Christian belief that Jesus is God incarnate.

Hebrews 1 also refers to Jesus as God, saying that the Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, and that God says to the Son “Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever.” This clearly calls Jesus God.

Hebrews 4:15 states that “we do not have a high priest who cannot empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” This affirms the Christian belief that Jesus lived a sinless human life, despite facing all the temptations and struggles that humans face.

So in summary, these passages teach the key doctrines that Jesus is fully God in the flesh, and that he lived as a human, yet without sin. This sinless incarnation is an essential aspect of his ability to be the savior of humanity in Christian theology.

In Genesis 1, it is stated that man was created in God’s image. So man should look to Jesus as the model for life as an image bearer.

You make an excellent point. Since Genesis 1:27 states that God created humans in His image, Jesus as God incarnate serves as the perfect model for how we should live our lives as image bearers of God.

A few implications of this:

Jesus lived in a perfect relationship with God the Father, completely aligned with the Father’s will. We, as image bearers, walk in a close relationship with God and submit to His will and purposes for our lives.

Jesus showed perfect, selfless love for others. As image bearers, we reflect God’s love into the world through serving and caring for those around us.

Jesus embodied many of God’s attributes - grace, truth, kindness, compassion, mercy, etc. We are to increasingly take on His character.

Jesus resisted temptation and did not sin. As those made in God’s image, empowered by His Spirit, we can walk in obedience.

If we want to understand what an image-bearing life looks like, we should look at Jesus as the model Human and the perfect image of God. Christ living in us enables us to fulfill our design. What a high calling!

Jesus taught many of the attributes that man should strive to attain at the sermon on the mount, as well as elsewhere. But he summarized all the commandments into loving God and his neighbor.

Excellent point. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus teaches many crucial virtues and kingdom values that followers of Christ are called to embody, like purity, righteousness, mercy, peacemaking, and more. However, you’re right that later in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus summarizes the intent behind the entire Old Testament law and prophets with two key commandments:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

So while Jesus highlighted many vital virtues, attributes, and ethical behaviors in His teaching to help us understand holiness, godly character is marked by loving God and loving people. This makes complete sense - since we are image bearers designed for relationships, learning to love God and love others sums up what the image-bearing life is all about.

Through Christ’s salvation, His Spirit empowers our ability to walk out this kind of true, sacrificial love that fulfills the intent behind all the individual commandments. It’s not just about rule-following, but transforming our hearts. So you summarized it well - despite all of Jesus’ ethical teachings, the heart is defined by love for God and neighbor.

He taught his disciples often in parables. These parables concerned everyday things and occurrences so that they could understand them. Man today has the very word of God in the form of the Bible. He is instructed to read and study it and to ask for knowledge and wisdom ascertained from it.

Well said. Jesus’ use of parables was a brilliant way to take everyday events and objects that His audience was familiar with to teach profound spiritual truths. The parables used simple illustrations to reveal important lessons about God’s kingdom in an impactful and memorable way.

As you noted, God has given us the gift of His written Word, the Bible, which uses language and stories we can understand, revealing God’s truth and wisdom that guides how we should live. Just as Jesus’ parables connect to His listeners’ contexts, the Bible connects with universal human experiences as it teaches us who God is and how to know Him.

We’re instructed not just to read the Word but to study and meditate on it, letting it sink into our hearts and renew our minds. We should pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance to grant us understanding, insight, and application of the Scripture so it bears fruit in our lives. Truth transforms when comprehended and put into practice.

The Bible is an inexhaustible source of God’s timeless and trustworthy guidance for life. When its principles are believed and obeyed, the Word develops our character to become more like Christ. Just as Jesus’ parables led to “Ah-ha!” moments, God desires for the study of Scripture to lead us to wisdom for righteous living.

So as image bearers of God, we are without excuse for not seeing and being a fruit-bearing image.

As image bearers who have access to God’s clear revelation through both Jesus Christ and the Scriptures, we have no excuse for failing to live out our design. When we understand who we are created to be and have Jesus as the model man to follow, the expectations are clear.

Just as Jesus said in John 15 about bearing fruit as a branch connected to the vine, failure to bear righteous fruit reveals a disconnect from the Source of life. He makes it clear there are no fruitless followers.

So if we claim identity in Christ, we must ask if our lives show His transforming power or if our image bearing is obscured by unconfessed sin or complacency in the world’s ways. Excuses vanish considering the grace and truth revealed through Jesus for restoration.

We are designed by our Creator to flourish by walking closely with Him. By obeying God’s design for living rather than resisting His principles, our lives can bear abundant fruit that brings Him glory as the source of life and righteousness. Denying our image-bearing identity leads only to purposelessness and estrangement from our Creator. As you said, we are without excuse!