Clean Transcript

Are You Just Like Him?

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• All right, I want you to open your Bibles to an easy passage, Genesis chapter 5. Genesis chapter 5. And as we turn to Genesis chapter 5, the title of the message is "Are You Just Like Him?" And you will understand the title shortly. Are you just like him? Okay, Genesis 5, verse 1: "This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth."

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• So here are two questions. Number one, who do you resemble? And number two, who are you like? Each one of us have seen children that looked exactly like their father or exactly like their mother. And sometimes we see children that resemble both father and mother in different ways. So we have expressions that we use, especially in regard to a son, we say that he's a spitting image of his father or he's a chip off the old block. And usually for a young girl, we would say she's the twin of her mother or something like that. But interestingly enough, I've been to a lot of churches in America and I've preached in plenty of these churches. And when I am preaching, especially if it is a new church, one that I really do not know the people, while I'm sitting up on the platform with the pastor before the introduction and all the preliminaries that go forth, I sit there and I play a mental game.

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• And my game is this: I look at men and women, boys and girls, sometimes they're not sitting together, and I try to say, "Well, that woman belongs to that man, and those kids belong to that husband and wife over there," because they're not always sitting together. And the interesting thing is, before the week is over and I get to know most of the people, I'm probably about 95% correct. And the reason being is because as husbands and wives grow older, they get more and more alike. And sometimes they even begin to look alike. But now, if Alice starts growing a beard, I'm going to be concerned.

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• But anyhow, but that's true. They do look alike. And also the children, they look like the parents. And so it's very easy sometimes to put them together. And I like to joke with new parents, especially when they have a little boy or even a little girl. I'll look at the child and I will say, "Wow, that child got his good looks from his father." And I wait for the father to smile. And I say, "I know he got his good looks from the father, because the mother still has hers," you know. But anyhow, the children resemble the parents, and we resemble our parents as well. Now, I want you to look in verse one again.

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• I gave you that introduction for a reason. "This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man"—look at this—"in the likeness of God made he him." Now when you look in verse 3, after the fall, after Adam was driven from the garden, "And Adam lived 130 years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth." So I want you to note that. This question again: Who are you like? And whose likeness and whose image do you resemble? Do you resemble more the sovereign majesty of God as God created man in the beginning? Or do you resemble Adam more after he was driven from the garden and was now a fallen creature? So as I read through the book of Genesis sometime back again, I was intrigued with these words, "likeness" and "image." And I tried to look at them as they are used in the Bible. So have you ever wondered why we were given these two truths side by side in Genesis chapter 5, verse 1, how that God created man in the likeness of God made he him?

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• And then verse 3, after Adam sinned, he begat a son in his own likeness after his own image. So when you look at verse 1, he says, "This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man"—that refers you back, and if you will turn back to Genesis 1 and verse 26. Genesis 1, verse 26: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."

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• Now, before I get into this, I want to give you a quote from John Trapp. John Trapp was an old Puritan, and I want you to listen to what he said. The first sentence is absolutely wonderful. He says, "Man is the masterpiece of God's handiwork. Sun, moon, and stars are but the work of his fingers, but man is the work of his hands. He is made of divine nature, made by counsel at first, 'Let us make,' and his body, which is but soul's sheath." Now, let me just stop right there. I've said this regularly, but it needs to be understood: You do not have a soul. You are a soul. Your body is just the covering of your soul. That's why Trapp said the body is a sheath. It's a covering for the soul. So he says, "And his body, which is but the soul's sheath, is still curiously wrought in the lower parts of the earth," that is, in the womb. "As curious workmen, when they have some choice piece in their hand, they perfect it in private and then bring it forth to the light for all men to gaze at."

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• "And 'Thine hands have made me, and fashioned me,' said Job. 'Thou hast formed me by thy book,' said David. Yea, embroidered me with nerves, veins, and variety of limbs. Miracles enough, saith one, between head and foot to fill a volume."

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• Now, here is a quote from Galen. It's still in John Trapp's quote. But Galen was one of the early physicians who was born in 129 AD. And he's quoting Galen. He said, "In the body of man, he says there are 600 muscles and every one fitted for 10 uses. So for bones, nerves, arteries and veins, whosoever observeth their use, situation and correspondency of them cannot but fall into admiration of the wisdom of the Maker who has thus exactly framed all things at first out of nothing and still out of the froth of the blood."

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• So, when you look at Genesis 1:26 and when you look at Genesis 5, you have to ask this question: What was it like to be made in the image and likeness of God? And what is it like to be made in the likeness and image of Adam? So you need to ask them. How was man made in the image of God? Obviously, it does not refer to a physical image, because we're told in John 4:24 that God is spirit. Moreover, the divine being is infinite; man is finite. But God is not limited by parts nor definable by passions. Therefore, He has no corporeal body. So obviously then, when we are made like unto God, it's not that we are made in a physical image of God himself. Now when you look in Genesis 1:26 again, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness"—that is plural. So now we have reference to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. So let me make a suggestion. There may be a possibility, in one sense of the word, that yes, we were made after our physical likeness of God. Let me explain it. If you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 8. Proverbs chapter 8. In Proverbs 8 you have wisdom speaking.

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• And in this passage you also have wisdom personified. And so this is why wisdom is speaking, like wisdom is an individual. So if you look in verse 1 of Proverbs 8, "Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?" Note what she does. She stands at the top of high places, by the way, in the places of the paths. Verse 3, "She crieth at the gates." And so wisdom is speaking and wisdom is personified. Now may I remind you that in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is made unto us wisdom. So Jesus Christ is wisdom personified. So I want you to skip down, if you would please, to verse 22 of Proverbs chapter 8. Look what he says. Proverbs chapter 8, verse 22: "The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old." Now look at verse 23: "I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was." So we're talking about Jesus Christ the mediator, Jesus Christ the God-man. And he was saying that he was set up to be the mediator, to be the Messiah, to be the God-man from the beginning, or ever the earth was.

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• Well, we know that's the truth because of Hebrews 13:20-21, when we speak and when we read of the eternal covenant that was made between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Now look in verse 24. He says, "When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world." Now think about this: what is the highest part of the dust of the world? I was teaching a Bible class in a junior Christian school, junior high, and I asked, "What is the highest part of the dust of the world?" Some child raised his hand and said, "Mount Everest." No. What are you and I made out of? Dust. So we're the highest part of the dust of the world. So he's talking about this is before we were made. Now watch this, verse 27: "When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: when he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: when he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth."

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• Look what the Messiah says: "Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him." Now look at this: "Rejoicing in the habitable part of the earth"—but remember now, this is before the earth was ever made—"and my delights were with the sons of men." Now, wait a minute. If all of this is set up and He, Jesus Christ, is being set up before the world ever began, how in the world could His delights be with the sons of men? So in order to answer that, I want you to turn over in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 2 and look at this. Hebrews chapter 2. So if Jesus Christ is wisdom personified and He was set up before the world ever began as the God-man and as a mediator, could it be possible that we were made after His likeness?

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• Now look in Hebrews chapter 2, beginning in verse 10: "For it became him"—we're talking about Jesus Christ—"for it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren."

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• "In the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me." Now, wait a minute. When were we given to Jesus Christ? Ephesians 1 tells us before the foundation of the world. So He is rejoicing in us before the foundation of the world. Now look what he says next: "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." So the God-man, the mediator, was set up before the foundation of the world. We were given to Him before the foundation of the world, and He took part of our nature, flesh and blood, because we were flesh and blood.

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• But were we created in His image in that sense of the word? Now the Hebrew word for "likeness" there is the word damah, and it means to be like and to resemble. So it's a possibility that we were made in the image of the God-man, the mediator. But clearly the word "likeness" would have to refer also to purity, to moral excellence, and to intelligence. Now if I were to ask you, "How was Adam created?" or "What was he created with?" The answer is original righteousness, original holiness, and knowledge. Now, how do we know that Adam was created with those things? Well, first of all, because Adam walked and talked with God. And you have to be righteous, you have to be holy, and you have to be knowledgeable to walk and talk with God. Secondly, the Bible tells us that Adam named all of the animals.

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• Now let me explain that. The Hebrew word is the word shem, but Adam didn't look around and see this cow with horns pushing another cow around and say, "Ah, I'll name her Old Bossy. She likes to have her way." And, "Oh, there's a big bull, I'll name him Hampton." No, that's not what Adam was doing. When Adam was naming the animals, basically, he was scientifically classifying those animals. And he was looking at that animal and reading out of that animal the purpose for which God created that animal. In other words, he was actually reading out of that animal everything that God had created in that animal and for that purpose. And then thirdly, the reason we know this is because the Bible tells us this specifically. Now I want you to go back to Genesis chapter 9. You remember the fall. You remember the fact that Adam was driven out of the garden. Man became totally, absolutely depraved. But look at what the Bible says in Genesis 9 and verse 6. This is after the fall. Look at this. This is even after the flood. God says in verse 6, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man."

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• So even though man is sinful, and even though man is fallen, in some degree, in some way, he still retains the image of God. So let me explain this in another way. Murder is not just an attack upon man; it's an attack upon God himself. So if I were to turn around and murder Clay, it's not just that I hate Clay. I hate God who made Clay. In other words, you can't murder a man without hating him in the strictest sense of the word. You may not think that you hate him, but you do, or you will not take his life. But it's not just an attack and a hatred of that man. It is an attack and a hatred of God himself. And of course, Genesis 9:6 totally verifies this point. Now we are made in the likeness of God originally, and Adam in our sin.

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• I hope you remember a quote that I gave you several weeks back. The quote was from Martin Luther, the reformer. He said, "There are only two men in the world and everyone else hangs from their girdle." So those two men would be Adam and Christ. So what he is saying is you are either in Adam or you are in Christ. You either resemble and are like the image and likeness of Adam, or you either resemble and are like the image that is in Jesus Christ. So let me show you that. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. And I want us to begin reading there with verse 44. So look what he says. 1 Corinthians 15, verse 44, talking about the resurrection body. He just says, "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." So we should know that each of us sitting here today are in our natural body. We will get a glorified spiritual body when we see the Lord. Now watch this, look at verse 45: "And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul."

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• "The last Adam"—that's Jesus Christ—"was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual."

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• Now look at verse 47: "The first man"—that is Adam—"is of the earth, earthy: and the second man is the Lord from heaven." Hang on. "As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly." Ah, look in verse 49: "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." Wow. Now, we're going to have someone's image or someone's likeness. We're going to either be like Adam or we're going to be like Christ. So I want you to turn to the book of Colossians. Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians. Look in Colossians chapter 1 and verse 15. Colossians 1, verse 15. I told you I wanted to look at the word "image." Here we go. In fact, we are talking about Jesus Christ. So look in verse 14: "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature." Now the word "image" here is the Greek word eikon, and it refers to an image and a figure, a likeness, a moral likeness, and it refers both to fallen man and to Jesus Christ.

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• So in verse 15, Jesus Christ is the eikon, that is, He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. So we could say it like this and not be irreverent, that Jesus Christ is the spitting image of God, because Jesus Christ is God. In other words, this word is used not only to designate our Lord's divinity but also its moral excellence as well. So let me give you some quotes. I want you to listen now. John 1:1-3: "In the beginning was the Word"—Logos, which is talking about Jesus Christ—"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." Now notice, if you would, Jesus Christ is called the Word. "In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Now you skip down to verse 14: "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

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• So now the Word is made flesh, and it is the glory of God. Now in 1 Timothy 3:16, listen carefully: "And without controversy"—no arguing about this—"without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, seen of angels, preached on in the world, believed on by the Gentiles, and"—of course, what?—"received up into glory." So we have that Jesus Christ is the image of God. Now you're in the book of Colossians, so if you would turn right over a few pages to Hebrews chapter 1, I want you to see this. First, Hebrews 1, and we'll read verses 2 and 3. We'll read verse 2 just to show you that Jesus Christ is in the context. In verse 2, "Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and"—look at this—"the express image of his person."

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• "And upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." I want you to note in this passage Jesus Christ is called the express image of God. He is God in the flesh exactly. So if you want to see God, you look at Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. Now, there's an interesting word here. The Greek word that is translated "express image" is a word that everyone knows. It is the Greek word charakter. That's where we get our English word "character," and it means an exact expression. It means a precise reproduction in every area. So Jesus Christ, then, is God in the flesh. Now, I want you to go back. You have to see this in the book of John, chapter 14. I want you to see, if you would, first of all, the question of Thomas and then, of course, the request of Philip. So look in John, chapter 14.

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• Let's begin reading there with verse 4. John 14, verse 4. Look at this. Our Lord says to his disciples, "And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know." Thomas saith unto him, "Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?" Jesus saith unto him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him." Philip saith unto him, "Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us." Jesus saith unto him, "Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?" So Jesus Christ is saying, "I am God in the flesh." That is why Jesus Christ could say in John 10:30, "I and my Father are one."

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• So Jesus Christ is the expressed image of God. Jesus Christ is the character of God. He, therefore, is God in the flesh, which means this, according to the Bible: those who deny that Jesus Christ is God, and those who deny that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, are antichrists and are not saved. If you want to turn over in your Bibles to 1 John chapter 2, I will show you that. 1 John chapter 2 at verses 22 and 23. It is said specifically. Look at this. 1 John

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• 2, verse 22: "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?"—the Messiah, the mediator, the God-man. "He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also." So he says, if you deny that Jesus Christ is the Son, the Messiah, you're an antichrist and you have not the Father.

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• So let me ask this question again, because I want to try to show you the whole point of asking you: Who are you like? What image is predominant and prevalent in your life? Who do you more resemble? Do you resemble Adam in his image and his likeness after the fall? Or do you resemble the Lord Jesus Christ in his image and his likeness? Now, remember that both Adam and Jesus Christ have an image and a likeness. And the Word of God tells us that Adam is of the earth, earthy. Christ is of heaven, and therefore He's heavenly. So the truth is that each of us happen to be born with the image and likeness of Adam. We resemble him by nature. Not only in our thoughts, but in our conduct, in our actions. Adam and his progeny are depraved. They're natural, they're earthly, they're fleshly, they're carnal, they're rebellious. They're lovers of the world and haters of God. They despise God. They despise God's law, and they want to basically be a law unto themselves.

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• Now I could multiply scriptures, but let me just give you a couple of them. Ephesians chapter 2, in verse 1 and actually through verse 3: "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in times past"—listen now—"ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom also we all had our conversation in times past." So what is he talking about? He's talking about rebellion. He's talking about lust. He's talking about wickedness. He said we all did that in time past.

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• That is what we are by nature. How about that passage in Romans chapter 8? Where he said, "If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die." Then he tells you why: "For the carnal mind"—that is the fleshly mind—"is enmity against God: and it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Romans 8, verse 8: "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." Wow. And then when you get to 1 Corinthians 2, verse 14, here's what it says. Listen to this: "But the natural man"—that is the unsaved man, the man by nature—"the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

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• So the truth of the matter is each of us were born physically in the image and in the likeness of Adam. That is, we're now or we were totally depraved, totally lost, unable to please God in any manner. So by nature, we're just like Adam. We resemble him. Now, how do we get the image and likeness of Jesus Christ? That is answered for us in Romans chapter 8, if you will turn there and look at verses 29 and 30. How do we get the image of Jesus Christ? Look at this. Romans chapter 8, look in verse 29: "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."

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• Now, I want you to watch this. Look, if you would, back in verse 29: "Moreover whom he did foreknow"—or choose—"he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son." So, how do we get the image and likeness of Christ? The first answer is by God's sovereign act of predestination. Okay? Secondly, by God's calling us to himself. For in verse 30, he says, "Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."

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• Now, we have to understand that when the Bible talks about justification, that in this section would be a broad term because it would include adoption, it would include our regeneration, it would include our conversion, it would include all of the acts of mercy that God does for us and God gives us. So, it is God then who changes us and works in us His good pleasure, for our good and for His glory. Now, I want you to understand something.

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• We had everything in Adam and we lost it. Now God has come along and brought forth the last Adam, the second man. And by the way, let me just point this out: Jesus Christ is called the last Adam and He's called the second man. Why is He called the second man? We know that He was before the foundation of the world. But He is the second man chronologically in time and history to sustain a federal headship and representation of a people. So Adam was the first man. So whatever Adam did, we did. When Adam sinned, we sinned. When Adam fell, we fell. Someone says, "Well, I don't like it because if I had been there, I would not have done what Adam did." Yes, you would have. But if you don't like the very fact of representation that we were in Adam and we sinned in him and fell in him, then you won't like salvation because that's how salvation is. We're in Jesus Christ. He is our representative. He is our head.

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• And what He did, we did. And the Bible says when He died, we died. When He arose from the dead, we arose from the dead. We ascended. When He sat down on the right hand of God the Father, we sat down with Him. In other words, He is our head.

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• Now He's called the last Adam because there's never ever going to be any other way of salvation. There's never going to be another individual that is going to be the federal head and representative of a people. So note, if you would now, it is impossible for you and I to save ourselves. We're either in Adam or we are in Christ. Now I told you at the beginning of this message that when Adam came forth from the hand of God, God had created him with original righteousness, with knowledge, and with holiness. Now there's one other truth that you need to consider. What God created Adam, He created him mutable. And that means he was changeable. Only God is immutable. So He created Adam with perfect righteousness and holiness and knowledge, but He put him on a mutable footing. In other words, Adam could change, and he did change. He did sin against God.

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• Now, let me just say this. We now have more in Jesus Christ than we ever lost in Adam. We got back everything that we lost in Adam in Jesus Christ, plus. So if you look in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah chapter 13 and verse 23, I will show you why it is impossible for men to change himself. Jeremiah chapter 13. Look, if you would please, verse 23. Look what God says. He asks two questions, or asks a question and then he makes a statement. So Jeremiah 13, verse 23: God asks, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?" And then he makes this statement: "Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." So is it possible for an Ethiopian to just willingly change the color of his skin? The answer is no. Is it possible for a leopard to change his spots? And the answer is no. So God says, if that is impossible, then likewise, it's impossible also for you to do good when you're accustomed to do evil, when you have evil as a habitual manner in thought and conduct.

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• It is impossible. Now, that means this. You say, "Can man change?" Yes, in one sense of the word, but he cannot change his status before God. He could change his looks. He could grow a beard or he could shave his beard. He could gain weight or he could lose weight. You know, he could have plastic surgery and change some things. He might even change his attitude. But that's not pleasing God. That's not acceptable to God. And what the scripture is talking about here is that man is unable to change himself and make himself pleasing and acceptable unto God. However, thankfully, thankfully, God is sovereign and God is omnipotent. He has all power, and God is able to change us. Listen to this: make us a new creature in Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 17. Listen carefully. 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." Now here's the interesting thing. The word "creature" is actually "creation." Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation.

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• "Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." So when God, in His grace and mercy, makes us a new creature in Jesus Christ, the first thing He does is restore to us everything we lost in Adam. So if you look in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 4, and let's begin reading there with verse 20. Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 20. Look at this. Ephesians 4, verse 20. He says, "But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus." Now look at verse 22: "That ye put off concerning the former conversation"—or conduct—"the old man"—that's in Adam—"which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts." Now look at verse 23: "And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Now what did Adam have at the beginning? He had righteousness and holiness. Now I want you to note, if you would, the word "renewed" in verse 23: "And be renewed in the spirit of your mind." And the Greek word there is ananeoo, and it is made up of two words, a preposition ana, and actually the root word is neos.

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• Now, ana means "in the midst" or "among" or "between." And the second word is neos, which means "recently born, youthful, young, and new." So he says we are to be youthful, young, and new in our minds. Now wait a minute. What this tells us is this: when God saves us, He gives us a new mind, one that can now understand the thoughts of God, understand the will of God. And it is a new mind. It is a mind that is not corrupted by nature.

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• A good illustration is like this. When these children were born, they had a new mind. They had not seen and heard everything that you and I as adults have seen and heard. Their mind was fresh. Their mind was new. That's exactly what this word means right here. When God saves us, He gives us a new mind. He gives us a clean mind. Yes, we still have the old mind, but He gives us a new one. Now He said, look in verse 24: "And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." The word "created" is the word ktizo, and it means to make habitable, to create. It means to completely change and transform. So God says that we are to put on this new man, which is completely transformed, remade in true righteousness and holiness.

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• Now, here's a passage that most people can quote. Romans 12, verses 1 and 2. He says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God." Listen now: "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Now, first of all, he says we're not to be conformed to this world, and that means to be pressed into the mold of the world.

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• When you look around and try to examine government education, public education, what are they trying to do? They're trying to make everybody into one mold, everybody think alike, act alike, live alike. What is propaganda all about? The same thing, to control us, to press us into a mold. He said, "And be not conformed to this world," or be pressed into the mold of the world, "but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." Now, the interesting thing is this: the word "transformed." The Greek word for "transformed" happens to be the word metamorphoo. That is where we get our English word "metamorphosis." A butterfly goes through—what am I trying to say?—metamorphosis. A butterfly, it starts out as a caterpillar and then it develops into a butterfly.

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• I forget the four stages. There's the pupa, the larva, and well, whatever else, I forget. But it goes through stages. I bet these kids could tell me so. But by the way, this word "transformed" is the same word that is used in Matthew 17:2 and Mark 9:2 when Jesus went up into a mount and the Bible said He was transfigured before them. He was transformed. In other words, He went up and all they could see was a man. But when He was transformed or transfigured, His glory as God shone through.

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• So this is what He's saying. We're not to be pressed into the mold of the world, but we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. Now, let me tell you what this word "renew" means. It actually means a renewal, a renovation, a complete change for the better. So I think, Clay, y'all have been going through a renovation, have you not? And it will be a complete change.

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• So if I had a room, maybe the floor was sagging, the wall was creaking and cracking a little bit. And so I went and had someone to undergird the foundation, replace the floor, replace the wall, redo it. In other words, it's now something totally transformed. It's now something totally different than what it was before. So it is a renewal, it is a renovation. And by the way, the root word for this, kainos, means something that is new, something that is recently made, something that is fresh, something that is unused, something unworn, or new of a kind.

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• So we now know, according to Scripture, when God saves us, He gives us back what we lost in Adam. He gives us back true righteousness and holiness. Ah, one more. Look in your Bibles to the book of Colossians chapter 3 and verse 10. Colossians 3 and verse 10. In fact, let's read verse 9, just so you can see this. He says, "Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him."

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• Now, the word "renewed" here is a similar word in Ephesians 4, and it means to cause to grow up, to cause to make new, to be changed into a new kind of life as compared to the former corrupt state. Okay. Now look at, if you would, at verse 10 again: "And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." Ah. Now, let me stop and tell you about the word "knowledge." The noun is the Greek word gnosis. And will you read about the Gnostics? The Gnostics were people who believed in salvation through knowledge. They believed that you could only be saved if you had their knowledge. The verb is ginosko, which means "I know." By the way, when you put an alpha or an "a" in front of a Greek word, it negates it. So when you have agnosco, it means "I don't know." That's where we get our word "agnostic" from. So an agnostic is someone who doesn't know whether he knows anything or not. But that is the word.

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• Now, but the word that is used here for "knowledge" is not gnosis, but it's epignosis. And the difference is this: gnosis would just be knowledge. Or for instance, I could have knowledge of a motor that it runs. It has spark plugs. It has cylinders. It has this. But I can't fix it. I don't know anything about it. But since Steve is a mechanic, he has precise knowledge.

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• He knows how to take it apart. He knows how to put it back together. The word epignosis here means that when God regenerated and converted us, He gave us a mind that we may have precise knowledge concerning Him. In other words, it is a theological knowledge. We do not know everything about God. You would have to be God to know everything about God. But it does mean this: what He shows us from His word is very, very precise, and we can be genuine theologians. And the word "theology" means the knowledge of God. Okay.

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• Now, let me show you a passage. Now I want you to turn back in your Bibles to Psalm 69 and verse 4. Psalm 69 and verse 4. Look at this. I love this Psalm 69. Although it was written by David, it is a reference to the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, especially verse 4. Look at this. Verse 4 says, "They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away." Now when the scripture says, "They that hate me without a cause," when you look in John 15:25, Jesus Christ says specifically, "They hated me without a cause." So this verse is applied directly to Jesus Christ in the New Testament. But look at the last part: "Then I restored that which I took not away." What did Jesus Christ restore?

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• Righteousness, holiness, knowledge. He didn't take it away, but He restored it. Now here is the good part. When God created Adam with original righteousness, holiness, and knowledge, He created Adam on a mutable footing. Adam could fall. Adam could sin and would lose everything that God gave him, and he did. But in Jesus Christ, we are on an immutable footing. We cannot lose the person and work of Jesus Christ. Because Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. He has redeemed us. He has reconciled us. His work is absolutely perfect.

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• Nothing can be added to it and nothing can be taken from it. Now, I want you to look at two more verses. The next one is 1 Peter, chapter 3 and verse 18. Look at this. 1 Peter, chapter 3, verse 18. This, again, tells you about the work of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter, chapter 3. And look, if you would please, at verse 18. Look what the Bible says: "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit." Now wait a minute. Note this phrase: "that he might bring us to God." Now, please help me. When Adam and Eve sinned, what did they do after they sinned? They ran from God and hid. In Adam, in his likeness, in his image, we run from God. In Jesus Christ, in His likeness and His image, we run to God. Okay, He died, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us back to God. And the Bible tells you in Ephesians 2:18, the way that we pray is to the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit.

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• And of course, our Lord said in John 14, "No man cometh unto the Father, but by me." So Jesus Christ died to bring us back to the Father. Now, I want you to turn to one last passage, Matthew chapter 5. Matthew chapter 5. And I want you to see this. Matthew 5. And let's begin reading there with verse 45. Matthew 5, verse 45. In fact, let's read verse 44. We'll start there. Our Lord says, He's been teaching now. This is the Sermon on the Mount. He's been teaching. Now look at this. He says in verse 44, "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."

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• "For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?" Verse 48: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Hmm. Now He said in verse 45, "that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven." And then He says, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." So how many perfect people do we have in this room right now? And the answer would be none.

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• So let me tell you, the word "perfect" here does not mean sinless. We try to think of being perfect as being sinless, and it is true in eternity in glory we will be sinless. But the word "perfect" here, when He says "be perfect," is the Greek word teleios, which means brought to its end, finished, wanting nothing that is necessary to completeness, or what you and I would say consummate human integrity and virtue, being full grown, being an adult, being mature. What He is saying is this: we are not to be children tossed to and fro. We are to be mature in Him as He is mature.

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• We're not to have a childish nature. Take a little child, three or four years old, and tell them that the moon is made of green cheese. They'll believe you. Tell an adult that. He says you're out of your mind. In other words, God has given us everything that we need to be like Him. That's what Romans 8 is all about. That's what 2 Peter 1:3 is about. He's given us everything we need, the Bible says, for holiness and to do His will. And so therefore, if we're going to be perfect, even as our Father which is in heaven is perfect, we have to be mature. We have to be mature in righteousness, mature in holiness, mature in knowledge, mature in conduct, mature in our entire life. And Lord, since God has given us everything that we need—He's given us Christ, He's given us His Word, He's given us His Spirit—so basically, there are no excuses.

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• So the question has to be asked again. Whose likeness do you demonstrate? Whose image do you demonstrate? Is it Adam? Or is it Christ? You remember the Bible says in Ephesians 4 that we might grow up in Him. So you are to be mature and complete in Christ. You're to be an adult in Christ. You're to have the precise knowledge of God that He's revealed to us in His Word. No, we do not know everything that we want to know about God, but we know this: Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do them." And we can have the precise knowledge of God in His Word by His Spirit, and we can be mature and express His likeness in our lives. So let me just throw this one out for you. Here's a prayer request. I think that each of us should pray: "Lord, allow me to recognize and to live in Your presence."

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• "And Father, be pleased to live in me so others may see Your presence in me." To be mature. And so the question is, whose likeness are you demonstrating? Whose image are you manifesting? The image of fallen Adam or the image of Jesus Christ? Father, in the name of Jesus, we ask Your grace and Your mercy and Your goodness and kindness in our lives. Help us, Lord, to bear the image of Jesus Christ, be conformed to His image. Make us holy, make us godly, make us more obedient, more submissive, more humble, more loving, more kind, more Christian in every aspect of our lives. Give us Your grace and mercy, we pray in Christ Jesus, in whose name we pray, amen.

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T22:07:17Z