Christ as God's Image

In Genesis 9:6, a telling verse reveals that a new age had commenced and a new aspect of God's dealings with man had been inaugurated, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man".

In this verse we see man as resembling and representing God, for he is made in God's image. We also see him rebelling against God, for in shedding man's blood, in committing murder, he desecrates and destroys God's representative upon earth and thereby exhibits the deepest depravity of the human heart. Man also acts in righteous retribution for God, for in response to the deepest depravity, the most severe sentence is to be executed, "by man shall his blood be shed". Man acting as judge in taking the life of the murderer was not desecrating the image of God but upholding the value of that image in man by executing righteous retribution upon one who would commit such evil.

How does this speak of Christ? In the New Testament on two occasions the Greek word eikon is used of the Lord Jesus (see 2 Corinthians 4:4, Colossians 1:15). This word is rendered "image" and has a similar meaning to the Hebrew word used in Gen 9:6.

As the image of God, the Son of God represents the "invisible God". He also perfectly resembles God, being Himself God "manifest in flesh". He could say "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9) and it is recorded that "No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him" (John 1:18).

If I want to know what God is like I examine the Son and I find a full revelation of God's person and character for, "There is no thought in the mind of God but Christ is it's expression; there is no glory in God but Christ is it's manifestation" (William Lincoln).

How solemn this makes the rejection and murder of the Son of God! In the parable told by the Lord, the guilty tenants of the vineyard said "This is the heir, come let us kill him" (Matt 21:38). The apostles preached (Acts 3:14-15) and prayed (Acts 4:24-28) as if the ultimate crime against God had been committed at Calvary - and it had!

Everything that Jesus did, and everything that He said, perfectly revealed God to man. No excuse therefore can be made that God was poorly represented or incorrectly resembled by the Son. How did man treat this perfect "Image"? He spat in the face of his Creator, and set about to kill the "author of life" (Acts 3:15)! He gave to Christ the cross, the cruelest form of execution known to men, thus revealing the deep well of his depravity by his attitude to the Creator.

Is it any wonder then that men will be punished eternally for this most heinous of crimes? Never let us forget that "He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father which hath sent Him" (John 5:23). The Man whom they "slew and hanged on a tree" (Acts 5:30) has God's "authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man" (John 5:27). One day those who have stood in judgment upon the Saviour, and have rejected Him, will stand before Him and tremble as they recognise their Judge to be the One they despised and hated. They will receive righteous retribution for the ultimate crime, the damning sin of Christ-rejection. Their question then will not be "What shall I do with Jesus?" but "What will He do with me?"

"True Image of the Infinite
Whose essence is concealed,
Brightness of uncreated light
The heart of God revealed: 
Worthy O Lamb of God art Thou
That every knee to Thee should bow!" 

Christ in Abel (3)

Christ is the Shepherd, and Christ is the Sacrifice - this much we have learned from the life of Abel so far. What can we learn from his death? It is the first incidence of violent death in the Bible, and serves to illustrate much concerning the death of Christ. 

The Slaughter 

"Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?" And the LORD said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand" (Gen 4.8-11 ESV).

1. The Brother of Abel

Cain was religious, we learn that from the fact that he "offered" alongside Abel. But his religion consisted of the works of his hands, presented to God, with the intention that he would be accepted on that basis.

In the  New Testament, however, we learn much about Cain's true character and conduct. He "was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous" (1 John 3.12). 

So, Cain had a veneer of external religion, and yet within he was corrupt. This cannot help but turn our mind to the society in which the Lord Jesus lived. The Lord was the most gracious of men, but he denounced some in His day in the strongest possible terms: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity" (Matt 23.27-28). 

Cain's true character was manifested in his treatment of Abel. He "slew his brother", and the reason was that his own "works were evil, and his brother's righteous" (1 John 3.12). 

External religion does not remove internal corruption, and the true character of the religious leaders in the days of the Lord was likewise manifested in their attitude to Him. The Lord stated "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin" (John 15.22). The idea is that, the life of the Lord Jesus among the people, and the subsequent rejection of Him by the religious leaders, exposed their true character. They no longer had a covering for the corruption of their heart. They "hated me" He could say "without a cause" (John 15.15).

Peter faced the nation with their guilt when calling them to repentance: "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs ... ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain" (Acts 2.22-23) "The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses" (Acts 3.13-15). 

Down through the centuries false religion and religious hypocrisy have unitedly  caused rivers of blood to flow! This began with the slaughter of Abel, and reached it zenith in the crucifixion of the Son of God. It continues to this day. 

2. The Blood of Abel 

The "blood" of Abel is mentioned twice in Genesis 4, and three times in the New Testament. 

According to Gen 4, the blood of Abel "crieth unto" God from the ground, for judgment. The Lord Jesus picks up this lesson in his teaching in Matthew 23, as He warned the leaders of Israel of coming judgment: "Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation" (Matt 23.34-36). 

Thus, linked with the "blood of righteous Abel" is a cry that calls to God to judge the criminal, it is a cry for justice. It is a call to punish those who have committed the crime, and have shed that blood.

However, when we come to Hebrews 12 we read that the blood of Christ "speaketh better things than that of Abel" (Heb 12.24). The meaning is that, the shed blood of the Lord Jesus also cries, but not for punishment! His blood cries for pardon for those who trust Him. 

The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ does not demand that justice BE satisfied, it rather declares that justice HAS BEEN satisfied. It is this fact that enables God to be "just, and the justifier of him which believeth on Jesus" (Rom 3.26). Grace can flow out to all, because God's justice has been satisfied.

In our meditations we have viewed Christ in Abel's shepherding, sacrifice, and slaughter! May our hearts rejoice that His blood avails for all who trust Him. God's justice is forever satisfied, and, as the hymn puts it:

"Grace is flowing like a river

Millions there have been supplied;

Still it flows, as fresh as ever

From the Saviour's wounded side!

None need perish, All may live, 
For Christ has died"