A New Identity: Restored to the Image of God

Introduction

"The moment you accept Jesus Christ as Lord, 2 Corinthians 5:17 says 'All Things become new.'" Throughout Scripture, we find 30 distinct transformations that occur at the moment of salvation. This document explores the sixteenth of these transformations: receiving a new identity.

God's Original Design: Humanity in His Image

When we come to Christ, we receive a new identity that is fundamentally about being restored to the image of God—the original purpose for which humanity was created.

Genesis 1:26-27

"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."

This foundational passage reveals several crucial aspects of human identity:

1. Divine Intent: Humans were intentionally created to bear God's image

2. Divine Representation: Humanity was designed to represent God on earth

3. Delegated Authority: Being in God's image involved ruling over creation

4. Relational Design: The image of God is expressed in both male and female

5. Unique Status: Humans alone among creation bear this divine image

What the Image of God Means (and Doesn't Mean)

Being created in God's image does not mean:

• We are God or part of God

• We are or will become divine beings

• We possess all of God's attributes

Rather, it means:

• We are representatives of God on earth

• We reflect aspects of God's character and nature

• We have been given a special relationship with God

• We are relational beings (mirroring the Trinity's relationship)

• We possess spiritual capacities that reflect God's nature

God is distinct from His creation—He is the uncreated Creator who has always existed, while humans are created beings with a beginning in time.

The Attack on Our Identity

From the very beginning, Satan has attacked human identity and specifically the image of God in humanity. This attack continues today in various forms, seeking to distort our understanding of who we are and whose we are.

Genesis 3:1-5

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Indeed, has God said, "You shall not eat from any tree of the garden"?' The woman said to the serpent, 'From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, "You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die."' The serpent said to the woman, 'You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'"

In this passage, we see Satan's strategy to undermine human identity:

1. He questioned God's word ("Has God said...?")

2. He contradicted God's warning ("You surely will not die!")

3. He suggested humans were lacking something essential ("You will be like God")

4. He implied God was withholding something good from them

5. He attacked their confidence in who they already were—image-bearers

The essence of Satan's deception was to make Adam and Eve believe they were not enough, that they were lacking something essential despite already being created in God's image. He convinced them they needed to take action to become "like God" when they were already created to be like Him in the ways He intended.

The Devastating Effects of the Fall

When Adam and Eve yielded to this deception and rebelled against God, the consequences were severe and far-reaching:

1. From ruling with God to slavery to sin and Satan: Instead of exercising dominion over creation, they became enslaved to sin and came under Satan's authority

2. From peace to fear: They hid from God in fear

3. From innocence to guilt: They experienced guilt for the first time

4. From unashamed to shame: They covered themselves out of shame

5. From purity to defilement: Sin corrupted their hearts

6. From wholeness to brokenness: The harmony of their being was fractured

7. From life to death: Spiritual death occurred immediately, with physical death to follow

Their rebellion transferred them from God's direct authority to Satan's domain. Jesus later acknowledged this reality when He referred to Satan as "the ruler of this world" (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11).

The Ultimate Identity Theft

The fall of humanity constituted the ultimate identity theft. Created to be image-bearers of God, humans instead began to reflect aspects of Satan's character. Jesus highlighted this tragic reality when addressing the Pharisees:

"You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him." (John 8:44)

The image of God in humanity was damaged—not erased, but significantly marred. This damaged image is evident throughout human history in the chaos, destruction, and suffering that characterize a fallen world.

Christ: Restoring the Image of God

One of the primary reasons Jesus came was to restore the image of God in humanity. Through His death and resurrection, Christ made it possible for us to be renewed in the image in which we were originally created.

2 Corinthians 3:18

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit."

This passage reveals several important aspects of our identity restoration:

1. The veil is removed: In Christ, we can now clearly perceive God's glory

2. The transformation method: Beholding God's glory (focusing on Him)

3. The transformation goal: Being changed into Christ's image

4. The transformation process: "From glory to glory" (progressive transformation)

5. The transformation agent: The Holy Spirit

When we accept Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells us and begins the process of restoring the image of God in us. We receive a new identity at conversion—we are marked and sealed with the Holy Spirit, who serves as the "down payment" of our full redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14).

The Present and Future Dimensions of Our New Identity

Our new identity in Christ has both immediate and progressive aspects:

1. Immediate Transformation: The moment we accept Christ, we are born again and receive a new identity as God's children, with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us

2. Progressive Transformation: We are progressively "transformed into the same image from glory to glory" as we behold Christ

This transformation includes:

• Increasing freedom from sin's power

• Healing of emotional and spiritual wounds

• Restoration of wholeness in all dimensions of life

• Growing reflection of Christ's character (the fruit of the Spirit)

• Increasing ability to function as God originally intended

Wholeness and the Image of God

The phrase "from glory to glory" suggests a progression not only in holiness but in wholeness. The restoration of God's image involves healing the brokenness caused by sin and its effects. Christ, who is "the exact representation of [God's] nature" (Hebrews 1:3), models perfect wholeness—being exactly who God intended Him to be.

As the Holy Spirit works in us, He not only helps us overcome sin but also heals the damaged aspects of our humanity. He "restores our soul" (Psalm 23:3) and "heals the brokenhearted" (Psalm 147:3), bringing us increasingly into alignment with God's original design.

Conclusion

When we accept Christ, we receive a new identity fundamentally rooted in being restored to the image of God. This restoration begins immediately at conversion and continues progressively throughout our lives as the Holy Spirit transforms us "from glory to glory."

The essence of our new identity is not primarily about what we do but about who we are—bearers of God's image who are being restored to fully reflect that image through Christ. This restoration counteracts Satan's original deception and returns us to our true identity and purpose.

Through this new identity, we find not only forgiveness of sins but the rediscovery of our original purpose—to reflect God's character, represent His authority, and live in intimate relationship with Him and others. All of this is made possible because "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come" (2 Corinthians 5:17).