And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him.
- Colossians 3:10
And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
- Ephesians 4:24
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When does the restoration of God's image in a saved sinner begin? When will the restoration be fully and perfectly accomplished? |
In Paradise, before man's sinful fall took place, man stood as his own prophet, priest, and king through the image of God in which he was created. God's image consisted of true knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. As prophet, man knew and loved God; as priest, he was righteous before God; and as king, he lived in holiness with God.
Through our sinful fall, we have lost God's image. Ignorance and enmity have replaced personal knowledge and love of God, guilt has dislodged righteousness, and sinfulness has substituted for holiness. Therefore we stand in need of another Prophet, Priest, and King - an alrnighty Officebearer, who can restore in us that which we have lost. We need to receive in Jesus Christ, as the second Adam (the second Covenant Read), that which we lost in the first Adam (the first covenant head).
These truths are portrayed in the following chart:
