We, the Image of God

Grudem, Wayne, "Chapter 21: The Creation of Man." Systematic Theology: An Introduction to

Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000. 439-53.

I had the pleasure reading this chapter during an overnight shift at my valet stand. Reading aspects of the imago Dei (image of God) is so much more interesting when it is interrupted by old men and their prostitutes needing their cars brought around. I was very close to just giving a gospel presentation to one lady once she was away from your older counterpart. I wasn't sure whether she was a prostitute or just a gold digger. It was a sad sight. His car was nice and she was pretty, but you can't help but see the meaninglessness of it all.

Brent Ward's post tonight at Parakaleo was right on track with being conformed into Christ-likeness. Grudem, perhaps isn't so violent with his application of this doctrine of image bearing. Grudem begins by explaining what "in the image of" means. He points to Genesis 5 when Seth was born to Adam and Eve "in his [Adam's] own likeness." Seth was not a carbon copy of Adam, but he, like many sons today, was like his father in great many ways--perhaps in looks and character. We know that Genesis 4-6 chronicles the lines of Seth, Cain and their eventual intermarriage. So we may speculate that Seth indeed was like Adam in his "godliness"--in his "Christ-likeness." So when Genesis says that Adam was made in the image and likeness of God a few chapters earlier, it says that we are not God, but we are like him in a few ways.

Now these ways in which we are like God are not perfect to the nth degree like they are in God. Try to think of how God is Righteous or how He figuratively embodies Justice. Men may be appointed as judges of other men, but their rulings are imperfect when compared to divine justice. God sees all. We were created with eyes to see the physical world God created, but we do not see to the extent, depth, or clarity that God sees. For more words on this, read Grudem's 12th and 13th chapter on God's Communicable Attributes.

Christ is different than us. Colossians 1:15 says, "He is the image of the invisible God..." 2:2 says, "...attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself..." To understand Christ or to conform to the image of Christ is see God's mystery. And one of my favorites, 2:9 says, "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form..." Jesus says, "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father." Unlike us, Christ is more than just like God in a few ways. He actually is God.

Remember the Israelites and their neighbors and their fascination with images of local deities. There's got to be more there. Perhaps a realization and try at regaining that which man lost at the fall. I don't know.

So we, like Seth, are in the image of Adam, who in turn was made in the image of God. We are made in the image of God. Genesis 9:6 says "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man." This is where God after the flood gives man the command to carry out the death penalty. But here also we witness God's appraisal of all mankind. All of mankind is some way, unknown to us, made in the image of God. This confuses me. But the ethics of Christianity hinge on this. God still places worth on the life of an unredeemed man, so we must in turn. We must protect and fight for the life of God's enemies. We must deal justice on behalf of a wronged unredeemed man. I'm still not sure why, but God said so in Genesis 9:6 and that settles it for me.

Now on conforming to Christ-likeness... or as others have put it: regaining our image bearing status. The Resurrection, more than other doctrines, gets me excited and lifts my spirits. It is the point when we will be perfected. The image will be regained. We will be without sin. The Unhealthy will be healthy. Our senses which are like God's will be better. We will see and hear what God is doing and saying as we presently miss so often. We will experience the beauty of God's creation in a way we do not now. But we will then.

In the present, we conform that which God allows us to conform. We stop sinning. We repent and begin the journey towards that day when God will finish His work on us. It is okay to be excited for that day. The Bible wouldn't wet your appetite with, "And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.' And He who sits on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.'" [Revelation 21:3-5a]

Satan and Demons

Since being exposed to terrible theology in a class called "Healing and Deliverance," my taste for intersecting with the spiritual world has been greatly diminished. The class took deliverance to the nth degree. It was Palagian. It was over-realized eschatology. It was all about knowing extensively the evil spirits of rebellion, bitterness, sexual perversion etc., before applying the right deliverance technique. It was dualism. It was heresy. And now I'm left grasping for truth through the whole muddled mess.

Perhaps I was more confident in my position on deliverance until I read chapter 20 in Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology. Like he does in so many previous chapters, Grudem takes a middle of the road approach to items like deliverance. He says rightly in pt D.2. "Not all evil and sin is from Satan and demons, but some is." Grudem explains that he wants to guard against an over-spiritualization of everything--the example I gave above. At the same time he doesn't discount demonic influence.

Grudem's linguistic analysis is very interesting in this chapter. He states in D.3.,"The Greek New Testament can speak of people who 'have a demon'..., or it can speak of people who are suffering from demonic influence..., but it never uses language that suggests that a demon actually 'possesses' someone." Furthermore, Grudem suggests being very careful when speaking of these things with other Christians because many Christians have bought into an unorthodox possibility of being both a Christian and "demonized/possessed". This belief has been pushed in large part due to an emphasis on demonic experiences over biblical truth.

The point of my confusion rests in how "even the demons are subject to us in [Jesus'] name" as in Luke 10:17, works out in our daily walk. Are we to speak to the demons like Jesus and His disciples? Or do we simply ask the Lord to rebuke the enemy on our behalf? Are we not to speak to demons? Does it even matter? Grudem presents the former as truth, and even states a few personal experiences in his systematic audio lecture. I thought I had settled this one.

Apparently not.

What can Angels teach us about Election?

I found Wayne Grudem's treatment on angels in chapter 19 of his Systematic Theology spot on. He lays out his teaching into "what are angels", "when were angels created", "the place of angels in God's purpose", and "our relationship to angels." The most helpful to me was "The Place of Angels in God's purpose"--letter C.

Grudem writes at the top of page 403, "We see, therefore, that God created two groups of intelligent, moral creatures. Among the angels, many sinned, but God decided to redeem none of them. This was perfectly just for God to do, and no angel can ever complain that he has been treated unfairly by God." A "moral agent" or "moral creature," is any being that can choose between right and wrong. Both man and angels can choose to do good or evil.

The difference is only some angels sinned. The Bible says that all men have sinned. Angels apparently, are not a procreating being so the rebellion of one was not linked to a future lineage, as it is in the case of man. Seeing God's election in this light is helpful because it shows us that God's election of man is stronger than his election of angels. The election of angels is not equivalent to salvation, while the election of men is. A man's election is not visible like an elect angel's is. George Whitfield once said that if all the elect in London had a giant E on their stomach, he would go around London lifting up shirts and only preaching to the ones with Es. From this cognitive exercise, I conclude that it would not be far from the truth to say that angels must have something like giant Es on their stomachs. Forgive my musings.

Wayne Grudem is also commendable when he reminds us that Angels, being moral agents, and some rebellious, may promote false doctrine. Those angels who are against God and his people are apparently sometimes mistaken as loyal angels. In war, this is a tactic of confusion. An enemy that is able to infiltrate it's opponent can do a great deal of harm. Paul tells Timothy that fallen angels have doctrines that lead many away from sound teaching.

Grudem further teaches that we shouldn't worship, pray to, or seek out angels. When you read this section, a certain Todd Bentley youtube video ought to come to mind. 'nough said.

Grudem's Hymn for the chapter was "Angels From the Realms of Glory." It's a beautiful Christmas hymn. Like most Christmas hymns, I wish we'd sing them all year long. After all, the incarnation is still an important doctrine in February, July, and October.

Angels, from the realms of glory,

wing your flight o'er all the earth

Ye who sang creation's story,

now proclaim Messiah's birth:

Come and worship, come and worship,

worship Christ the newborn King.