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Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.
(John 4:14) |
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And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev 22:1) |
For His Glory!
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AM I…? I should be a window thru which others can see Yeshua (Jesus) in me and thus glorify the Father. The question is am I like my Savior? That is why He had disciples and told His disciples to make disciples, to be like Him, to follow in His steps. So am I in His likeness? Am I truly representing Him here on earth? When Yeshua walked this earth, as the Son of man, He said, "I AM …" There is no other! For Example: John 13:13 "You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for [so] (added by translators) I am.John 6:35 … "I am the bread of life…John 8:12 …"I am the light of the world…"John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.The ‘I Am’ tells us He Is and always Was John 8:58 Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am."Acts 7:32 [to Paul/Saul] 'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.' …Luke 22:70 And they all said, "Are You the Son of God, then?" And He said to them, "Yes, I am."John 10:36 … 'I am the Son of God'?Moses at the burning bush , YHVH (The LORD - The I Am) reveals who He is:Exod 3:3 So Moses said, "I must turn aside now, and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up." 4 When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush, and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." 5 Then He said, "Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." 6 He said also, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. … 10 Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of - Egypt."Exod 3:13 Then Moses said to God, "… and I shall say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' Now they may say to me, 'What is His name?' What shall I say to them?"Exod 3:14 And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" (That is who He is)Exod 3:15 And God, furthermore, said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'The LORD (YHVH), the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations. (This is His Name)See section titled "His Name" **** Then Am I … …Yielded to the Great I Am? …Being changed into His image/likeness? …In Messiah? ( Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.)…Being led by the Spirit of God; thus being transformed into a son of God? ( Rom 8:14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.)…Walking as Yeshua walked - doing as He did - exhibiting His attributes - obeying His commands? The I Am came to redeem us - to reestablish us as God’s children 1John 3:1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are…Therefore, Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, Philippians 2:5Am I … doing as He did? John 13:15 "For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Am I … Walking Like Yeshua (Jesus)Eph 5:8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light1John 2:6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.Col 1:10 so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;2John 1:6 And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments…1 Peter 2:21 …since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, Gal 5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.Am I …being transformed into His Image? Rom 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son…1Cor 15:49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.2 Corinthians 4:11 … that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. Col 3:10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him**** IMAGE An exact and complete copy or counterpart of anything. Christ is called "the image of God," 2Co 4:4; Col 1:15; Heb 1:3, as being the same in nature and attributes. The image of God in which man was created, Ge 1:27 was in his spiritual, intellectual, and moral nature, in righteousness and true holiness. The posterity of Adam were born in his fallen, sinful likeness, Ge 5:3; and as we have borne the image of sinful Adam, so we should be molded into the moral image of the heavenly man Christ, 1Co 15:47-49; 2Co 3:18. Vine: (edited for length see section "An Image Commentary") [G1504, eikon ] denotes an image;" the word involves the two ideas of representation and manifestation.
**** Yeshua (The I Am) Testifies John 8:18 "I am He who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."John 8:28 …"When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am [He] …Am I …acknowledging He is the only Way? John 14:6 … " I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.Am I …a believer? John 11:25 … "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies,John 8:24 "…for unless you believe that I am [He], you shall die in your sins."Am I …looking forward to The coming King? John 18:37 Pilate therefore said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth…"Mark 14:62 And Jesus said, "I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."He is not of this world John 8:23 "… I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.His disciples are to be ‘Not of this world’ John 17:16 "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.Am I …His disciple? I am if …I bear the fruit of His Spirit John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit;Because - for apart from Me you can do nothing.Disciple of Messiah be confident, we have His Promise Matt 28:20 …and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." |
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From Proverbs Proverbs 8:12 "I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And I find knowledge and discretion. 13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way, And the perverted mouth, I hate. 14 Counsel is mine and sound wisdom; I am understanding, power is mine.When reading through the Proverbs we read "I", who is this "I"? In the above passage we have recorded ‘One’, saying "I" several times. Could this be the same One that claimed to be the "I Am" at the burning bush, the One that walked the earth called the Messiah? |
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"Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be." ― Thomas à Kempis How often we wish others were different for one reason or another. We do not necessarily want to change their appearance but their attitude, their goals, their mindset. Then again we need to look inward and ask if ‘I am’ like Yeshua (Jesus); as His Word reveals we should be. The wonderful thing about Him is He can make us just like Him, in both heart and spirit. |
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ISBE: (edited for length)Image - Its usage falls under 3 main heads. (1) "Image" as object of idolatrous worship … (2) of man as made in the image of God; (3) of Christ as the image of God. Here we are concerned with the last two usages.
I. Man as Made in the Divine Image. 1. In the Old Testament:
To define man's fundamental relation to God, the priestly writer in Genesis uses two words: "image" (tselem) and "likeness" (demuth)… The idea is important in relation to the Biblical doctrine of man, and has figured prominently in theological discussion. The following are some of the questions that arise: (1) Is there any distinction to be understood between "image" and "likeness"? Most of the Fathers, and some later theologians, attempt to distinguish between them. (a) Some have referred "image" to man's bodily form, and "likeness" to his spiritual nature (Justin Martyr, Irenaeus). (b) Others, especially the Alexandrian Fathers, understood by the "image" the mental and moral endowments native to man, and by the "likeness" the Divine perfections which man can only gradually acquire by free development and moral conflict (Clement of Alexandria and Origen), or which is conferred on man as a gift of grace. (c) We have here simply a "duplication of synonyms" (Driver) for the sake of emphasis. The two terms are elsewhere used interchangeably.
(2) What, then, is to be understood by the Divine image? Various answers have been given. (a) Some of the Fathers (influenced by Philo) supposed that the "image" here = the Logos (called "the image of the invisible God" in Col 1:15), on the pattern of whom man was created. But to read the Logos doctrine into the creation narrative is to ignore the historic order of doctrinal development. (b) That it connotes physical resemblance to God (see (1), (a) above; so in the main Skinner, ICC, in the place cited.). It may be admitted that there is a secondary reference to the Divine dignity of the human body; but this does not touch the essence of the matter, inasmuch as God is not represented as having physical form. (c) That it consists of dominion over the creatures (Socinian view; so also Gregory of Nyssa, Chrysostom, etc.). This would involve an unwarranted narrowing of the idea. It is true that such "dominion" is closely associated with the image in Ge 1:26 (compare Ps 8:6-8). But the "image of God" must denote primarily man's relation to his Creator, rather than his relation to the creation. Man's lordship over Nature is not identical with the image, but is an effect of it. (d) It is best to take the term as referring to the whole dignity of man, in virtue of his fundamental affinity to God. It implies the possession by man of a free, self-conscious, rational and moral personality, like unto that of God--a nature capable of distinguishing right and wrong, of choosing the right and rejecting the wrong, and of ascending to the heights of spiritual attainment and communion with God. This involves a separation of man from the beast, and his supremacy as the culmination of the creative process.
(3) Does the term imply man's original perfection, lost through sin? The old Protestant divines maintained that the first man, before the Fall, possessed original righteousness, not only in germ but in developed form, and that this Divine image was destroyed by the Fall. Exegetically considered, this is certainly not taught by the priestly writer, who makes no mention of the Fall, assumes that the image was transmitted from father to son (compare Ge 5:1 with 5:3), and naively speaks of post-diluvian men as created in the image of God (Ge 9:6; compare 1Cor 11:7; Jas 3:9). Theologically considered, the idea of the perfect holiness of primitive man is based on an abstract conception of God's work in creation, which precludes the idea of development, ignores the progressive method of the Divine government and the essential place of effort and growth in human character. It is more in harmony with modern conceptions: (a) to regard man as originally endowed with the power of right choice, rather than with a complete character given from the first; and (b) to think of the Divine image (though seriously defaced) as continuing even in the sinful state, as man's inalienable capacity for goodness and his true destination. If the Divine image in man is a self-conscious, rational and ethical personality, it cannot be a merely accidental or transitory attribute, but is an essential constituent of his being.
2. In the New Testament:
Two features may be distinguished in the New Testament doctrine of the Divine image in man:
(1) man's first creation in Adam,
(2) his second or new creation in Christ.
As to (1), the doctrine of the Old Testament is assumed in the New Testament. Paul makes a special application of it to the question of the relation of husband and wife, which is a relation of subordination on the part of the wife, based on the fact that man alone was created immediately after the Divine image (1Co 11:7). Thus Paul, for the special purpose of his argument, confines the meaning of the image to man's lordly authority, though to infer that he regards this as exhausting its significance would be quite unwarranted. Man's affinity to God is implied, though the term "image" is not used, in Paul's sermon to the Athenians (Ac 17:28 f, man the "offspring" of God). See also Jas 3:9 (it is wrong to curse men, for they are "made after the likeness of God").
(2) More characteristic of the New Testament is the doctrine of the new creation. (a) The redeemed man is said to be in the image of God (the Father). He is "renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him" (Col 3:10), i.e. of God the Creator, not here of Christ or the Logos (as some) (compare Eph 4:24, "after God"). Though there is here an evident reference to Ge 1:26 f, this does not imply that the new creation in Christ is identical with the original creation, but only that the two are analogous. To Paul, the spiritual man in Christ is on a higher level than the natural ("psychical") man as found in Adam (compare especially 1Co 15:44-49), in whom the Divine image consisted (as we have seen) in potential goodness, rather than in full perfection. Redemption is infinitely more than the restoration of man's primitive state. (b) The Christian is further said to be gradually transformed into the image of the Son of God. This progressive metamorphosis involves not only moral and spiritual likeness to Christ, but also ultimately the Christian's future glory, including the glorified body, the "passing through a gradual assimilation of mind and character to an ultimate assimilation of His doxa, the absorption of the splendor of His presence" (Sanday and Headlam, Romans, 218; see Rom 8:29; 1Cor 15:49; 2Co 3:18; and compare Phil 3:21; Phil 3:1).
II. Christ the Image of God.
In 3 important passages in English Versions of the Bible, the term "image" defines the relation of Christ to God the Father; twice in Paul: "the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2Co 4:4); "who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation" (Col 1:15); and once in He: "who being the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance" (Col 1:3). These statements, taken in their contexts, register the highest reach of the Christology of the Epistles.
1. The Terms:
In the two Pauline passages, the word used is eikon, which was generally the Septuagint rendering of tselem (Vulgate: imago); it is derived from eiko, eoika, "to be like," "resemble," and means that which resembles an object and represents it, as a copy represents the original. In Heb 1:3 the word used is charakter, which is found here only in the New Testament, and is translated in Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) figura, the King James Version "express image," the Revised Version (British and American) "very image," the Revised Version, margin "impress." It is derived from charasso, "to engrave," and has passed through the following meanings:
(1) an engraving instrument (active sense); (2) the engraved stamp or mark on the instrument (passive sense); (3) the impress made by the instrument on wax or other object; (4) hence, generally, the exact image or expression of any person or thing as corresponding to the original, the distinguishing feature, or traits by which a person or thing is known (hence, English words "character," "characteristic"). The word conveys practically the same meaning as eikon; but Westcott distinguishes them by saying that the latter "gives a complete representation, under conditions of earth, of that which it figures," while character "conveys representative traits only" (Westcott on Heb 1:3).
2. Meaning as Applied to Christ:
The idea here expressed is closely akin to that of the Logos doctrine in Joh (1:1-18). Like the Logos, the Image in Paul and in He is the Son of God, and is the agent of creation as well as the medium of revelation. "What a word (logos) is to the ear, namely a revelation of what is within, an image is to the eye; and thus in the expression there is only a translation, as it were, of the same fact from one sense to another" (Dorner, System of Ch. D., English translation, III, 178). As Image, Christ is the visible representation and manifestation of the invisible God, the objective expression of the Divine nature, the face of God turned as it were toward the world, the exact likeness of the Father in all things except being the Father. Thus we receive "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2Co 4:6). He is the facsimile of God.
3. To What State Does It Refer?:
Is Christ described as the Image of God in His pre incarnate, His incarnate, or else His exalted state? It is best to say that different passages refer to different states, but that if we take the whole trend of New Testament teaching, Christ is seen to be essentially, and in every state, the Image of God.
(a) In Heb 1:3 the reference seems to be to the eternal, pre incarnate Son, who is inherently and essentially the expression of the Divine substance. So Paul declares that He subsisted originally in the form of God (en morphe theou huparchon, Php 2:6).
(b) In John 1:18; John 12:45; John 14:9, though the term image is not used, we have the idea of the historical Jesus as a perfect revelation of the character and glory of God.
(c) In the two Pauline passages (2Cor 4:4; Col 1:15), the reference is probably to the glorified, exalted Christ; not to His pre-existent Divine nature, nor to His temporal manifestation, but to His "whole Person, in the divine-human state of His present heavenly existence" (Meyer). These passages in their cumulative impressions convey the idea that the Image is an inalienable property of His personality, not to be limited to any stage of His existence.
4. Theological Implications:
Does this involve identity of essence of Father and Son, as in the Homoousion formula of the Nicene Creed? Not necessarily, for man also bears the image of God, even in his sinful state (see I above), a fact which the Arians sought to turn to their advantage. Yet in the light of the context, we must affirm of Christ an absolutely unique kinship with God. In the Col passage, not only are vast cosmic and redemptive functions assigned to Him, but there is said to dwell in Him "all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (1:19; 2:9). In He not only is the Son the final revelation of God to men, the upholder of the universe, and the very image of the Divine nature, but also the effulgence (apaugasma) of God's glory, and therefore of one nature with Him as the ray is of one essence with the sun (1:1-3). The superiority of the Son is thus not merely one of function but of nature. On the other hand, the figure of the "image" certainly guards against any Sabellian identification of Father and Son, as if they were but modes of the one Person; for we cannot identify the pattern with its copy, nor speak of anyone as an image of himself. And, finally, we must not overlook the affinity of the Logos with man; both are the image of God, though the former in a unique sense. The Logos is at once the prototype of humanity within the Godhead, and the immanent Divine principle within humanity. D. Miall Edwards **** Vine: [ 1,,G1504, eikon ] denotes an image;" the word involves the two ideas of representation and manifestation. "The idea of perfection does not lie in the word itself, but must be sought from the context" (Lightfoot); the following instances clearly show any distinction between the imperfect and the perfect likeness. The word is used (1) of an "image" or a coin (not a mere likeness), Matt 22:20; Mark 12:16; Luke 20:24; so of a statue or similar representation (more than a resemblance), Rom 1:23; 13:14-15 (thrice); Rev 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4; of the descendants of Adam as bearing his image, 1Cor 15:49, each a representation derived from the prototype; (2) of subjects relative to things spiritual, Heb 10:1, …of the Law as having "a shadow of the good things to come, not the very image of the things," i.e., not the essential and substantial form of them; the contrast has been likened to the difference between a statue and the shadow cast by it; (3) of the relations between God the Father, Christ, and man, (a) of man as he was created as being a visible representation of God, 1Cor 11:7, a being corresponding to the original; the condition of man as a fallen creature has not entirely effaced the "image;" he is still suitable to bear responsibility, he still has Godlike qualities, such as love of goodness and beauty, none of which are found in a mere animal; in the Fall man ceased to be a perfect vehicle for the representation of God; God's grace in Christ will yet accomplish more than what Adam lost; (b) of regenerate persons, in being moral representations of what God is, Col 3:10; cp. Eph 4:24; (c) of believers, in their glorified state, not merely as resembling Christ but representing Him, Rom 8:29; 1Cor 15:49; here the perfection is the work of Divine grace; believers are yet to represent, not something like Him, but what He is in Himself, both in His spiritual body and in His moral character; (d) of Christ in relation to God, 2Cor 4:4, "the image of God," i.e., essentially and absolutely the perfect expression and representation of the Archetype, God the Father; in Col 1:15, "the image of the invisible God" gives the additional thought suggested by the word "invisible," that Christ is the visible representation and manifestation of God to created beings; the likeness expressed in this manifestation is involved in the essential relations in the Godhead, and is therefore unique and perfect; "he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father," John 14:9. "The epithet "invisible." ... must not be confined to the apprehension of the bodily senses, but will include the cognizance of the inward eye also" (Lightfoot). |
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From the Companion Bible - Appendix 4 II. Jehovah . While Elohim is God as the Creator of all things, Jehovah is the same God in covenant relation to those whom He has created (Cp. 2Ch 18:31). Jehovah means the Eternal , the Immutable One, He Who WAS, and IS, and IS TO COME. The Divine definition is given in Gen 21:33. He is especially, therefore, the God of Israel; and the God of those who are redeemed, and are thus now "in Christ". We can say "My God," but not "My Jehovah", for Jehovah is "MY God." 1. JEHOVAH-JIREH = Jehovah will see, or provide. Gen 22:14. 2. JEHOVAH-ROPHEKA = Jehovah that healeth thee. Exo 15:26. 3. JEHOVAH-NISSI = Jehovah my banner. Exo 17:15. 4. JEHOVAH-MeKADDISHKEM = Jehovah that doth sanctify you. Exo 31:13. Lev 20:8; 21:8; 22:32. Ezekiel 20:12. 5. JEHOVAH-SHALOM = Jehovah [send] peace. Judges 6:24. 6. JEHOVAH-ZeBA'OTH = Jehovah of hosts. 1Sa 1:3, and frequently. 7. JEHOVAH-ZIDKENU = Jehovah our righteousness. Jeremiah 23:6; 33:16. 8. JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH = Jehovah is there. Ezekiel 48:35. 9. JEHOVAH-ELYON = Jehovah most high. Psalm 7:17; 47:2; 97:9. 10. JEHOVAH-RO'I = Jehovah my Shepherd. Psalm 23:1. We have seven of these, experimentally referred to, in Ps. 23, inasmuch as Jehovah, the "Good," "Great," and "Chief Shepherd," is engaged, in all the perfection of His attributes, on behalf of His sheep:-- In verse 1, we have No. 1 above. III. Jah is Jehovah in a special sense and relation. Jehovah as having BECOME our Salvation (first occ. Exo 15:2), He Who IS, and WAS, and IS TO COME. It occurs 49 times (7 x 7. See Ap. 10). Compare Psalm 68:4; 68:18. Thy Kingdom Come! |
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How does God feel about issues we face today? Words Of Life Do you know people who talk all the time? They may have some interesting things to say but you can't really have a conversation with them because that implies two people speaking. You may find such people wearisome and avoid them. Yet, ‘The I am’ is the Living Word, and ‘The I am’ is always speaking. He speaks in a still small voice and does not dominate a conversation. Your overbearing friend may be hard to avoid, but, ‘The I am’ is meek and lowly in heart, and it is easy to avoid Him. Those who understand the value of His words will seek Him out, and sit at His feet, and listen carefully for they know that He alone has the words of life. (Adopted from a blog post by Dale Cresap) |
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Subject: Did you ever wonder what these sayings meant? (No research was done to verify these claims - MEM)
THE WHOLE NINE YARDS IRON CLAD CONTRACT PASSING THE BUCK / THE BUCK STOPS HERE RIFF RAFF COBWEB SHIP STATE ROOMS SLEEP TIGHT SHOWBOAT OVER A BARREL BARGE IN HOGWASH CURFEW BARRELS OF OIL HOT OFF THE PRESS |
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Thanksgiving Recipes by Kids Remember: If your mind goes blank, don’t forget to turn off the sound. |
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Psalm 17:15 As for me, I shall behold Thy face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Thy likeness when I awake. Am I like Him? 1John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him. 3:1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.Blessed be YHVH (Genesis 14:20 And blessed be God Most High…) |