The Enigma of the Double Image, Part 1

Colin Smith: Made in the image of God, but born in the likeness of Adam. You need to know this double truth about yourself, this is where self-knowledge begins. You need to know this is who you are.
Steve Hiller: Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I'm Steve Hiller, glad you're listening. And Colin, many of us have grown up in the church and we've been taught that we were made in the image of God. But what does it mean for us to be born in the likeness of Adam?
Colin Smith: Well, it means that we're like Adam after sin got into his system. It would be very nice if we could be born in the likeness of Adam before he had anything to do with sin and before sin had anything to do with him, but that's not the case. We have this enigma of the double image. I find these two truths about myself, and these two things are true of every other person: made in the image of God, that gives life dignity and it gives life worth, and yet at the same time, born in the likeness of Adam. I am born a sinner. Every human person is born with sin in them; there's no such thing as a baby born in innocence. Sin is in us all by nature. So this is why there's such a conflict within human life and in human experience, and that's what we're going to get to the heart of today.
Steve Hiller: Colin, you actually preached this message on the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. I think we see the demonstration of the enigma of the double image right there. We see the value and the sanctity of human life as rescue workers are running into burning buildings to pull people out, but we also see sinfulness on full display as human life is so devalued that people are flying planes into buildings.
Colin Smith: And that's the question: How do you make sense of these two extremities—the rampant evil and at the same time the wonderful heroic good? And it is the enigma of the double image. The Bible explains it. It's one of the great questions we should be asking people who do not believe the Bible: What is your explanation of evil? Where does this come from? Well, the Bible tells us where it comes from and the Bible tells us where the answer to it lies.
Steve Hiller: Well, we're going to open the Bible here to Genesis chapter five, so I hope you'll join us there as we begin a message, "The Enigma of the Double Image." Here's Pastor Colin.
Colin Smith: If you would turn to the book of Genesis, we're going to look at several references in the Bible there today because Genesis tells us the story not only of sin's origin, but also of its development. After Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden paradise of God, sin grew in the world. And if you open at Genesis and chapter four, you will find you can read it later that the story that is recorded there is the sad story of how the first family fractured through fratricide. Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel. You can read their story in that chapter. Cain became angry toward his brother Abel and eventually murdered his own brother. Very interesting by the way, think about this: the man who declined to offer a blood sacrifice ended up shedding the blood of his own brother. There's a significant connection there. It was an early sign of devastation and destruction that sin would bring to the human family. Now Adam and Eve had other sons and daughters and God's grace allowed the growth and the development of the human race. And Genesis and chapter five, if you have that open in front of you, gives to us an account of the generations that came from Adam. Then in chapter six and verse five, we have an extraordinary statement. By any standards, this is an extraordinary statement of how sin multiplied and how it intensified as the early human family grew. Genesis chapter six and verse five: "The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on earth had become"—so this is about development, the growth, the progress of sin—"and how every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time." Is that not an extraordinary statement? Every inclination of the thoughts of his heart only evil all the time. It's a kind of triple whammy, isn't it? Sin was going everywhere within the human personality; it was always being pervasive, and it was being wholly pervasive all the time. It is an extraordinary statement about how in the time of Noah, evil had really taken over the whole world. That is what we are being told here. Now Genesis chapter six and verse five is not telling us that the world is always as bad as this. This world is not heaven, but it's not hell either. But in the time of Noah, it was heading in that latter direction. At that time, in the time of Noah, the world became so dark that the Lord saw that every inclination of people's hearts was only evil all the time. Now you read an extraordinary statement like that, you say, "How in the world did the human race get there?" How do we move from one sin that Adam and Eve committed within the garden to the devastation of a dark world in which sin and evil have become so pervasive that all the inclinations of men's thoughts and of their hearts were only evil all the time? And that's the story we're going to follow today. We're going to look at the inside story of the human race and I want to begin by drawing your attention to two verses in the early chapters of Genesis. The first one is back in Genesis chapter one and verse 26. If you turn back just two pages, you'll find that there. Remember last week—and we're building in this series—that God made Adam upright. That's Ecclesiastes and chapter seven and verse 29. Now here in Genesis, we're learning the same truth. In Genesis chapter one and verse 26: "God said, 'Let us make man in our image and in our likeness.'" By the way, isn't it interesting that the plural is used by God? An early foreshadowing of the later revelation of the three persons of the one living God. "Let God," singular said, "let us make man in our image and in our likeness." So verse 26: "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female." So male and female together are created in the image of God. The man, the woman, Adam and Eve, God made Adam upright. Adam and Eve are made in the image and in the likeness of God. Period. God made Adam upright. Now turn over in your Bible just a couple of pages, please, back to chapter five. I want you to see the contrast here. By this time in the Bible's story, Adam and Eve have listened to the tempter. They have sinned. They have set their hearts on being their own God. Remember the tempter said, "Well, you can be as God. You can take the place of God." And Adam and Eve have been drawn to that. They have committed the first sin. They have been excluded from paradise and now outside of paradise they have children. And look at what it says in Genesis chapter five and verse three: "When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son"—notice the next phrase—"in his own likeness, in his own image, and he named him Seth." Now do you see the striking difference? It is very important. Adam is created in the image of God, but Adam's son Seth bears the image of his father who is a sinner. God made Adam upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes. That is what we learned last time. Adam became a sinner and the son of Adam is born in the father's likeness. Now of course that will raise the question in your mind—and theologians have debated this over the centuries—is Seth then also made in the image of God? And my answer to that is yes. And my reason for giving a positive answer to that question is one more page over in the Bible story in Genesis chapter nine and verse six. You notice the statement there which is made now well and truly after sin has got going within the world and now God is speaking about fallen humanity and he gives this law: "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God has God made man." So that is a reference now not simply to Adam, but it is a reference to Adam's fallen children. That is the explanation for the title of the message this week. The sons and daughters of Adam live with the enigma of a double image: made in the image of God, but born in the likeness of Adam.
Steve Hiller: You're listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and a message called "The Enigma of the Double Image." It's one of the messages in our series called "The Inside Story of Human Life." And if you ever miss a broadcast in the series, come and listen online at openthebible.org. Open the Bible is listener-supported. We do depend on your generosity to keep this teaching on the air and as you give a gift of any amount this month, we want to send you a copy of Lincoln's Daily Devotional. Colin, tell us about this book.
Colin Smith: Well, the first thing that's absolutely fascinating to me is that Abraham Lincoln had and used a devotional. He read scripture and had it in his mind and in his heart. And I discovered this because a friend of mine a while ago gave me an early edition of the actual devotional that Abraham Lincoln used. And it's brilliant. It lays out each day a verse or two of scripture. They're organized topically around a month and they go through the experience of a Christian believer: our joys, our sorrows, our temptations, and of course our final hope and blessedness. I was absolutely thrilled to discover that all these years ago, Abraham Lincoln was reading and meditating on a verse of scripture each day. And then I discovered that the book's been reprinted and it's been beautifully reproduced. And so Steve, it's a joy to make this available to folks. It's in the old King James Version, which of course is so beautiful in the way that it expresses the Word of God. I've found this just to be very wonderful and rich. I think people will treasure having a copy of the devotional that Abraham Lincoln himself used to meditate on the Word of God.
Steve Hiller: Well we want to send you a copy as our way of saying thank you for your financial support this month. You can give online at openthebible.org or over the phone when you call 1-877-OPEN-365. Let's get back to the message. Here's Pastor Colin.
Colin Smith: The sons and daughters of Adam live with the enigma of a double image: made in the image of God, but born in the likeness of Adam. You need to know this double truth about yourself, this is where self-knowledge begins. You need to know this is who you are as I need to know that this is who I am: made in the image of God, born in the likeness of Adam. You are made in the image of God and that gives your life today meaning, significance, value, dignity, and worth. That's why it's worth living, because you are made in the image of God. But you are also born in the likeness of Adam, which means that you are a sinner by nature. We are all born that way. Now C.S. Lewis has a wonderful phrase in which he captures in a picture, as it were, the enigma of this double image with which we are all born into the world. He says, "To come from Lord Adam and to come from Lady Eve is both honor enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth." That's C.S. Lewis. If you know the truth about yourself, you will have reason to lift up your head in thankfulness to God. Your life has dignity and worth; you are made in his image. If you know yourself, you'll also find reason to get on your knees before God because you are born in the likeness of your father Adam who is a sinner. Now this doctrine of the double image is of huge importance. It is foundational to the Christian faith and it is of massive importance in terms of understanding our world today and of presenting the gospel to secularists who do not believe that there is such a thing as evil. So I ask you to consider this question: Why is it wrong to fly a plane into the Twin Towers and take the lives of thousands of people? You say, "Well, if you don't know the answer to that, you shouldn't be standing on a Christian platform." But I'm asking you the question. Why is that wrong? See, think about it. If we are only developed animals who evolve by the survival of the fittest, how is that different from snuffing out a hornet's nest? And the answer is because men and women are not hornets. We are made in the image of God and that is what gives every human life supreme dignity, value, and worth. Second question: Why then in this wonderful world created by God do men who are made in the image of God perpetrate such extraordinary deeds of evil? And the answer is because we are born in the likeness of Adam and we are sinners by nature and by practice. We live in a dark and a dangerous world and nothing in this world—no work, no family, no church, nothing in this world, no nation—is as it should be. And never will be this side of heaven. So here is the first thing that we need to learn today and this is really important: it is foundational for Christian faith. Sin is in us by nature. And I take that from Genesis chapter five and verse three. Think of it: Adam came out of the hand of God, as it were, upright. But Seth came out of the womb as you and I did. He was born in the likeness of his father and of his mother, a sinner. Poor Seth. Don't you feel sorry for him? And we're in exactly the same position as he was. Sin was in his father and his mother by their own choice, but for Seth sin was in him by birth even before he started. He got it from his dad and from his mom. He was made and born in the likeness of his father, a sinner. And not only was sin in him, but when he was born, he was born into a fallen world. Sin was all around him. Whereas God had placed his father in the creation in this garden paradise, Seth was born outside paradise as we are born outside of paradise, in a world under the curse of sin, a world that would experience pain and would experience suffering because even the very creation itself since the entrance of sin into the world is groaning in frustration, Paul says, longing for the full redemption that will only come at the time of the return of Jesus Christ. And can you imagine little Seth growing up trying to come to terms with the world in which he lives, the world in which he's been born, trying to come to terms with what is in him? And one day his dad makes a little fire and they sit outside the tent and Adam puts his arm round his son's shoulders as dads sometimes do and he says, "Hey Seth, you know it's time we had a little talk." And Adam says to him, "Seth, you ought to know son that you have two brothers." "Really? Where are they?" "Well, one of them is dead." "Oh, how did he die?" "Your other brother killed him. Your mother and I haven't seen him since that day. He's become a restless wanderer on the earth, your brother." Friends, sin is in us and sin is all around us. And sin is in even the best of us. See, this was true even of King David. I'm trying to think of the best hero I can imagine in the Old Testament and I'm going for King David because he was described as the man after God's own heart. And listen to what the man after God's own heart says about himself. He says this: "Surely I was sinful at birth, at birth; sinful from the time my mother conceived me." Now understand David is not saying here that his mother conceived him through a sinful act. What David is saying is that his life, the life that was conceived by the union of his father and his mother, his life is the life of a sinner. That is how every person born into the world since the fall of Adam and Eve is. And so I put it to you this way: Sin runs in the blood. Grace does not. Sin runs from one generation to another in the human family. We are all born alienated from God. Now this could be a unique moment right now for some of us, and I have prayed much over this moment in the message. I have often had a conversation that has gone something like this: I've said to a person, "Tell me, how did you become a Christian?" And when I've asked that question, I have too often heard this answer: "I was born that way." Now I want to say to you if you have ever said that or thought that—and I am sure that there are folks among us here, you come from a Christian family and so forth and so on, a good family background, and you say, "Well, I was just born this way"—hear me: That is not possible. Friend, you can be born a Jew, you can be born a Muslim, you can be born a Hindu; you cannot be born a Christian. It is impossible. Christianity does not run in the blood. Sin does. The only thing that we can be born as, as it were, is as a sinner. That's what we're learning from Genesis chapter five and verse three, which is why Jesus said—think about what Jesus is saying—flesh gives birth to what? Flesh. Only the Spirit—and he's referring to God the Holy Spirit—can give birth to spirit. So Jesus says, "You should not be surprised at me saying to you, you must be born again." Because nobody is a Christian by birth. It is impossible. Now you may say, "Well, wait a minute, you don't understand Pastor, I come from a good family. I was born to Christian parents." Friends, that's my story. I come from a good family. I was born to Christian parents. But that did not make me a Christian. Nor can it make anyone a Christian. I was born a sinner and so were you, however good your family. Sin runs in the blood, grace does not. Actually, if you think about it for one moment, that is good news. If grace ran in the blood, what hope would there ever be for all who were born into faithless families? But the truth is grace does not run in the blood; sin runs in the blood. But what that means is that sin is the great leveler. We are all on, as it were, a level playing field, all in exactly the same position before God. We all stand before God—however privileged our background, however wretched our background—we all stand before God in exactly the same position: sinners, to whom God offers his grace in Jesus Christ.
Steve Hiller: You're listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and a message called "The Enigma of the Double Image." It's part of a series called "The Inside Story of Human Life." And if you ever miss a program in our series, come and listen online. Our website is openthebible.org. You can stream the program or download an MP3 for free. Again, that's at openthebible.org. Well Colin, we may have some listening today who as far as they know, there are no Christians in their family at all. And they're wondering, "Is Christianity even for me?"
Colin Smith: Well the way to look at that is to say, "I am the first Christian in my family." And two things to take from that: if that's your position, thank God today for his amazing grace. How is it that you have come to faith in Jesus Christ? It can only be the grace of God. You didn't get it from your family. Nobody gets it from their family. It is the grace of God that brings spiritual life. And if that has happened to you, then thank God for it. And then begin to pray with expectation. God has put one light in your family circle and you are that light. He has begun a work. Who knows who else within your circle will also come to faith in Christ? Who knows what extended purposes God has and how you will be part of them? Steve, I think it's one of the hardest things to be the only Christian in the family, but it's the most wonderful thing to be the first and to say, "What will God do next?"
Steve Hiller: And what about the person who says, "I'm not even the first, but I'm intrigued by what I heard you say today, Colin. And you got me thinking, and I'm wondering: Is this Christianity for me?"
Colin Smith: And then I would want to say to you, that is wonderful. Who is it that's got you thinking? Why is it that you now are drawn to Christ? The Bible makes it very clear this is what God does. This is how he works. He draws people to Jesus Christ. And what's happening for you right now is that you are being awakened to the greatness of Christ, your own need of him. And I want to encourage you not to leave off there but to press all the way forward to be a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and to embrace all that's in him for those who believe.
Steve Hiller: Colin, thank you. And if you still have questions about what it means to come to Jesus, I hope you'll contact us here at Open the Bible. Our toll-free number is 1-877-OPEN-365. We have staff members who would love to talk with you about that. Again, our number is 1-877-673-6365. And of course, I hope you'll continue to listen to this series, "The Inside Story of Human Life." For Pastor Colin Smith, I'm Steve Hiller. Thanks for listening and I hope you'll join us next time. This program is a listener-supported production of Open the Bible.
Colin Smith: Hi, this is Pastor Colin again and I want you to know about Watch Your Life. Watch Your Life is a six-session course that is geared for leaders, but accessible to every believer. The six sessions will show you how to grow in godliness, how to feed on Christ, how to pray in the Spirit, how to battle temptation, exercise faith, and discern God's will. There are questions at the end of each session and you can use them on your own or you can discuss them with a friend. For more information, visit openthebible.org/courses. That's openthebible.org/courses.