I have previously written that because God is a God of Truth, His people are to be people of Truth. We can also say that God is a God of Wisdom, of Power, of Holiness, of Justice, of Goodness, and of Love. Consequently, we are to be people of Wisdom, Power, Holiness, Justice, Goodness, and Love. But as we look at these characteristics of God and of God’s people, I am not suggesting that we struggle and strive against our nature to pretend to be something we are not. Rather, I’m suggesting that it is our nature to be like God; and that by understanding His nature, we come to see what we are so that as we grow and mature, we will better demonstrate the family traits. Like Father, like son.

Sometimes I hear people make excuses for poor behavior by saying something like, “Well, I’m only human.” But NO, we are not only human! (At least, not the kind of human implied in those excuses.) 2 Peter 1:3 tells us that God has given us everything necessary for life and Godliness, and He has called us to glory and virtue; verse 4 says that He gives us of His divine nature and has delivered us from the corruption – the bad desires – of this world.

We’re certainly not perfect yet, but we are God’s children and we can demonstrate God’s character. We are not what we used to be! We were dead, we are now alive in Christ; we were blind but are now enlightened with the glorious gospel; we were lost but are now purposely positioned in Christ; we were cursed but are now delivered and blessed. We are in God’s family; we are to show the family character.

Jesus Christ is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4). And all God’s children are to be the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). The Apostle Paul goes so far as to call Christians “the image and glory of God” (1 Corinthians 11:7). If we know who we are, we will know how to act. But, I suggest, the opposite is also true; if we are unsure who we are, we will be uncertain how we are to act.

By really understanding who we are in Christ – that we are the image and likeness of God – we can better understand the process of spiritual growth. We are not struggling to become something we are not; we are learning to act like what we are! Sin is beneath us; sin is uncharacteristic of us! We are children of the King, made in His image, with the responsibility to show Him and His character to the world.

Even though we will never be perfectly like Christ in this life, we know that one day we will be like Him. But we can only be like Him to the degree we see and understand Him. When we finally really see all that Jesus is, we will finally see what we really are. Jesus’ disciple John told us:

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.”
1John 3:2