Nielsen’s Nook

We learned that humanity was created as the image of God, to be the likeness of God on this earth, living in fellowship with God (Genesis 1:26-27).� However, our first parents, Adam and Eve, sinned and brought a great change to all who were born after them (Genesis 3, Romans 5:12-21).� Now we find that human beings, while retaining the image of God, are corrupted by sin – the unlikeness of God, and consequently live in enmity with God (i.e., they live in an againstness with God).� In Colossians 1:15-20 we learned that Christ was the image of God, in whom the fullness of God (i.e., likeness) was pleased to dwell, and through the blood of his cross made permanent peace with God for us.

We talked about how much there is that we accept as peace or that we strive after thinking it will bring us peace when in fact there is no peace to be found in these things.� We likened this to three kinds of peace that were witnessed during World War II.

First, the French sought to appease the Nazis by turning a blind eye to their aggression.� “If we don’t bother them then they won’t bother us.”� This kind of tolerance resulted in non-peace.� The German blitzkrieg rolled right over Paris.

The second kind of peace we considered was that of the Russians.� They made the case that Germany needed peace with them so that Germany would only have to fight on the western front and not fight the Russians in the east also.� They sought value in themselves and their possessions.� Once the western front was defeated, or at least sufficiently weak, the Nazi’s marched all the way to Moscow.� This was no peace either.

Finally, we reflected on the peace that was achieved by the allies.� This kind of peace was lasting and yet it was also extremely costly.� The Germans brought everything they had against the American forces landing at Normandy and were eventually crushed, driven back.� That death blow at Normandy has historically been called D-day (dooms day).� While this marked the functional victory of the allies, it was not until they finally reached Berlin and forced disarmament and the signing of a peace treaty that the functional peace of D-day became the official peace of V-day (victory day).

The Christian life is much like this.� Christ has come into the world, taking on the very same stuff out of which we are made.� As such he is the image of God, who is also an exact representation of God (Colossians 1:19, Hebrews 1:1-4, Matthew 14:8).� This exact representation or likeness to God meant that Jesus was without sin.� We are told in scriptures that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23, Genesis 2:16).� What we find with Jesus is that as a human being, he lived out the life of likeness to God that we all as the image of God were created to live.� Consequently, Jesus delivered the D-day blow, trampling down sin, death, Satan and hell.� Therefore, God raised him from the dead and all who are in him also are assured of that same resurrection-destination, to which he now leads us as our King in royal procession (V-day).� Indeed, “for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)