Tzelem Ministries
"Created in the image of Him"
"Created in the image of Him"
Gen 1:26-27 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
The words image and likeness in these two verses are both from the Hebrew word "tzelem". God made man to be like Him. As a matter of fact, God made man so much like Himself that the words translated as "...image, after our likeness" in Hebrew is "b'tzelem b'tzelmo" this is the way Hebrew takes a noun to it's highest form. Examples from the bible would be "King of kings", "Lord of lords", and "Holy of holies" were each means the ultimate king, the ultimate lord, and the ultimate holy place, in order.
After man was created, He had God's authority and power on the earth. That is until man sinned, and fell from the grace. Once sin entered the world, man had given his authority to the enemy of God, satan.
But God would not leave man in his sinful state. God made a plan of redemption, a way of remaking man back into His image. This ultimate goal was accomplished through sending His Son, known as Jesus in english, Yeshua in Hebrew, to redeem man through His shedding of blood upon the cross of Calvary.
The interesting thing to note is that the word "tzelem" in modern Hebrew can also be translated as the cross. This is exactly why we are named Tzelem Ministries, because not only was man originally created in the image [tzelem] of God, but we have been recreated into His image [tzelem] through the redeeming work of Jesus on the cross [tzelem].
Scripture references:
1 Tim 6:15; Rev 17:14; 19:16; Heb 9:3, 8; 10:19; Gen 1:28; Matt 4:8-9; Eph 6:12; Rev 5:9; Eph 2:16; Col 1:20; 2:14
The words image and likeness in these two verses are both from the Hebrew word "tzelem". God made man to be like Him. As a matter of fact, God made man so much like Himself that the words translated as "...image, after our likeness" in Hebrew is "b'tzelem b'tzelmo" this is the way Hebrew takes a noun to it's highest form. Examples from the bible would be "King of kings", "Lord of lords", and "Holy of holies" were each means the ultimate king, the ultimate lord, and the ultimate holy place, in order.
After man was created, He had God's authority and power on the earth. That is until man sinned, and fell from the grace. Once sin entered the world, man had given his authority to the enemy of God, satan.
But God would not leave man in his sinful state. God made a plan of redemption, a way of remaking man back into His image. This ultimate goal was accomplished through sending His Son, known as Jesus in english, Yeshua in Hebrew, to redeem man through His shedding of blood upon the cross of Calvary.
The interesting thing to note is that the word "tzelem" in modern Hebrew can also be translated as the cross. This is exactly why we are named Tzelem Ministries, because not only was man originally created in the image [tzelem] of God, but we have been recreated into His image [tzelem] through the redeeming work of Jesus on the cross [tzelem].
Scripture references:
1 Tim 6:15; Rev 17:14; 19:16; Heb 9:3, 8; 10:19; Gen 1:28; Matt 4:8-9; Eph 6:12; Rev 5:9; Eph 2:16; Col 1:20; 2:14
