The Genesis Of Being Equal With God

It was God's plan from the beginning...

This is the eighth and final post in the serialization of Chapter 1, of the book Friends With God.

In this first chapter we have explored what it means to be God’s Friend, and why God wants to be your friend. In the Seventh Post we saw that God expects us to achieve a certain type of equality with him, as his friends and children.

This post explores a more general understanding of why God would want to be friends with all human beings. The idea of being equal with God as his friends, children and heirs is not something introduced in the New Testament, it is actually one of the oldest truths revealed in scripture.

The Difference Between Man and Beasts

In the very first chapter of the Bible, we see that God created the animals ‘after their kind’, but when he created man, we were not made after ‘human kind’ but:

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 creeps upon the earth.” So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Gen 1:25-27)

The contrast made between animals and humans is unmistakable- God created the animals ‘after their kind’, but God determined to make humans like him, similar to him. While we are called “humans”, the goal of humans is not to remain as mortal men and women but, eventually, to be transformed into the immortal “Godkind”.

While we are to put on a very different ‘body’, we can only do this by the transforming of our mind, to the good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. These are high expectations indeed which God has for us, yet it's always been his goal from the beginning for the pinnacle of his creation to be made in his likeness.

While God’s creation reflects his love and humour, as these two charming laughing Kookaburras express- we see in Genesis a very clear difference between the purpose for God’s making the animals and for his making mankind.

When God made the animals, he spoke and they were created.

When God made Adam, he personally knelt down and made him from the dust of the ground, And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Gen 2:7) He then made Eve from Adam’s rib. (Gen 2:20-22)

This demonstrates the very personal involvement of God in his direct creation of his first humans. Clearly we are not like the animals, for we have the potential to be transformed into the “Godkind”!

This transformation, however, will take all our lives. For our creation is not completed when we are born, it continues as we grow and overcome and change and develop in us the very mind of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit. (1Cor 2:6-16)

God also gave us the responsibility over his creation: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, … and over all the earth, …”. Due to the fact that we are made in the image of the Godkind, we were created for the specific purpose of representing God on Earth- such that we are to be like him in every way- mind, body, responsibility and action. We actually have the responsibility in the role of God, as ruler of his creation.

Unfortunately, many people read over these words as if they are just a nice kind of enigmatic poetry. Others read them and somehow think that because we are made in God’s image, we are now Godlike, and are allowed by God to do anything we want.

Some claim that God will do anything for us, if we just believe in him and ask for it. In doing so, they end up proclaiming a gospel of health, wealth and prosperity, not the true gospel of service to others.

While we are promised that God will always deliver us if we just have faith in him. They quote: through faith (some) subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again… (Heb 11:33-35)

Yet if we want to get the whole picture then we need to keep reading, for God also tells us that our faith may be severely tested: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trials of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; … (Heb 11:36-39)

There are many similar warnings, telling us that we must be willing to suffer deprivation for his name’s sake. God is not calling us to an easy life of self-aggrandizement, but humility, and patience, and to change from our sinful way of life.

It’s therefore essential to understand the foundational perspective that is being laid down by these verses in Genesis chapter 1. If we don’t consider them carefully, we will have no idea why God made us, and consequently the rest of God’s word will be taken out of context and rendered virtually meaningless!

Immortality, The Gift From God

While the goal God has for us is a kind of equality with him, that is very far from what we are at this moment. While we are made in his image and given responsibility to look after his earth, we are not at this time given immortality in any shape or form.

… he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honour and eternal dominion. Amen. (1Tim 6:15-16)

There is a great gulf between us and God now. As physical beings we now cannot even approach unto God, due to his power.

God alone is immortal. While many Christians claim we have an “immortal soul”, you will not find that term in scripture. It’s only when we put on immortality that we will be on a slightly more equal footing with the creator:

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So, when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. (1Cor 15:53-54)

We have nothing immortal in us, or this would have been a good time for Paul to mention it. Death is the rather obvious proof that we are not now immortal.

Because we are mere mortal beings, you and I can now die eternally, like dogs and cats. Unlike dogs and cats however, we are made in God’s image, but we do not have an immortal spirit, as only God is immortal.

Only God can give us the victory over death, by raising us from the grave, and granting us the unparalleled gift of everlasting life.

We should not let the idea of being made in God’s image go to our head, for being physical we can die, never to be made alive again. Yet God gives us the opportunity to change to become immortal, just as he is. In order to do so, we must be changed from being mortal, corruptible flesh into eternal, incorruptible spirit:

Jesus answered, “…That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’ The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but (you) don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:5-8)

So, in order to have a Spirit composed body like God, we must be born anew, or again, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Yet this new Spirit-composed ‘body’ will be unlike anything we now conceive of as a ‘body’- for we are going to move like the wind! 

The purpose for this new Spirit-composed body is found a few verses later: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Because we are mortal we will perish, which is why we need the gift of eternal life.

And we need God’s Spirit in us now, in order to become the children of God: The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. (Rom 8:16) Having God’s Spirit enables us to become the children of God as spirit beings in the same way as God is spirit. (John 4:23-24)

We then can be one with the Father- that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us. (John 17:21)

We need to believe in Jesus, and follow his way of incorruptible way of life, in order to be born of the Spirit and become incorruptible immortal spirit beings.

Being an immortal being means to actually be spirit, with a new spiritual body, to be able to move like the wind - then we will be equal with God in this aspect as well. 

The Spiritual Plan Of God

As physical human beings, we must now respond to God on this spiritual level, for being born of the Spirit also means that we worship God in Spirit and truth, for God is Spirit:

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to worship Him. God is spirit, and they who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24)

God wants to give you eternal life. Yet, he made you mortal. He wants you to fulfil your potential of being completely made in his image as his child. But he will only do so if he loves you, which requires that you demonstrate your love toward him.

And, as we have seen, the highest form of love is that of friendship: No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master does. But I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. So, the analogy of sons is raised to the higher level of friends.

And when we love God, our friendship with him also transcends the human fleshly substance, as we love God with his Spirit. We need his Spirit to love God, as God is an immortal spirit and we are mortal flesh.

At the end of our physical lives, God has promised to change our mortal physical substance into immortal spiritual substance. (2Cor 3:18) In order to do this, we must become his friends.

Our relationship of friendship with God brings with it the mind-boggling responsibility of appropriately representing God and his name to the world. Chapter 4 of Friends With God explores the relationship we as individuals have with each other, to form the Church that will represent Christ to the world.

Individually we represent Christ by showing lovingkindness and mercy to others. It also requires believing God with great faith and understanding. Such faith is the same foundation that Abraham had as the basis of his relationship with God, as discussed in the Fourth Post in this series.

Relating to God as your friend

If you want to understand how to be friends with the great creator of heaven and earth, who has the power over life and death, then please don’t believe what anyone tells you about God- obviously including me.

Believe what God tells you about himself, in the words of his book, the Holy Bible. That is the essential first step in knowing God, and before you start to read, take a few minutes to ask God to help you to understand his word. 

The foundation for friendship is love, yet in order to love someone you need to know them. Friendship is a process that takes time to develop, which means spending a lot of time together. Friends enjoy each other’s company, and have many things in common, and want to help each other to achieve their goals in life.

However, our human friends are limited, such that if we spend too much time with them, they get on our nerves: Withdraw your foot from your friend’s house; lest he be weary of you, and hate you. (Prov 25:17)

God wants to spend eternity with his friends, and to do so in a way that won’t be annoying! In order to do this we need to learn how to love God and other people, the way God loves us.

As with all friends, there are many things we don’t understand about God. Do your friends sometimes upset, confuse or frustrate you? Yet, despite their apparent faults, you put up with them, and love them.

Eventually, as we grow to know our friends better, we understand why they are the way they are, and tolerate their peculiarities. We may even help them to change so that they are nicer people: As iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. (Prov 27:17)

We help each other to become better people as we grow in friendship together. Your friendship with God is no different. As with all friendships, our relationship with God is based on two-way communication- if you expect to help your friends to change, they must be able to help you to change as well.

Friends also give gifts to each other. God has even promised to give us whatever we ask for! (John 14:13, 15:16, 16:23) And as God is the creator, and is all powerful, that’s a pretty big promise!

No human friend could offer you the wisdom and power and knowledge that God as a friend can provide. Yet, like all friends, you don’t become friends with God just because you want to get something from him. Such a mercenary basis for a relationship won’t build a lasting friendship.

God has therefore promised to test us, to see if our friendship with him is just based on what we can get out of it. (1Cor 10:13) Yet the examples of Abraham, Moses and Ezekiel, show us that God is willing to change what he has said he would do in these tests- as we have seen in the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Posts.

Like any friend, God expects you to love him, not for what he can do for you, but because you both have the same values and enjoy each other’s company.

Yet to understand God and his way of life takes a lifetime of overcoming and change. To understand him you can spend time with God in reading his word, and talking with him in prayer. And he will spend time with you, by talking to you through his word, his creation, your mutual friends, circumstances in your life, and through the promptings of his Spirit.

We are to grow in our understanding over our entire lives, so that our minds conform to that of Christ: And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Rom 12:2)

In order to renew our minds so that we conform to the perfect will of God, we need to know what scripture tells us about how our human mind works, which is very different from what is often taught by Christian preachers.

Once we understand God’s view of our how our mind works, then we can appreciate what God wants us to do in this life. The subject of how our mind works is what we will explore in the next chapter of Friends With God.