Integrity- People of God

Mankind was created in the image of God, to be God’s love on earth. God is Spirit and He created mankind as an earth-being with a spirit to live on earth and have a soul to show His love to all creation. Love is what we were created to be; an expression of God’s love. Most people are in desperate need for someone to love them. Love is every person’s calling. The essence of our purpose is to love God and to love others. We bear the image of God and when we show the love of God that is in us, His glory is multiplied on earth. We were commanded to fill the whole earth with His glory, His love.

Love does not seek its own best interest but gives itself for others. God gave His only Son to come and put us back into the right relationship, as children and restore our image, to reflect His love.

John 17:3-5   Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. ⁴ I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. ⁵ And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. NIV

When mankind fell, his image was marred and took on the likeness of Satan- prideful, full of hate and destruction. Mankind had become like the one they obeyed. The love and the glory of God were no longer displayed through mankind; he had become, fearful, full of hate, pride and a murderer.

Sin is what caused mankind to fall but what mankind lost was his identity and relationship with their Father. Jesus came to restore us back into fellowship and into the family of God. He took the punishment of sin for us so that we may receive His righteousness. We can now come boldly unto the throne of God and fellowship with God as our Father.

2 Corinthians 5:20-21   We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The reason Jesus came was to tell us the truth about who we are and that we are loved by God. God loves us so much He was willing to pay a great price to bring us back into a relationship with Him.  We were originally created to fellowship with God and receive His love while we showed God’s love throughout the whole earth.

Jesus came to show us the truth about the Father. Satan has lied about God to mankind and has distorted their view of God. God hates sin but loves mankind. He is holy and a just Judge but He loved us and would not leave us in our fallen state. We could not save ourselves and it pleased God to give Himself for the penalty of sin and thereby being able to judge sin and to justify the sinner.

John 18:37 You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” NIV

Romans 3:24-26   and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ²⁵ God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— ²⁶ he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. NIV

Satan lied to us and taught us his ways of lies, hate, pride and destruction from the beginning. Jesus had to come in the likeness of man to become sin and pay the price for that sin that we may become children of God. He did not die just to save us from sin but to restore us as children of God so we may show the love of God on earth, which is our created purpose. Though we may not remember who we were created to be, God did not forget us nor leave us in that fallen state.

God continues to woo us, court us and encourage us to turn to Him that He may give us His new life filled with His love. It is when the world sees in us the love of God; they can see our Father that is in heaven. The purpose of a transformed life is for the world to know God’s love as a Father as we reflect the true image of God.