Lesson Outline for May 15, 2025
Created in God’s Image and Likeness
In this outline and study is included information explaining being born-again, saved, justification and sanctification.
Have you thought about the below questions
- What does it meant to be created in God’s image and likeness
- Born-again / Saved
- If salvation is a free gift, how do I “work out my salvation with fear and trembling?
- If I am a new creation, what keeps me doing what is not righteous, against God? And, what is new?
Hebrew and Greek Terms / Definitions
Spirit = #H7303 – ruah – breath, wind – used for Holy Spirit, evil spirits, etc. G#4151 “pneuma” Holy, evil, vital force of the body, disposition/influence which fills and governs the soul
Soul = H#5315 “nepes” / G#5590 psuche/psyche – mind, heart, emotions, will, character, personality, memories, passions, appetite, seat of our emotions not our brain, it’s an organ
Body = H#1320 “basar” / G#4983 “soma” – flesh, body of humans and animals
Flesh – H#1320 “basar” / G#4561 “sarx” animal nature, our physical nature (not describing sexual desire)
The text in green annotates the authors amplification and notes; bolded text in scripture is author’s emphasis
Created in God’s Image and Likeness
Gen 1:26-27 ESV – “26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion (rule / govern) over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
- God “Elohim” is plural in Hebrew. Hebrews used the term to show God over all other gods and the name speaks to the Holy Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Elohim used 32x in Gen 1. After Gen 2:3 we see the name LORD God / Jehovah Elohim – Jehovah “the Existing One” (Yahweh) Hebrew national name for God. Bolded words are singular.
- Image – we speak and possess personality (knowledge, feeling and will), morality (moral judgements and conscience) and spirituality – ability to commune with God. In His nature and constitution. God is Spirit, but He can see, hear, smell, touch, speak, think, plan, and so forth.
- Likeness – Resemblance, model, pattern – similitude “state of being and qualities of…, we govern, we rule over,
Rom 8:3 ESV – “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,”
Rev 13:8 ESV – “8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.”
- God’s word tells us Father God knew He would send His only Son Jesus Christ in the flesh, as our perfect sacrifice for mankind – our image and likeness has many facets. Only God could orchestrate and synchronize such miracles – before the foundations of the earth were set
We are Tripartite – Body, Soul and Spirit
1 Thess 5:23 ESV – “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit (pneuma) and soul (psuche) and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
- We see spirit, soul and body in a single verse – tripartite
Heb 4:12 ESV – “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
- We see soul, spirit and body – tripartite
Luke 1:46-47 ESV – “46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,”
- Mary exclaims her soul magnifies and her spirit rejoices in God; and we know she had a physical body
Matt 26:38-41 ESV – “38 Then he said to them, “My soul (psuche) is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit (pneuma) indeed is willing, but the flesh (sarx) is weak.”
- God is Triune and He created us in three parts – tripartite
- Jesus stated it plainly in Matt 26 above
- In the same verse we see God pulling His spirit from Saul and putting a demon into Saul.
Born Again / Saved
John 3:3-8 ESV – “3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.“
John 14:6 ESV – “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Act 4:12 ESV – “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
1 John 5:1 ESV – “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.”
- Jesus stated plainly our spirit is born-again
- (G#1080 “gennao” born-again = born – cause one to rise; G#509 “anothen”- from above/heaven) 1 Pet 1:3, 23 other two places “born-again” is used in NT.
- Our spirit is born-again, regenerated by Holy Spirit
- God is spirit (John 4:24); we’re born-again of God
- Jesus Christ is the only way to Father God
Matt 16:15-17 ESV – “15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”
- Salvation is a personal choice. We see this as Jesus specifically asked the disciples with personal specificity – “…, who do you say that I am ..,”
- Each one of us must make the choice
Justified is your legal standing with God
Rom 3:24 ESV – “…,and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…,”
Rom 5:9 ESV – “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.”
Rom 10:10 ESV – “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
- God is not fair, He is just; Jesus Christ paid our penalty with His life for us – paid in full
- JUSTIFIED is your LEGAL STANDING with God.
2 Cor 5:17 ESV – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation (G#2537 “kainos” being made new; begin tobe far newer than before). The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (only one’s spirit is new, reborn John 3:3)
- Physical body – new vision, regenerated skeletons, perfect eyesight, old memories wiped away, etc.? No.
- Our soul is being sanctified daily
Rom 12:1-2 ESV – “1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern (spiritual discernment) what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
- #G3563 “nous – context for “mind” seat of reflective conscious, perceiving and understanding feelings, denotes counsels and purposes of the mind of God
- #G342 “anakainosis” the adjustment of the moral and spiritual vision and thinking to the mind of God, which is designed to have a transforming effect upon the life; more specifically the Holy Spirit working through our born-again spirit to constantly renew and restore our soul
Working out our salvation
Phil 2:12-13 ESV – “12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
- God’s Spirit works in us to accomplish His will, for His work, for His pleasure – We have assignments on our life all woven into God’s plan
- Holy Spirit is in our spirit now, which continually works to restore our soul – get rid of our old self, old ways, etc
- Our personality, memories, thoughts, are in our soul. We did not lose our memories, sinful desires and the like from our soul when we were born-again. That’s sanctification
- And, our submission to God is key for sanctification – James 4:7
Rom 8:5-6 ESV – “5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”
- Your body / flesh follows the things you set your mind (soul) on. Set your mind on the things of Holy Spirit – what are those things Gal 5:22-23 tells us the fruit of the Spirit “…, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…,” Gal 5 also, tells us the desires of the flesh, go there and check it out.
Psa 23:3 ESV – “He restores (H#7725 “sub” restore, refresh, repair) my soul (nepes). He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
SANCTIFICATION continues until we depart this body and are present in Jesus Christ
Final thoughts
- SPIRIT = Saved, reborn, new, provides my legal standing
- SOUL = Renewed, being saved, being made new, controls my flesh
- BODY = Regulated, will be saved, will be made new; OBEYS the soul
- Understanding God created man tripartite, helps us understand why when we are born-again what is created new is our spirit
- The more we submit to God, the more freedom we have from “the enemy”
- Demonic forces access our flesh and soul, not our spirit
