This morning I opened a tab and input the words “copy paste Christmas image” and what popped up was a catalog of images that were available to copy and paste of all things Christmas.
But that wasn’t quite what I was looking for. You know the concept was God’s idea.
“26 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.” Genesis 1:25-27 KJV
God created us to be like Him – to be His representative, His counterpart on the earth. But when Adam sinned our nature was changed. God had to work to restore what He had intended for man to be. Enter Jesus.
“When anyone is in Christ, it is a whole new world. The old things are gone; suddenly, everything is new! 18 All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between himself and us. And God gave us the work of bringing people into peace with him. 19 I mean that God was in Christ, making peace between the world and himself. In Christ, God did not hold people guilty for their sins. And he gave us this message of peace to tell people. 20 So we have been sent to speak for Christ. It is like God is calling to people through us. We speak for Christ when we beg you to be at peace with God. 21 Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin[b] so that in Christ we could be right with God.” II Corinthians 5:17-21 ERV
Jesus restored us to the position that we had before Adam sinned. In Christ we are a NEW CREATION – a new creature – like the one that God created in the Garden of Eden. Jesus restored us to our original likeness.
He copies and pastes the origin blueprint that God used for man into our hearts when we receive the gift of salvation.
“But God is rich in mercy, and he loved us very much. 5 We were spiritually dead because of all we had done against him. But he gave us new life together with Christ. (You have been saved by God’s grace.)” Ephesians 2:4-5 ERV
In Christ we have been made new.
It’s not something we work to earn but something we receive freely by grace. Just as Adam was God’s idea and he did nothing to deserve or even request his creation so is our salvation and our restoration to a living and loving relationship with the Father God.
“Adam disobeyed God and caused many others to be sinners. But Jesus obeyed him and will make many people acceptable to God.” Romans 5:19 CEV
Copy/paste Christmas style! The gift of new life in Christ, the gift of being restored to the Father’s likeness.