Image and likeness of God

Genesis 1:26 says we were made in the image and likeness of God. What does this mean?

This is what sets us apart from the animal world. Having his image and likeness doesn't mean Adam's body looked like God, but his body did reflect God in that it had perfect health and wasn't prone to death. When Adam sinned, that "likeness" was distorted, and we got the altered version. We are made in the image of God in 3 particular categories: mentally, morally, and socially.

Mentally: We can reason and choose. We're able to rationally think and make free choices. Unfortunately, Adam made the free choice to sin.

Morally: We were made innocent, in perfection, without sin, just like God. When Adam and Eve sinned, it perverted this. We still have the "leftovers" of this likeness though. It's called our conscience. It's why we feel guilty.

Socially: We communicate, talk, laugh, eat together, and fellowship. It's why we make friends, hug people, pray for people, and call friends. It reflects how God is in perfect fellowship and communion with Jesus and the Holy Spirit (the Trinity).

James 3:9 tells us we're still in God's likeness today, but we also clearly show the effects of sin. It's why we catch a cold (physically), get confused (mentally), sin (morally), or isolate ourselves (socially). Since sin entered the world and messed up our perfect image and likeness of God, we can't look at everything about ourselves and assume God is that way (For example, our choice to sin does not alter God's character or mean that God sins or makes mistakes). But, we can look at our existence and certain things about us and marvel at how God has given us characteristics that show us about Him.

Death of the apostles

The Bible only records one of the apostles' deaths (James), and the rest are based on historical church tradition. Think about how these guys willingly died for their belief in Jesus. Nobody is going to die for something if they know it's a lie. The apostles witnessed the resurrection of Jesus, and the fact they died the way they did is evidence of that.

- James: In Acts 12:2, King Herod had James put to death with the sword. Most say he got beheaded.

- Peter: Crucified upside-down on an X-shaped cross in Rome. He said he wasn't worthy to be crucified the same way as Jesus.

- Matthew was killed by a sword in Ethiopia.

- John was boiled in a tub of oil in Rome, but miraculously survived it. He was sent to an island called Patmos, and later was freed and returned to modern-day Turkey. He died of old age (the only disciple to die peacefully).

- James (Jesus' brother, not actually an apostle) refused to deny Jesus and was thrown from the top of a temple over 100 feet down, and survived the fall. They found out he was still alive and beat him to death with clubs.

- Bartholomew was beat to death with a whip.

- Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross in Greece, and was still preaching to the people that were crucifying him up until his death.

- Thomas was stabbed by a spear in India.

- Matthias was stoned and then had his head cut off (he replaced Judas as a disciple).

- Paul was beheaded by Nero in the year 67 in Rome.

The other apostles' deaths don't have reliable historical support.

7 reasons to believe Jesus is God

1. John 10:30 - If you don't think Jesus' statement here is a claim to be God, check out the Jews' reaction to this statement in John 10:33. They say they're stoning Him because He claims to be God. Notice that Jesus never corrects them.

2. John 8:58 - Jesus again claims to be God, and again the Jews try to stone Him.

3. John 1:1 says the Word was God, and John 1:14 says the Word became flesh.

4. Acts 20:28 says God bought the church with His own blood. That blood, of course, belonging to Jesus.

5. John 20:28 - Thomas addresses Jesus as Lord and God, and Jesus doesn't correct him. Jesus receives worship plenty of times in Scripture, and never scolded anyone for it. If Jesus wasn't God, He would've told people not to worship Him or call Him God, similar to when the angel in Revelation 19:10 received worship and told the people to worship God, not the angel.

6. Titus 2:13 and 2 Peter 1:1 both straight up say Jesus is God and Savior.

7. Jesus had to be God to pay the infinite penalty of sin on the cross. This is the biggest reason. If He wasn't God, his death wouldn't be sufficient to pay for the entire world's sins. Only an infinite God could pay such an infinite debt.