In the Likeness of God 按着神的样式 Being Human Ranald Macaulay & Jerram Barrs 章蓓蒂 January 24, 16

Why study this book? Understanding the nature of spiritual experience (属灵经历的本质) – the key to restoration to true humanness. It is God’s desire to deliver us out of lostness into fellowship with himself – to set us free to be human. Being human means being the people He originally intended us to be – serving Him and enjoying Him (事奉神并以神为乐), serving and enjoying each other (事奉他人并与人和乐), ruling and enjoying his good world (治理并享受神美好的创造).

Christian Spiritual Experience (基督徒的属灵经历) Does the Bible provide an simple and accurate answer? If yes, what is it? Organizing principle – a central reference point for all other objects to be located. An organizing principle for the Christian life – found in the Bible 创世记1:26 神说：我们要照着我们的形象，按着我们的样式造人；……

照着神的形象，按着神的样式 The origin of life (生命的源头) The purpose of creation – Be like God. What does it mean and what does it not mean The purpose of salvation (救赎的目的) The purpose of Christian life – to restore the image of God and to be renewed in this image　 （恢复神的形象）.

照着神的形象，按着神的样式 The origin of life (生命的源头) The purpose of creation – Be like God. What does it mean and what does it not mean The purpose of salvation (救赎的目的) The purpose of Christian life – to restore the image of God and to be renewed in this image　 （恢复神的形象）.

照着神的形象，按着神的样式 It doesn’t mean: Man was completely like God. Man was a limited physical creature, male and female, who was totally dependent on the Creator not only for the origin of his existence, but also for its continuation. It does mean: Man was like God because man was a person. Man has personal relationship. Man has all the faculties of personality – creative and aesthetic, able to love and reason, moral, and had choice.

照着神的形象，按着神的样式 Man was made to have personal relationship – with God, with other human, and with everything. From God flows all the human experience – Creativity (创造力) – 神给亚当的使命“要繁衍增多，充满这地，征服地”，管理各样活物；亚当给各样活物命名。 Aesthetic (审美观) – 亚当欣赏园中各样“悦人眼目”树木，和夏娃。 Love (爱) – 亚当不仅欣赏夏娃，也爱她。 Rationality (理性) – 夏娃与蛇的对话；亚当与神的对话。 Morality (道德观) – “知善恶树的果子” Choice (选择) – “女人见那棵树的果子好作食物，又悦人的眼目，而且讨人喜爱，能使人有智慧，就摘下果子来吃了；”

创世记1:26-28 神说：“我们要照着我们的形象，按着我们的样式造人；使他们管理海里的鱼、空中的鸟、地上的牲畜，以及全地，和地上所有爬行的生物！”于是，神照着自己的形象创造人；就是照着神的形象创造了他；他所创造的有男有女。神就赐福给他们，对他们说：“要繁衍增多，充满这地，征服它；也要管理海里的鱼、空中的鸟和地上所有走动的生物。” 创世记2:7-17 耶和华神用地上的尘土造成人形，把生气吹进他的鼻孔里，那人就成了有生命的活人，名叫亚当。耶和华神在东方的伊甸，栽了一个园子，把他所造的人放在那里。耶和华神使各样的树从地上长起来，能悦人的眼目，也好作食物。园子中间又有生命树，和知善恶树。耶和华神把那人安置在伊甸园里，叫他耕种和看守那园子。……耶和华神吩咐那人说：“园中各样树上的果子，你都可以吃；只是那知善恶树的果子，你不可吃；因为你吃的时候，你必要死。”

创世记2:19-25 耶和华神用泥土造了野地的各样野兽，和空中的各样飞鸟，把牠们都带到那人面前，看他给牠们叫甚么名字；那人怎样叫各样有生命的活物，那就是牠的名字。那人就给各样牲畜、空中的雀鸟，和野地的各样走兽起了名字；只是那人没有遇见一个和他相配的帮手。耶和华神使那人沉睡。…然后，耶和华神用从那人身上所取的肋骨，造了一个女人，带她到那人面前。那人说：“这是我骨中的骨，肉中的肉；她当称为女人，因她是从男人身上取出来的。”因此人要离开父母，和妻子连合，二人成为一体。… 创世记3:1-6 …蛇对女人说：“神真的说过，你们不可吃园中任何树上的果子吗？”女人对蛇说：“园中树上的果子，我们都可以吃；只有园中那棵树上的果子，神曾经说过：‘你们不可吃，也不可摸，免得你们死。’”蛇对女人说：“你们决不会死；因为神知道你们吃那果子的时候，你们的眼睛就开了；你们会像神一样，能知道善恶。”于是，女人见那棵树的果子好作食物，又悦人的眼目，而且讨人喜爱，能使人有智慧，就摘下果子来吃了；又给了和她在一起的丈夫，他也吃了。…

照着神的形象，按着神的样式 From God flows all the human experience – Creativity (创造力) – 神给亚当的使命“要繁衍增多，充满这地，征服地”，管理各样活物；亚当给各样活物命名。 Aesthetic (审美观) – 亚当欣赏园中各样“悦人眼目”树木，和夏娃。 Love (爱) – 亚当不仅欣赏夏娃，也爱她。 Morality (道德观) – “知善恶树的果子” Rationality (理性) – 夏娃与蛇的对话 Choice (选择) – “女人见那棵树的果子好作食物，又悦人的眼目，而且讨人喜爱，能使人有智慧，就摘下果子来吃了；”

照着神的形象，按着神的样式 The origin of life (生命的源头) The purpose of creation – Be like God. What does it mean and what does it not mean The purpose of salvation (救赎的目的) The purpose of Christian life – to restore the image of God and to be renewed in this image　 （恢复神的形象）.

恢复神的形象 歌罗西书3:9-10 …因为你们已经脱去了旧人和旧人的行 为，穿上了新人。这新人照着他的创造者的形象渐渐更新， 能够充分认识主。 哥林多后书3:18 我们众人…，反映主的荣光，就变成主 那样的形象，大有荣光。… 以弗所书5:1 因此，你们既然是蒙爱的儿女，就应当效法 神。 哥林多前书11:1 你们应该效法我，好象我效法基督一样。

照着神的形象，按着神的样式 Implications (延伸的义意): Affirmation of humanity (人性被肯定) A direction for life (生命有方向)

Affirmation of humanity (人性被肯定) As opposed to a spirit of negativism – denunciation of mind, rejection of cultural activities, all the “do not’s”….. Sanctification (成圣) is essentially an affirmation of life, is restoration and recovery of the original image of God (恢复神的形象), the kind of human experience which God intended Adam and Eve to have before the Fall. Important distinction –

Affirmation of humanity (人性被肯定) Important distinction – before vs. after the Fall God’s “very good” creation – God intended for us to have all the experiences: love, morality, rationality, creativity... To be human is to be a reflection, as a finite and physical person, of the experience of the infinite Person who made us. After the Fall, we continue to be the image of God, still have all the human faculties, although impaired and defective. We no longer reflect God’s perfect moral character.

Affirmation of humanity (人性被肯定) Important distinction – before vs. after the Fall Humanity is “dead” in a sense of being separated from God; but, though separated, we are still alive as humans – fallen humanity. We ought to view the Christian life as Joshua and Caleb viewed Canaan – a land full of beauty and promise, but not as the other ten spies did – a land that spells fear and bondage.

照着神的形象，按着神的样式 Implications (延伸的义意): Affirmation of humanity (人性被肯定) A direction for life (生命有方向)

以弗所书5:1-9 因此，你们既然是蒙爱的儿女，就应当效法神。要凭着爱心行事，好象基督爱我们，为我们舍己，当作馨香的供品和祭物献给神。至于淫乱和任何污秽或贪心的事，在你们中间连提都不可提，才合圣徒的体统。更不要讲淫秽和愚妄的话，或下流的笑话，这些都与你们不相称；却要说感谢的话。因为你们确实知道，无论是淫乱的、污秽的或贪心的（贪心就是拜偶像），都得不到在基督和神的国里的基业。不要给别人用空言欺骗了你们，正因为这些事，神的震怒必定临到那些悖逆的人。所以，不要与他们同流合污。你们从前是黑暗的，现今在主里却是光明的，行事为人就应当像光明的儿女。光明所结的果子，就是一切良善、公义、诚实。

以弗所书5:1-9 因此，你们既然是蒙爱的儿女，就应当效法神。要凭着爱心行事，好象基督爱我们，为我们舍己，当作馨香的供品和祭物献给神。至于淫乱和任何污秽或贪心的事，在你们中间连提都不可提，才合圣徒的体统。更不要讲淫秽和愚妄的话，或下流的笑话，这些都与你们不相称；却要说感谢的话。因为你们确实知道，无论是淫乱的、污秽的或贪心的（贪心就是拜偶像），都得不到在基督和神的国里的基业。不要给别人用空言欺骗了你们，正因为这些事，神的震怒必定临到那些悖逆的人。所以，不要与他们同流合污。你们从前是黑暗的，现今在主里却是光明的，行事为人就应当像光明的儿女。光明所结的果子，就是一切良善、公义、诚实。

A direction for life (生命有方向) The Bible is as much a rule book (Christians’ do’s and don’ts), as a guidebook (points us back to the path of life our first ancestors were designed to walk on). The Bible not only defines life, it also directs life. When we seek to obey God’s commandments, we are acting in accordance with our nature as the image of God. We establish our true identity, we free ourselves. The Bible is “the law of liberty”. Three aspects as examples: creativity, love and unity

A direction for life (生命有方向) Creativity (创造力) – Creativity is not limited to artists, although Christians ought to be persons of passion and emotion, who feel deeply both the tragedy and beauty of life, and appreciate shapes, sounds, and textures; persons of action, who are driven by a sense of excitement at what they do or make. 诗篇19:1-4 诸天述说神的荣耀，穹苍传扬他的作为。天天发出言语，夜夜传出知识。没有话语，没有言词，人也听不到它们的声音。它们的声音传遍全地，它们的言语传到地极，神在它们中间为太阳安设帐幕。

A direction for life (生命有方向) Creativity (创造力) – We are made like God, so in a sense we’re real, though limited, “creators”. Because we are by nature both creatures and creators, we may be exhorted (劝勉) to do various things – to choose to walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh, to produce the fruit of light and not of darkness, to take lives and experiences and mold them into something beautiful……. Sanctification must be seen within the context of creativity.

A direction for life (生命有方向) Love (爱) – We are designed to love. Why? We are made in the image of God, and God is love. (约翰一书 4:8) Jesus’ commandments presupposes that loving is all the human experience is all about. (马太福音22:37-39 他回答：你要全心、全性、全意爱主你的神。这是最重要的第一条诫命。第二条也和它相似，就是要爱人如己。) The call to a life of love is to affirm our original nature.

A direction for life (生命有方向) Unity (合一) – “United we stand, divided we fall.” How are Christians to view this motto?? Why do human have the desire for unity? Where does this conviction come from? The cries for unity at the tower of Babel (巴别塔事件). 创世记11:4 他们又说：来，我们建一座城，造一座塔，塔顶要通天。我们要为自己立名，免得分散在全地上。

A direction for life (生命有方向) Unity (合一) – Jesus’ prayer that his disciples might experience unity. 约翰福音17:11 …圣父啊，求你因你赐给我的名，保守他们，使他们合而为一，好象我们一样。 约翰福音17:21-22 使他们都合而为一，像父你在我里面，我在你里面一样；… 使他们合而为一，像我们合而为一。… The members of the Trinity – a unity within diversity (One in Three, Three in One). God intended that all people should desire and experience unity. The proper unity among God’s people ought to recognize diversity.

Adam and Christ If all we inherited from Adam has been evil, isn’t it a mistake to look back to Adam? Shouldn’t we look to Christ as the source and model of life? Distinctions between Christ and Adam – Unity between Christ and Adam –

Adam and Christ Distinctions (对比) – Unity (一致性) – 罗马书5:12-21;哥林多前书15:42-50 Human vs. divine; creature vs. creator; the mortal vs. the immortal; the perishable and the imperishable….. Unity (一致性) – Christ, the second person of the Trinity became fully human, in order to redeem the human to recover, not to deny, the same human experience for which he created us originally.

Adam and Christ Unity (一致性) – Christ, a son of Adam, was heir to all human experiences, except sin. He went through all kinds of human relations, activities, experiences as an ordinary person, in order that he can be our model for the Christian life. The recovery of ordinary human experience – “ordinary” not in the sense of sinfulness, but as opposed suprahuman; “ordinary” in terms of God’s original creation and Jesus’ perfect example.

Adam and Christ Unity (一致性) – It is only at the resurrection that human life can fully experience the restoration. This “heavenly body” experience is a human experience free from sin, and has a continuity with the experience of Adam & Eve before the Fall, and with ours now. 哥林多前书15:20-22 现在基督已经从死人中复活，成为睡了的人初熟的果子。…在基督里众人也都要复活；

Adam and Christ Unity (一致性) – Ascetic (禁欲主义的) view is wrong – The natural, the human, the categories of experience which come down to us from Adam, are all good and are to be received with thanksgiving. Eccentric (极端偏离的) view is wrong – Experience does not have to be extraordinary to be charged with spiritual power. Ordinary Christians who are “being renewed after the image” of their Creator will bear marks of righteousness.