Apples and Trees part 2
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Because the same DNA is passed on from Father to Son. Genesis 1:26 says it like this, "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 on the earth." Interesting that when God was describing His image and His likeness He spoke of having dominion. Of ruling and reigning. Because that's who He is--the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And, in the same manner, that's who we are. Because we were created in that same image and that same likeness. The problem has never been who we are. The problem has always been KNOWING who we are. I always say, "What you do flows from who you are." But that's not EXACTLY accurate. Because, really, what you do flows from who you BELIEVE you are. What you believe defines your reality. What you believe about yourself, and what you believe about God. Because what you believe about yourself IS what you believe about God, and vice versa. If you see yourself as a sinner, you see God as an angry taskmaster. But if you see yourself as His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased, then you see Him as a loving heavenly Father. And when you have that question of identity settled--when you know where (and who) you came from--then you start to live BY God instead of trying (and failing) to live FOR Him. See, Adam didn't know who he was, and that's why he squandered his dominion. He (and, as usual, I'm talking about Adam AND Eve when I say Adam... talking about humanity), swallowed the serpents lie because he didn't know the truth. He was MADE in God's image, but he didn't know what that image was. It took the cross to bring us into that revelation knowledge. Because on the cross, this prophecy was fulfilled, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren" (Romans 8:29). In the beginning we were MADE in His image. On the cross we were CONFORMED to the image of His Son. The light shined and we were able to see clearly. See who HE is, and thereby see who WE are. Now instead of identifying ourselves as slaves (to sin) or even as servants (to God), we know that we are His Son. We are Jesus. He drew us into Himself and He planted Himself in us. What's true about Jesus is true about us because as He is, so are we in this world. The same power and authority that He has--that we were originally given--is what we are now equipped and empowered to operate in. The same abundant, eternal, everlastin, Resurrection Life that He gave for us, and gave to us, on the cross, is the life we now live in the flesh BY the faith of the Son of God. We live it by letting Him live His own life in and through and as us. We don't try to "be like God" through the knoweldge of good and evil. We simply eat from the Tree of Life and rest in the truth that we are already like Him!