Do we have Apostles and Prophets Today?

DO THE OFFICES OF APOSTLE AND PROPHET EXIST IN THE CHURCH TODAY?

By Ezekiel Kimosop

This article was written in response to the following comment by Bro Lawrence Kibet who was reacting to my article which is accessible through the following link: https://ezekielkimosop.blogspot.com/2020/03/beware-of-false-prophets-on-covid-19.html?m=1

Here is the comment from Bro Lawrence Kibet:

///Much as I agree with much of what Bro Ezekiel Kimosop has shared in his blog I don't necessarily agree with his statement that there are no more prophets. That prophesy is ministered thru pastors and teachers implies that Apostolic ministrations are also thru pastors and teachers. It seems according to him, prophets and apostles are no longer there in the Church. Unless I misinterpreted his communication in the blog. I believe there is a need of clarification to clear the perception.

Bro Lawrence Kibet///

MY RESPONSE

Once again I am privileged to engage Bro Lawrence Kibet on a Biblical issue. We have engaged in other discussions in the past.

Now to respond to the issue of prophetic office.

Bro Lawrence Kibet sought my clarification on the position of prophets in the Church today. He appears to be of the view that this office continues.

I have decided to include the office of Apostle in my response because I am of the view that both offices do not exist today.

Now to address his question...

Yes my position arising from my study of Scripture and giving regard to my Evangelical historical Christian tradition is that there are no living apostles or prophets in the Biblical Church today. This is not to suggest that the gift of prophecy is extant in the church.

My view is that this gift is exercised in a different manner from that identified with Old Testament prophets. It is subject to the authority of the written Scriptures.

My view is that the Apostolic office ceased after the New Testament Church period was concluded and the apostolic writings were made available to the Church.

There is no independent office of prophet either. This office was not instituted under the regulations of 1 Timothy 3:1-13. The Bible does not contain a single record of an independent prophetic ministry in the New Testament Scripture.

The mention of the offices of Apostle and prophet in Ephesians 4:11 was, in my view, in tandem with the foundation that God laid through these two offices in the Bible. Prophetic and apostolic teachings inform the bulk of the Biblical Scriptures.

My view is that the mention of these offices by Paul was not an endorsement of their continuity. I am aware that Charismatics use this Scripture as a template defense. Paul later wrote explicit instructions on New Biblical Church offices (1 Timothy 3:1-13).

For the avoidance of doubt, I wish to express my view that some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that were evident during the period covered by the Book of Acts were never replicated. For instance, no living person can claim the power to raise the dead or author inspired Scripture without earning the title of false teacher!

Peter and Paul were the only Apostles who raised the dead and only on single incidents recorded in the Bible (Acts 9:36-41; Acts 20:7-12). The two were leaders of the two Church communions in the New Testament period.

Historically, Apostolic office was never reinstituted after the New Testament Church. The Early Church only instituted the office of Bishop in line with 1 Timothy 3:1-7.

I have addressed this issue in greater detail in my teaching forums including my website blog. I welcome Bro Lawrence Kibet to engage me there.

Here's the link.

https://ezekielkimosop.blogspot.com/2020/02/understanding-biblical-offices-and.html?m=1

Beware of False Prophets on COVID 19 Epidemic

BEWARE OF FALSE  PROPHETS ON COVID 19

By Ezekiel Kimosop

I listened to an audio clip by a Nigerian "prophetess" who conveyed a message purportedly received from God. I am aware that there are several other "prophets" who have lately arisen and who make similar claims regarding the COVID 19 Epidemic.

The message by the Nigerian "prophetess" violates a number of principles of Scripture.

Here's why...

1) The Bible says that God speaks to us through Jesus Christ and that the written Scriptures exclusively reveal and communicate His divine will for the Church (Hebrews 1:1-2). There's no reason to believe that God can speak through any other person. He cannot deny His word (Numbers 23:19).

2) There is no new revelation to the Church after the Biblical Scriptures were sealed. There cannot be any prophets today and any prophetic gift of the Holy Spirit shall be exercised within the plenary gathering of a Christian congregation (1 Cor. 14).

My view is that Biblical prophecy is communicated through the teaching ministry of pastors and Bible teachers who guide and instruct congregations of believers in truth.

3) The Bible is explicit on the exercise of spiritual authority in a Christian congregation (1 Timothy 2:8-14, 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-7).

4) Contrary to the claim by the prophetess, God does not kill people who are not willing to obey or serve Him. He simply picks those whose hearts yield to Him. Those who walk in spiritual rebellion will have their day before the great white throne (Rev. 20:7-15). The claim by this prophetess is therefore false.

5) While it is possible that COVID 19 could be part of God's judgments on our wicked world, this does not imply that God relishes in killing people or that the final judgment has commenced.

God does not delight in the death of the sinner. He laments, "Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?"

Sin and rebellion is the reason that this world is undergoing lots of life threatening epidemics today. We have ruined the environment through pollution and destroyed and even depleted some of God's resources on earth. For instance, man, not God, is responsible for the global warming that threatens severe devastations upon the earth.

My view is that this Nigerian prophetess is just one among several false prophets who have taken advantage of the COVID 19 epidemic to claim that God has spoken to them and/or brought the calamity through them.

Yes, God desires that men everywhere should repent and turn to Christ (Acts 17:30). However, God does not employ the approach described by this false prophet. He never forces men to come to Christ by a decree. Scripture is clear that whosoever shall believe in Christ shall not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Obedience to God is by choice. Choices have consequences (Joshua 24:14-15).

6) God will only separate the wheat from the tares when Christ shall come to take away His church and judge the wicked (Matthew 13:24-30). This time is yet to come.

7) The Bible contains a detailed description of the events that must take place before the coming of Christ. If we are faithful to the study of the word of God, we should not be fearful about the future even in the face of COVID 19 and other epidemics. We should trust God for His divine preservation in the midst of all these upheavals.

CONCLUSION

It is our responsibility as God's children to intercede for ourselves, our families and communities as well as our nation. We should repent of our sins and plead for God's mercy at this time.

Even as we pray, we should hold to the authority and infallibility of Scripture. It is the final voice on all matters of our Christian faith and practice. We should therefore test every spirit (or prophecy) to determine if the their teaching is consistent with the word of God (1 John 4:1-3).

We should also remain calm and focused on God and encourage others to trust God in these difficult times. God is sovereignly in control.

Finally, and this is equally important, we should submit to the regulations and procedures on safety and hygiene that have been proclaimed by the Government.

Ignore any "prophet" who teaches against the observation of hygiene, or the application of epidemic control procedures and emergency medical response.



Shalom




© Ezekiel Kimosop 2020

Is the Five Fold Ministry Concept Biblical?

A BIBLICAL EXAMINATION OF THE "FIVE FOLD" MINISTRY CONCEPT

By Richard Rice

The phrase "Five-Fold Ministry" is of recent origin within a strain of the Charismatic Movement which began in April of 1960 when an Episcopal priest and his wife began speaking in tongues. The term was never used by original Pentecostal leaders from 1900 through the 1960s.

"Five-Fold Ministry" is a description of what Charismatic teachers saw as five offices given by Christ to lead the local church based on Ephesians 4:11.

Early Charismatics taught that Jesus had lost control of His church through the centuries, and they had been commissioned and empowered by God to "restore" what the church lost since the Book of Acts. They taught that in order for Christ to return to the earth (these leaders were all post-Millennial, ie, the church will take over the world and thus prepare it for Christ's return), the church had to be returned to what it was in the Book of Acts, including the ministry and gifting of apostles and prophets. The restoration of the Church is fundamental in the Latter Rain and Kingdom Now heresies.

The concept of the five-fold ministry is faulty in title, as in the Greek text, the phrase "pastors and teachers" are linked together as one unit describing overlapping functions of one office. At best, Paul was describing a "four-fold" ministry in the early church.

One of the basic principles of interpretation is context; context within a sentence, a paragraph, and even an entire book of the Bible. Paul uses the phrase "apostles and prophets" in Ephesians twice before he uses it in Ephesians 4:11. His use of the phrase must be considered together.

In Ephesians 2:20 and 3:5, Paul writes of "apostles and prophets" and links them inseparably. Paul explains that these two groups of men were responsible for laying the foundation of the church by the writing of Scripture. No other power, authority, or mission was given to them by Paul in Ephesians. The office of apostle and prophet would therefore cease once the foundation of Scripture was complete. If the Bible is God's final and full revelation of Himself to the world, there is no further necessity for foundation laying.

In First Corinthians 15:8, Paul wrote that he was the last of the apostles to be chosen by Christ. There would be no others like him, Peter, John, or Thaddeus.

Early Charismatics defined apostles simply as missionaries or church planters, and prophets were anyone who preached the written gospel. That has evolved to something wholly different over the years as the idea of "restoration" took on a life of its own. Today's Charismatics use the term of apostle to mean an absolute authority and leader over churches in a geographical area or country, and prophets as those who reveal new doctrines and divine truths never before preached.

The apostolic writers of Scripture indicated early on that the church was led and ministered to by pastors and elders, not apostles and prophets (Acts 14:23, 15:2 ff, 20:17; 1 Timothy 5:17; Titus 1:5; James 5:14; 1 Peter 5:1, etc). Paul's pastoral epistles (1 & 2 Timothy and Titus) were written specifically to address leadership and function in the local congregation; no apostles or prophets are mentioned. Qualifications for pastors/elders were given to the church to ensure godly leadership and continue true doctrine. No qualifications were given for apostles and prophets because their office ended when Scripture was complete.

The word "apostle" literally means "one who is sent" or "messenger" and is used in that sense in 2 Corinthians 8:23 and Philippians 2:25, for example. But these "messengers" had no authority over any congregation, did not write Scripture, nor spoke on the Lord's behalf. They were messengers sent by the 12 apostles or a local congregation and were subject to the local congregation. They were under the authority of their own pastor, sent to deliver messages.

To say that Ephesians 4:11 is a blueprint for the restoration of apostles and prophets today is not only exegetically false, it has been an open door for false teaching of every kind. Saying that the church is in need of new revelations denies the sufficiency and finality of the Bible as God's Word (2 Tim 3:16-17).

If God is giving new revelations today by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they MUST be at least equal to the Bible; and where those new revelations disagree with the Bible, they MUST replace what is in the Bible. Either way, restoration theology demands and results that the Bible is NOT the believer's sole authority for faith and practice; that authority lies in newly ordained apostles and prophets.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Richard Rice is Pastor at Sellwood Church, a Historic, Reformed Baptist Community in Portland Oregon. Richard is a gifted Bible teacher. His online teaching articles can be accessed through the links on his Facebook page and at his website teaching blog at www.wherelivingbegins.wordpress.com

We are Gifted Differently

WE ARE GIFTED DIFFERENTLY

By Rev Kenneth Odhiambo

On 24th December 1983, I travelled to Nakuru from Eldama Ravine (where I was then working), specifically to buy a dress for my newly found sweetheart. I had just enough money for one dress and so I took a lot of time going in and out of several shops, searching for just the right one.

And after some Five hours of rigorous and meticulous searching, I finally found it. Hurrah! I travelled back to Ravine, feeling heroic, my heart bubbling with excitement. I was double sure that she would be so thrilled. But what a heartbreaking  anti-climax!                                                                                                                                            Staring at it with a weary and bored look, she finally said : "You mean, you couldn't find something better than this!"                                                                       I was dumbfounded.What an unforgettable lesson ! Sometimes, we think and are so sure that we know what is best for others. And vice versa. But sometimes, even our closest and best friends may not always know what is best for us.                                                                                                                                      Anyway, that did not dampen my affection for her and we actually eventually got married soon after that. And interestingly, from 1985 upto this day she has spent most of her working life selling clothes and shoes.                                                     Which has been a very serious bone of contention, in some quarters and circles.                                                 Any Pastor's wife who loves business (as she does) more than 'church work' has fallen short of the glory of God?  Right?
Has she really flopped (as some think she has)by failing to conform to that idealized image of the typical and stereotypical Pastor's wife?  Ideally, may be, every Pastor's wife must also be a pastor and 'behave' like one!
But with Ed Silvoso, I really do believe that there are some (even Pastor's wives)that God has “Anointed For Business” (Regal Books). That is the real book title.

“The notion that labor for profit and worship of God are worlds apart, is false. The early church founders included successful businesspeople. The writing of the gospel was entrusted to Luke, a medical doctor; Matthew, a retired tax collector; John, a food supplier; Lydia, “a dealer in purple cloth” and Dorcas, a clothes designer.” (Silvoso).

“God has a higher purpose than any stereotyped image for the women who are married to pastors – and for their families. They do not have to do and be certain things because others say so. God wants them – like everyone – to discover who they are and what they are to be (They Cry, Too!: What you Always Wanted to Know about Your Pastor but Didn't Know Whom to Ask, Lucille Lavender).

In a survey involving 42 pastors' wives, one question was to express whatever was on their minds. Here are a few reactions:

“We are programmed women. Programmed to behave like, act like, say yes to, whatever the church – especially the women – want us to do.”

“What really gets me is the mold into which the parishioners force the pastor's wife.”

“To tell you the truth, I don't fit in...I feel I've made a complete flop as a pastor's wife. But my husband insists he likes me the way I am, and that he didn't marry me to be his assistant pastor.” (Lavender). Let me confirm that I also love Margaret the way she is -.the way God made her to be. Let us stop wearing ourselves out trying to force other people  to put on 'clothes' (as it were) or take on roles that God never wired them for. We are all wired differently! How so wearisome pretending to be what God never intended you to be.

There are so many myths, stereotypes and traditions concerning the spouses of pastors and other matters which many have swallowed unthinkingly. You may be wallowing in self-pity thinking that God cannot use or bless you because you are not the ideal Pastor's spouse. Don't let such lousy thinking douse your passion for the house of God and your spouse! You think you are in the wrong job, family or place? Think again!                                                            We have been made to wrongly believe that if only we moved to the “right” places or more ideal situations, God would be more pleased with us.  Joseph, Daniel and Esther found themselves in situations that were less than ideal. Daniel had to come to terms with the fact that he had been forcibly taken away from his homeland and had his manhood  obliterated forever. Esther had to love a pagan King she did not choose and who did not love her people. They all believed that God would work out everything for good; that God had a destiny greater and better than their present circumstances.” (Ed Silvoso). Until he finds another place for you, “each one should remain in the situation which he was when God called him.” ( 1 Cor 7: 17, 20, 24).God can still bless you right where you are, with that person or people who appear "wrong"in the eyes of some others. It is okay if you have been made a Eunuch by men - like Daniel (Matthew 19:12).Or renounced marriage like Paul. But don't force others to be like you. “Each man has his own gift from God” (1 Cor 7: 7). In all things and situations, pleasant and unpleasant, we can glorify God.

WHATEVER you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men...It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3: 22-23).




[Rev Kenneth Odhiambo is a Chaplain with Masai Mara University. He previously served as a high school teacher at Mogotio and later as a minister with FGCK Mogotio. He is a skilled Bible teacher]

No Condemnation in Christ

DO BELIEVERS STAND IN SINFUL CONDEMNATION WHENEVER THEY APPEAR BEFORE THE PRESENCE OF GOD IN PRAYER?

By Ezekiel Kimosop

The answer to this question can be identified by examining the word of God.

The Bible says in John 1:12 that as many as received Him (Christ, by faith), to them He gave the right to become (or be adopted as) the children of God. This confirms that believers are members of God's household who share in His heritage in Christ.

The teaching on divine adoption is more precisely articulated in Romans 8:12-17.

Romans 8:1 says "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."

This Scripture conveys a powerful assurance that every child of God should cherish. The Bible here confirms that our legal standing in Christ Jesus is incontestable. It has been settled at Calvary!

This is what separates believers from those outside Christ.

John 8:36 says "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

Now having said as much, we recognize that no believer is ever perfect. We are not without sin on earth (1 John 1:8-10). We have to contend with this reality until we appear before the Risen Christ in heaven.

Therefore, whenever we appear before the presence of God in prayer, we are not in sinful condemnation because His divine wrath has already been appeased in Christ, concerning us. Our separation from God was resolved the moment we yielded to Christ. We have already been set apart as children of God, a community of people belonging to God. Our sin in Adam has been completely wiped out the moment we placed our faith in Christ and no charge can be brought by Satan against us on that account.

This does not however imply that we have no sin to confess when we come before God in prayer! We have a sinful nature in the human body and mind which is a residue of the old Adamic nature. Even though we are not under the control of sin, we cannot escape the presence and influence of sin under the sun. No matter how carefully we walk, we can never attain spiritual perfection on Earth. Christ alone was and is without sin (2 Cor. 5:21).

Sin ruins our fellowship with God and should be confessed by every child of God whenever we appear before Him. Those who deny this truth are denying the authority of Scripture.

This is the foundation of 1 John 1:8-10 which says "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."

We should therefore confess our sins, known or unknown, even as we rejoice in the finished works of the cross.vv

There's a Scripture test which informs our conviction on sin and disobedience. 1 John 3:20-21 says "For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight."

Hebrews 4:14-16 says "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

This boldness is informed by our covenant relationship with God in Christ. Without the legal cover that Christ has provided in His atoning works, no flesh can approach the presence of God and live to tell it!



Shalom




© Ezekiel Kimosop 2020

Did Jesus Grow in Faith?

IN DEFENSE OF BIBLICAL TRUTH

By Ezekiel Kimosop

I watched a video of a leading West African prosperity teacher whose false teachings cut across all his telecasts.

He is however not alone in the business of promoting a gospel in which Christ is repeatedly diminished and man is exalted in His place. This is the fallacy of prosperity theology.

Now let's examine the latest error by the billionaire televangelist whose name starts with C.

John 5:20 says "For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel."

The preacher misinterprets John 5:20 to falsely teach error. He claims that the anointing of God on Jesus was progressively growing in the application of His faith so that greater miracles only took place in the end compared to the beginning of His ministry.

This is utterly false. It misrepresents the truths of God's word and mocks Christ's divinity as God the Son.

It is inconceivable that a preacher who purports to speak the mind of God can discount Jesus' divine power in this manner!

To teach that God was progressively building up Jesus' faith and capacity for performing miracles is to cast serious doubts on His divine essence as fully God and fully Man at all times during His earthly ministry.

It also implies that Jesus' faith underwent progressive growth from one step to another and that at one time he was possibly deficient in faith!

1 John 5:21 says "For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will."

This Scripture plainly affirms Christ's divine power to raise the dead in the same manner that God the Father does!

Yes, men grow from one glory to another in the knowledge of Christ. This however does not apply to Jesus. He perfectly knew the Father!

Jesus' divinity and humanity were indivisibly intertwined until Calvary. This is the foundation of the Biblical the doctrine of hypostatic union.

At no time was Jesus' divine essence diminished or discounted on account of His humanity, not even in His infancy. Only His glory was left in heaven upon His incarnate coming.

There is therefore nothing in Jesus' miracle series in the Gospels that suggests that He could not have started raising the dead to life before turning water into wine!

The Bible teaches that Jesus voluntarily submitted His will to that of God the Father in order to accomplish the works of the cross. His divine glory was restored to Him upon His ascension to heaven (Philippians 2:1-11).

Jesus did not require to grow in faith in the way we do. Luke 2:52 teaches that Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and with men.

Jesus was eternally  possessed of all divine essence as God the Son. At no time did Jesus cease to be God. Scripture proclaims in Hebrews 13:8 that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever.


That's Biblical truth.



©  Ezekiel Kimosop 2020

Who was God Speaking to in Genesis 1:26?

WHO WAS GOD SPEAKING TO IN GENESIS 1:26?

By Ezekiel Kimosop

Genesis 1:26 says "Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (NKJV).

So who was God speaking to in this Scripture?

Don Stewart identifies four popular answers to this question as follows:

1) He was speaking to angels.

2) The "Us" is a plural of majesty.

3) The plural should be translated as a singular.

4) The "Us" refers to the members of the Holy Trinity.

My view is that answer three is inadmissible because there is no exegetical basis for doubting the authority and authenticity of the Hebrew Scripture regarding the plurality of the noun Elohim. The plural "us" remains.

I will therefore respond to the three answers below.

WAS GOD SPEAKING TO ANGELS?

My view is that those who say that God was speaking to angels or heavenly host who surrounded His throne appear to fail the test of Scripture because the Bible reveals that man does not share the same nature with angels (see Hebrews 2:5).

Don Stewart rightly observes that angels are not co-creators with God. They do not share in the image and likeness of God in the way that man does!

The writer of Hebrews poses a rhetorical question: "Are they  [angels] not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14).

The passage of Hebrews 1:5-14 is dedicated to the truth that angels are subordinate to believers in God's order of things. It is therefore inconceivable that God would speak to angels as His co-equals!

It is also instructive that the redemption works were not intended for angels but for Man. The Bible teaches that angels desire to look into the message of the Gospel but unfortunately they have no stake in it (1 Peter 1:12).

PLURALITY OF GOD'S MAJESTY

Those who subscribe to the second answer say that God was speaking in the plurality of His majesty. Again this theory does not find the merit of Scripture.

Accordingly to the Cambridge Bible Commentary, this view rests on the old Jewish explanation that God was addressing the inhabitants of heaven who surrounded His throne.

Elsewhere, Scripture declares that the sons of God shouted for joy when the foundations of the earth were laid (cf. Job 1:6, 2:1).

It is difficult to affirm this theory in the context of Genesis 1:26 without ascribing some divine essence to these heavenly hosts. This theory, in my view, fails the scrutiny of the word of God.

AFFIRMATION OF THE HOLY TRINITY

Bible scholars who submit to the fourth answer have cited Genesis 1:26 as evidence of the affirmation of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity in the Bible.

Don Stewart describes it as the embryonic form of the Holy Trinity doctrine that is fully developed in the New Testament. This is the doctrine that identifies and acknowledges the God of the Bible as one triune God who eternally exists in three divine persons who eternal co-exist as God.

The Holy Trinity is one of the most misunderstood doctrines of the Bible yet it is manifestly taught and affirmed in several passages of New Testament Scripture.

Trinitarian theologians say that the three members of the Godhead were conversing among themselves at this point. They hold that the conversation is evidence of the unity of the triune God. This conversation is also captured in story of the tower of Babel in Genesis 11:7-8.

My view is that the fourth answer is the most plausible interpretation of Genesis 1:26. It is consistent with the revelation of the Holy Trinity in the New Testament Scripture. It stands the test of Scripture.

CONCLUSION

I believe that God was engaging in a divine conversation with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in Genesis 1:26. The Holy Spirit revealed this truth to Moses as he penned the Book of Genesis.

Christ shares full and equal divinity with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He is in every essence God.

God was speaking about the creation of Man in His image and likeness. Genesis 1:27 says "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."

Man alone bears the image of God. He reflects God's likeness in a number of ways. He cannot however be possessed of the non-communicable attributes of God which are exclusively vested in Divinity.

For example, man, like God, thinks, loves, hates, judges, creates, speaks, sees and hears. However, and unlike God, man is not infinite in his attributes. God's love is eternally pure and His judgment is perfect.
Our thoughts and actions miserably fail God's divine standards (Isaiah 55:8-9). Our righteousnesses apart from Christ are as filthy rags! (Isaiah 64:6).

Man is therefore merely a shadow of God's likeness.

Jesus was and is the Creator of all things. John 1:2-3 says if Christ: "He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made."

This Scripture is contextually faithful to the statement of Genesis 1:26.

Here's a befitting conclusion...

Colossians 1:15-18 says of Christ: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence."


Shalom


© Ezekiel Kimosop Teaching Series 2020


Sources:

Don Stewart, Blue Letter Ministry. blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_688.cfm

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, biblehub.com/commentaries/genesis/1-26.htm