The Full Restoration
The restoration of man back into the image of God

God made man in His image. Accepting or rejecting this truth will affect our lives and everyone close to us. 

All the material here is founded on the Bible as the God-breathed Word of God. It reveals God's purpose for mankind, His purpose more amazing than any other known.

God created us in His image to rule over the physical realm as His representatives. Instead, sin corrupted mankind. It caused a separation from God, the source of all life. This resulted in man's death. 

The Serpent promised Eve she would become as God by knowing good and evil. Instead of becoming like God by knowing good and evil, Adam and Eve sinned. They were then separated from the God who is Holy, Holy, Holy (Isa. 6:3, Rev. 4:8). Adam and Eve didn’t just learn about evil; they became evil by rejecting God's will for their lives.  

We now have a problem with sin in our hearts. God is holy and pure. In Him there is no darkness at all (1Jo. 1:5). Inside us are "evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness" (Mk. 7:21-22). No one can fully comprehend how corrupt we are on the inside, especially in comparison to God.

The heart is deceitful above all things,

And desperately wicked; 
Who can know it?

Jer. 17:9

We are sin-sick inside and too often resemble Satan instead of God. Jesus does much more than save us from our sins. He came to completely heal us from the damage of sin and restore us to the image of God. 

Friends of a crippled man lowered him through a roof to Jesus because of the crowd. Jesus told him the best news he could ever hear.

     “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you” (Mat.9:2). 

What difference did it make whether he walked or not? If Jesus forgives him, he gets to live forever in the presence of God! Every cripple on earth can have the hope of having a body like the glorious body of Christ for eternity (Phil. 3:21). That's far better news than restoring crippled arms and legs for our short time on earth. 

Jesus did not come to save us from all our physical problems. He came to heal us from our sins. His miraculous physical healings proved He is the one who can heal us on the inside. Jesus healed the man so “you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” (Matt 9:6). We continue to pray for our sicknesses in this life, knowing God still heals, but our true, eternal home is in heaven. 

Jesus completely paid the penalty for all our sins. This is why He had to be the God/man. He had to be man to die for us and take our place. He had to be the infinite God to pay the infinite penalty mankind owed because of all our sins. Whatever happened during those three hours of darkness on the cross, Jesus paid it all. 

“By His stripes we are healed" (Isa. 53:5, 1Pe. 2:24). To heal is to restore to the original condition. God created us in His image in the beginning. When Jesus heals us, He restores us back to the image of God. 

Jesus is unique. He was a man walking on earth, but anyone who saw Him saw God. They didn’t see God’s full glory, but they saw God with His glory hidden by dwelling in a body of flesh (Jn. 1:14). 

• Jesus “is the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15).
• Jesus is “the express image” of God (Heb. 1:3).
• Jesus told the Jews, "He who sees Me sees Him who sent Me" (Jn. 12:45).
• Jesus told Philip, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (Jn. 14:9).

Jesus conducted Himself like God the Father would act if He were visible on earth. Jesus calls us to learn from Him so we can become like Him. Jesus is the perfect Son of God who shows us how we should live as children of God. 

Jesus said, "It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master" (Mat. 10:25). When we become like Jesus, it is enough. Until then, we have to keep working on it.

Do we truly appreciate the good news of the gospel? According to the gospel, God calls us "for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2Th. 2:14). I don't fully understand the extent of our Lord Jesus' glory. However, if it's something we can attain, it's the best news, and I want it.

We currently bear the image of the man of dust (1Co. 15:49). What about the promise that “we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven?” What does that mean? 

The man of heaven is Jesus, the only begotten Son of God who is both man and God. We become children of God by adoption; Jesus is the only begotten Son who is God. 

Jesus is the Creator. He is the upholder of all things. He is the King of kings, Lord of lords, the First and Last, and Alpha and Omega. He is the judge of all to whom every knee will bow. He is the bright and morning star. Jesus is the light of the heavenly Jerusalem. He invites us to become transformed into His image. He wants us to share in His glory and sit with Him on His throne, as He sat on the Father's throne (Rev. 3:21).

Can anyone begin to comprehend the greatness of the promise to become like Him? If Jesus is the light of heaven, and we shine forth as the sun when we become like Him, what will we look like in heaven? (Rev. 21:23, Matt. 13:43).

How good is the news that we can become joint heirs with Christ and share in His glory together? (Rom. 8:17). When our bodies are “conformed to His glorious body” (Phil. 3:20-21), we will receive a body raised in incorruption, glory, and power. What is this heavenly, spiritual body that is waiting for us? 

We need to pray for God to enlighten our understanding, “that you may know what is the hope of His calling" (Eph, 1:18). Do we understand the hope of His calling when God calls us by the gospel to receive the glory of Christ (2Th. 2:14)? The hope of our calling is the "hope of the glory of God" (Rom. 5:2). Do you care about receiving the glory of God or of Christ?

And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself,

with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

John 17:5

And the glory which You gave Me I have given them,

that they may be one just as We are one.

John 17:22

Only by learning the greatness of our hope can we begin to learn how to obey the command to “rejoice always” (Phil. 4:4. 1Th. 5:16). Rejoicing always is difficult when life can hurt so much and in so many ways. The more we learn of our destiny in heaven, the more we will rejoice in this life despite all the pain.

Forgiveness is just the beginning of our journey back into the image of God. As God's beloved children, we must learn how “perfect love casts out fear” (1Jo. 4:18). We learn to draw close to the Father and pray “Abba, Father” like the perfect Son (Mk 14:36, Rom. 8:15, Gal. 4:6).

Do we see ourselves as beloved children of God? The more we meditate on this truth, the more we will want to imitate our Father, whom we love (Eph. 5:1). 

The Full Restoration is simply emphasizing what the Bible emphasizes. It is Christianity 101. The temple of God is built on this foundation. Jesus is the chief cornerstone. We also become stones in the Temple to become a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Eph. 2:21-22). 

We are to examine ourselves to find out if we are in the faith. Is Jesus in us? (2Co. 13:5) Does our behavior reveal that we are children of God, or is our father the devil?  (Jn. 8:44)

When Philip looked at Jesus, he saw the Father (Jn. 14:9). When the world looks at us, it should see Jesus. If they see something else, we have missed the purpose of the church and need to fix it. 

We have no excuse. God has revealed the mystery to us:

The revealed mystery:

"Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27).

If Christ is in us, we have the hope of unimaginable glory.

If Christ is not in us, we have no hope at all.  

Any other doctrinal position we may hold will never change this truth. 

Questions? Comments?