The word vision refers to a prophetic utterance. The fact that people perish without God’s will being given by revelation is reflective of man’s desire to find meaning to this life or see beyond this world. They will presume what God is doing in a worship service. They try to discern God’s will in their lives during times of crisis. They want to know the message that God has for them in their dreams. They will try to find meaning in the mundane. They will stand in awe of the “face of Christ” in a picture of a cloud, the marks on a piece of toast, or in a root dug up out of the ground — all true cases! They will gravitate to fortune tellers, charlatans in church, astrologers, and prognosticators of all kinds to get a glimpse of the future.

In Solomon’s time, they did not have the complete revelation of God through His Word so they were dependent upon the prophets for a fuller understanding of Him. In the times of God’s silence they were more at risk.

Amos 8:10-13
¹⁰And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.
¹¹Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
¹²And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
¹³In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.

1Sam 3:1
¹And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

Even though we have the complete revelation of God in His inspired Word, the Bible, today, still we hunger for the illumination of the Holy Spirit. We need it to understand God’s Word and how to apply it to our daily life. Whether the Israelites needed the extra revelation to make up for the rest of the Bible not written yet, or we desire special understanding of God’s will for our particular circumstances, there is still a blessing to be had.

The daily application of the law, a reference to the Word of God in general, will help us carry on when there is no special direction from God. We don’t have to have a special burden from God on every thing we do. Sometimes the moving of God is accomplished by the clear commands and the principles of His Word. If we don’t feel something special from God, it doesn’t mean that something is wrong. It might just mean that He has already spoken in His Word and that should be sufficient for us to go on.

A high look refers to looking down on others. A proud heart refers to looking highly on self. Plowing refers to the work that is produced by the wicked. The word for sin implies the idea of condemnation and destruction. It is used elsewhere to speak of the sin offering, or that which was destined for destruction as a sacrifice. The wicked have a low opinion of others and a high opinion of self. He sows in arrogance and the fruit of his labors is tainted, doomed, and worthy only of destruction.

Rom 12:3-5
³For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
⁴For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
⁵So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

Rom 12:9-16
⁹Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
¹⁰Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
¹¹Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
¹²Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
¹³Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
¹⁴Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
¹⁵Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
¹⁶Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

The reference to God giving repentance in 2 Timothy 2:24-26 seems to suggest that man does not have the ability to repent by himself. That God gives this ability to unregenerate man so that he can apply it to salvation. This would be analogous to a blind man given the ability to see.

It is not realistic to suggest that man does not have the ability to repent apart from God. The lost demonstrate repentance regularly. Pharaoh repented a number of times during the plagues upon Egypt. This is not to propose that he became saved. Only in a narrow application of the word repent does it refer to salvation. The word itself is merely a reference to a changing of the mind (such as when God repents). Man has the capacity to repent.

It seems that a different kind of repentance is offered by God in 2 Tim 2:25. Refining our understanding of repentance might lead us to say that God gives the ability to repent unto righteousness or salvation. The only way we can do this is to read into the passage something that is not there. This would require finding the principle elsewhere in Scripture.

We don’t have to go very far to discover that giving the ability to repent unto righteousness is not what is intended at all by the phrase give them repentance. There are two other passages where this is used as a figure of speech to indicate that God gives the opportunity, or room for repentance.

Acts 11:17-18
¹⁷Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?
¹⁸When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

Acts 5:29-31
²⁹Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
³⁰The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
³¹Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

In Acts 11, granted is translated from the same word as given in 2 Timothy and Acts 5. Repentance was not merely given to some Gentiles. It was given to a whole class. Since not all Gentiles are saved, the only thing one may conclude is that, as the context shows, the opportunity for repentance was available to the Gentiles. Peter and the other Jewish members of the church became apprised of the fact that the Gentiles were able to be saved apart from any legalistic consideration.

In Acts 5, we have the same situation, only here with respect to the Jews. Not all Israel was saved as a result of being given repentance as a class. They, of course, had other times for repentance in their history. They were, as a class, being given another opportunity for repentance.

The phrase to give repentance is to be understood as a figure of speech. It is not that some new ability to repent is given, but that a new opportunity is given.

There is one more consideration to give to this passage. The scope of the intended recipients includes both lost and saved – it is given to all men. If only the saved are meant by all, then God would have to be giving repentance over and over again. If it truly includes all, then the same problem still exists. Man has the ability to repent, God gives room for repentance.

The Berean Christian Bible Study Resource 1
The Berean Christian Bible Study Resource 2
The Faithful Word 1 
The Faithful Word 2
The FAQs on John Piper’s Christian Hedonism

Deut 14:23-26
²³And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.
²⁴And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:
²⁵Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose:
²⁶And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,

It appears that strong drink is endorsed by God. But, so also was divorce in Deuteronomy 24:1

Deut 24:1
¹When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.

Jesus indicated that the only reason for the bill of divorcement was not that it had God’s approval or even permission. It was only because of the hardness of their hearts.

Matt 19:7-8
⁷They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
⁸He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

Deuteronomy 14:6 should be used just as strongly to permit alcohol as Deuteronomy 24:1 to permit divorce. A weak verse should not be used to overpower a strong verse. A loophole can easily become a noose instead.

The weight of many strong verses should be considered first. In this case, this is the exception that proves the rule: exceptions are excepted because of exceptional circumstances, which proves that the rule still stands.

Prov 20:1
¹Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

Prov 23:31-32
³¹Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
³²At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

Hos 4:11
¹¹Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.

Mic 2:11
¹¹If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.

Amos 2:12
¹²But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.

Hab 2:15
¹⁵Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!

In Proverbs 31:4-7 there is a use of alcohol as a palliative, but it is for those who about to die or by some similar dire circumstance. This palliative use is set in stark contrast to its condemnation for those who are ruling in life. From the typical Hebrew poetical style of comparison and contrast, we are to have the understanding that there is no sense of instruction for the gradation of permission for alcohol. Being of heavy heart is associated with perishing, and both are in contrast to the ideal situation of a king. The use of alcohol as a palliative in dire circumstances does not give license to the recreational or casual use of alcohol or any other drug.

Prov 31:4-7
⁴It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:
⁵Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.
⁶Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
⁷Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.

Alcohol is spoken of as a problem regularly in the Old Testament. However, there is a special prohibition for alcohol for Nazarites, Priests, and Kings.

Ezek 44:21
²¹Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.

Lev 10:9
⁹Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:

Luke 1:13-15
¹³But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
¹⁴And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
¹⁵For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.

Prov 31:4
⁴It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:

Isa 28:7
⁷But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

1Pet 2:5-9
⁵Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
⁶Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
⁷Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
⁸And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
⁹But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

We are a royal priesthood. As kings and priests we should not touch alcohol. We must keep in mind that being under grace is more demanding, not more permissive! Divorce, taking people to law, multiple wives, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, were all accommodated under the law. Christians must live by a higher, more original, standard.

Acts 17:30-31
³⁰And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
³¹Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

Our elders set the example of sobriety for us to follow.

Titus 1:7
⁷For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

1Tim 3:1-3
¹This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
²A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
³Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

1Tim 3:8
⁸Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;

For a pastor, the words given to wine are from one word made up of two parts para, beside or near, and oinos, wine. His life is to be marked by sobriety.

For a deacon, the word given is different, indicating being under the power of. It is not that he should be avoiding too much wine. The word too is not there. The quanitity of wine is not in question. The power of wine is what is significant here. In fact, the word likewise makes the comportment of deacons the same as the pastors. They are not to be near wine and then further more, they should not have an addiction problem. They are to be pursuing sobriety.

To suggest that not being addicted to wine permits some use of it makes as much sense to say that someone could use some heroin or some other depressant as long as he was not addicted to it.

We are not condemned by the law any longer. We are free from the penalty of the law. However, we are not to use that fact as a occasion to give in to the flesh.

Gal 5:13-14
¹³For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
¹⁴For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Is it loving to provide an addictive substance to your neighbour? Don’t use your liberty as an opportunity for the flesh to be brought under the influence of alcohol.

Don’t do your part to keep the use of alcohol common in our society. We must do our part to not treat alcohol as something normal knowing that as a norm it is so destructive. We must even abstain even from all appearance of evil.

1Thess 5:20-23
²⁰Despise not prophesyings.
²¹Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
²²Abstain from all appearance of evil.
²³And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Luke 10:25-28
²⁵And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
²⁶He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
²⁷And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
²⁸And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

Luke 10:36-37
³⁶Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
³⁷And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Taken out of the context of the entirety of the Scripture, this passage could sound like salvation is based upon our work performance. “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” “This do, and thou shalt live…Go, and do thou likewise.”

The problem is that we expect narrative passages to be used as an instruction manual: “Do this and this and this and this and then this happens.” Those who are familiar with Galatans 2:16 will sense right away that doing a good work according to the law runs counter to “by the works of the law shall no man be justified.”

Gal 2:16
¹⁶Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

Narrative passages record life as it happens. The objective reality can be obscured by our subjective perception of all the dynamic interactions that are presented. Our first guess might be that Jesus was presenting the lawyer with a challenge. He stopped short of saying that the man would have eternal life. In fact, when He said, “do this, and thou shalt live,” Jesus was not speaking in casual conversation. He was actually using a specific Biblical formula that has a particular theological significance:

Lev 18:5
⁵Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.

Neh 9:29
²⁹And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.

Ezek 20:11
¹¹And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.

Ezek 20:13
¹³But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.

As a lawyer, this man would be very much aware of this phrase. In fact, Jesus first asked him, “What is written in the law? how readest thou?”

Paul capitalized on this concept in dealing with the problem of works for salvation. He pointed out that even though living of the law would give life, no one is actually able to do this — the purpose of the law would only be to convict us of our sin:

Rom 7:10-13
¹⁰And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.
¹¹For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.
¹²Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.
¹³Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

Rom 2:13
¹³(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

Rom 10:5
⁵For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

Deut 27:26
²⁶Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Gal 3:10-14
¹⁰For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
¹¹But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
¹²And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
¹³Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
¹⁴That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Jas 2:10-11
¹⁰For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
¹¹For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

Rom 3:20
²⁰Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

The convicting power of the law is evident in a similar occasion when Jesus was approached by the rich young ruler (see also Matthew 19:16-26).

Luke 18:18-26
¹⁸And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
¹⁹And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
²⁰Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
²¹And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
²²Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
²³And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
²⁴And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
²⁵For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
²⁶And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?

Being interested in the afterlife would indicate he was a Pharisee, that he was a ruler would suggest that he was of high religious rank. He was someone who would have been well familiar with the Law, just as Nicodemus was in John 3. Jesus challenged him with the Law, except with the commandment about covetousness at first. What appears evident is that His method is to draw people to the conclusion that they are not able to perform the law as they suppose they might be able to do.

In the case of the man given the story of the Good Samaritan, he would like to have justified himself that he was keeping both of the two great precepts of the Law to love God and his neighbor. Jesus tested him further by introducing the Samaritan, which would have affronted his Pharisaical sensibilities and revealed his insincerity and inability. No more is said in that passage of anything further.

In the account of the rich young ruler, we have further evidence of this in the young man rejecting Christ’s counsel because of his great possessions.

Jesus’ most complete statement on the matter is revealed in the Bread of Life Discourse:

John 6:28-29
²⁸Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
²⁹Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

After being asked for bread as a confirming miracle sign, Jesus indicated that the bread and drink He would give them was His flesh and blood. His explanation reinforced the teaching that what one should do is believe.

John 6:63
⁶³It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

By examining the larger context of Christ’s encounters with the Jews, especially the Pharisees, regarding the law, we understand that He did not teach that one is saved by the Law. He only used the law to bring about greater conviction of one’s inability to be perfect doers of the law and to find themselves coming up short.

Rom 3:19-28
¹⁹Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
²⁰Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
²¹But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
²²Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
²³For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
²⁴Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
²⁵Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
²⁶To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
²⁷Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
²⁸Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Gen 5:1-2
¹This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
²Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

The image of God in man was not destroyed in the fall of man. Bearing the image of God is the reason that the most severe punishment was pronounced in Genesis 9:6 upon murderers.

Gen 9:5-6
⁵And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.
⁶Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

The word made is in the perfect tense, indicating that man was not just originally made in the image of God, but has continued to be made in His image. As such, man is the crowning glory of God’s creation. Psalm 8:3-6 has its special prophetic application to Jesus Christ, but it also speaks of the dignity of man at the apex of God’s creation. To mortally attack man was to strike at God’s glory reflected in His work. In James 3:9 even cursing man is condemned because he is, not just were, made after the similitude of God.

Ps 8:3-6
³When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
⁴What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
⁵For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
⁶Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

Jas 3:8-9
⁸But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
⁹Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

Jesus is the express image of the invisible God.

Heb 1:1-3
¹God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
²Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
³Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

2Cor 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

John 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

Just as the law was a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things, so man is a shadow of the very image of God.

Heb 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

The image of God in man has been corrupted, but not destroyed. In the resurrection, we will be completely restored to that image.

Rom 8:29 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.

There are three views that generally express the differing understanding of the image of God:

Substantive — The substantive view holds to the idea that there is some substantial characteristic of the human race that is like God. Some may argue that we are a mirror image of God’s essential nature. Other substantive views suggest a spiritual commonality with God, God being a spirit and not having a physical body. Throughout the ages there have been different interpretations of substantive likeness to God. Irenaeus put forward a distinctive difference between image and likeness. Humankind before the fall (the moral and spiritual failure of its original progenitors) was in the image of God through the ability to exercise free will and reason. And we were in the likeness of God through an original spiritual endowment. Medieval scholars suggested that this was the holiness (or “wholeness”) of humankind which was lost after the fall, though free will and reason remained. Calvin and Luther agreed that something of the Imago Dei was lost at the fall but that fragments of it remained in some form or another.

Relational — The relational view argues that one must be in a relationship with God in order to possess the ‘image’ of God. Those who hold to the relational image agree that humankind possess the ability to reason as a substantive trait, but they argue that it is in a relationship with God that the true image is made evident. Later theologians like Karl Barth and Emil Brunner argue that it is our ability to establish and maintain complex and intricate relationships that make us like God. For example, in humans the created order of male and female is intended to culminate in spiritual as well as physical unions Genesis 5:1-2, reflecting the nature and image of God. Since other creatures do not form such explicitly referential spiritual relationships, these theologians see this ability as uniquely representing the imago dei in humans.

Functional — This third view differs from the previous two in that it argues that the image of God imprinted on us resides in function rather than in form or relationship, this function being primarily our task of ruling over earth. Genesis 1:26 speaks of humankind being made in the image of God and given the function of naming and ruling over the fish of the sea and the animals on land, reflecting God’s rule over all the universe, ourselves included. This view sees this ruling function of dominion as best expressing the imago dei, or our likeness to God.

— The Image of God

Some of the clues about the nature of the image of God in man can be seen in Romans 1.

Rom 1:18-23
¹⁸For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
¹⁹Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
²⁰For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
²¹Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
²²Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
²³And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

• Man is moral
• Man has understanding of God
• Man has reason
• Man has the ability to exercise his will
• Man is accountable

We think of man having five senses, but there is a sixth sense: a sense of God. The Substantive view of the God best describes the reflection of God’s Person in man. His attributes can be seen in our love, passion, purposefulness, deliberation, creativity, dignity, etc.

The Relational and Functional views do not seem to be very worthwhile reasons to justify the ongoing basis for capitol punishment or to call man the crowning glory of God’s creation. That man can have complex relationships or dominion certainly speak of a degree of sophistication, but not necessarily intrinsic glorious worth. They might make man similar to God, but not in His similitude.

Someone tells about the lady who walked into a hat store to buy a hat for a special night out on the town. She wanted something original, so she chose an emerald-colored ribbon and asked the weaver to make her a hat immediately. Within fifteen minutes, he made the most beautiful hat she had ever seen.
She asked, “How much?”
He replied, “Five hundred dollars.”
The lady shouted, “For a piece of ribbon!”
The man calmly unraveled the hat and responded, “You can have the ribbon for $5.”

Ingredient-wise, we may not be that unique from other creatures, but don’t forget that God did not make amoebas, elephants and your pet dog in His image. He made human being in His image, and He shed the blood of His only Son to pay for mankind’s penalty for sins.
— Sermon Central

The common understanding of this passage is that a person becomes a saved child of God by the new birth and then he will see, or understand, the kingdom of God.

However, it has also been suggested that because of total depravity we cannot understand the things of the Gospel so that the new birth is first given, then having the ability to see the kingdom of God we are able to exercise faith and finally be saved and justified.

It is nowhere suggested in the Scripture that the image of God is erased, although it certainly has been corrupted. Being made in the image of God we have the capacity to understand the Gospel when it is presented to us. Although we would never develop the Gospel plan by our own imagination, we are challenged by it when we are presented with the Word of God.

Ps 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Col 1:3-6
³We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
⁴Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,
⁵For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
⁶Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

Receiving the Word of God comes first, and then we have faith. We are not born of God and then receive the Word. The new birth comes as a result of believing the Word. It is after we receive the Word that we believe.

Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

1Pet 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

The new birth comes as a result of receiving the Gospel, it is not given in order to receive the Gospel.

1Cor 4:15 For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

Regeneration comes by the Word. We are not regenerated in order to receive the Word.

Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

The Word itself does not create faith, but provides the substance of faith. We exercise faith in the Word and then salvation is wrought. Those who did not exercise faith did not receive the blessing of salvation.

1Thess 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Jas 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Heb 4:2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

1Pet 2:7-8
⁷Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
⁸And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

We are taught in the Scriptures that in being born again we have all that accompanies salvation. It is not that we are born of God and then at some later moment become saved receiving the righteousness of God.

• The ability to fight sin, which is a capacity of the saved, is attributed to those who are born of God. If one were merely born in order to exercise faith,  his birth would not be accompanied by power over sin.

1John 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

• The new birth has a living hope, the hope of the saved, not a potential hope of one anticipating salvation, the living hope does not come at a later moment when we are saved.

1Pet 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

• If we believe then we are born of God; not are born of God and then believe.

1John 5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

The consequence of faith is the new birth; it is not that the consequence of the new birth is faith. We hear the Word and are convinced by it that we are sinners in need of salvation. If we receive the Word with faith, we become regenerated, born again, begotten of God.

Hindu

…in a sense, Hindus don’t really see Jesus as a Christian at all. (Of course Jesus didn’t either, because the term wasn’t used during His lifetime.) In Hindu thought, church or temple membership or belief is not as significant as spiritual practice, which in Sanskrit is called sadhana.
As there is no Church of Hinduism, everyone holds their own spiritual and philosophical opinions. It is difficult then to understand someone’s spirituality simply by looking at their religious trappings. So, in India it is more common to hear someone ask, “What is your sadhana (practice)?” than, “What do you believe?”
When I was 14 I began a personal and serious study of the New Testament. I wanted to understand what Christ had to say about things, so I paid particular attention to the words of Jesus Himself. I can see now that the whole direction of my life was determined by this formative study and by the thoughtfulness invoked by it.
I read such passages as Luke 5: “forsake all and follow me”. I remember distinctly, as a 14 year old, developing my own understanding of what that meant. I had formed a sense of mission and vocation by reading the Bible, seeing that the love of God should be shared with others. The greatest commandment – to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our words and all our deeds, and love our neighbour as ourselves – struck me as an instruction, as a plea and, actually, as a necessity. Considering how to do to that, how to forsake all and follow God out of love, has provided me my greatest challenge in life.
I first encountered Hindu spirituality through the Vaishnava tradition of the great medieval saint Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. That’s a lot of words that boil down to mean I met the Hare Krishnas. At the age of 18, in Dublin, I bumped into a shaven-headed, saffron-robed fellow and visited his temple, ashram, his monastery, so to speak. I had been visiting all kinds of religious groups, Christian and otherwise, but these were surprisingly serious chaps.
They rose at four in the morning for prayer, study and chanting. By the time breakfast came at 8:30am I felt like I had done a full day’s work, only to find that the full day’s work was just about to begin! The captivating thing for me, though, was the fact that every act was to be offered to God with love, every word spoken in His favour, every song sung for His pleasure, every dance for His eyes and all food prepared and offered first for His taste. Along with this went an ancient philosophy that answered more questions than I had ever asked. But what got me about these devotees of Krishna was what I saw as their practice of Christianity, even though they didn’t actually call themselves Christians.
They banded together in small groups, sang the praise of God with drums and loud clashing cymbals, wore flowing robes, abandoned the material world and preached in the public marketplaces. That’s actually a description of the early Christians but the Krishnas did this as well. I loved the chanting of Hare Krishna. I’m sure you have seen the devotees chanting in public somewhere. They chant Sanskrit names of God, Hare, Krishna and Rama, meaning ‘spirititual happiness’, ‘all-attractive person’ and ‘reservoir of pleasure’. Lovely names and they form a prayer to be engaged in the service of God.
The idea of chanting God’s name, any name we choose to chant, is that we come into direct contact with God Himself, as his name and His Person are not different, the Hindu story goes. But don’t take my word for it. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. I think it was the spontaneous happiness produced by the music, the chant and the dancing that touched my heart so much and it continues to do so to this day. For me it was “Hallowed by thy name” in practice. The practice may look strange to some but that is not the point. I suppose it depends on our cultural view, but nuns may look just as strange as naked Sadhus. Is that a reflection of their spiritual qualities or just their dress sense? To me this spiritual practice was being performed in the essential spirit of Christianity.
Remember my Indian friend who loved Ishu so much? What about him? Was he a follower of Christ? Could he have a personal relationship with God? Would he have to “bathe in the blood of the Lamb” first (a terrible option for vegetarians)? These are important questions, though: “Can a Hindu follow Jesus?”; “Can a Hindu love God with all his heart and soul?”; “Do you have to be a Christian to follow Christ?”; even “Who owns Christ?”.
The Sanskrit word acharya means ‘one who teaches by example’. For Hindus, Christ is an acharya. His example is a light to any of us in this world who want to take up the serious practice of spiritual life. His message is no different from the message preached in another time and place by Lord Krishna and Lord Chaitanya. It would be a great shame if we allowed our Hinduism, our Islam, our Judaism or indeed our Christianity to stand in the way of being able to follow the teachings and example of such a great soul as Lord Jesus Christ.
Shaunaka Rishi Das

Moslem

3:55 Behold! Allah said: “O Jesus! I will take thee and raise thee to Myself and clear thee (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow thee superior to those who reject faith, to the Day of Resurrection: Then shall ye all return unto me, and I will judge between you of the matters wherein ye dispute.

It is not difficult, on the other hand, to explain God’s statement that He had placed those who follow Jesus above the unbelievers, and that this elevation continues until the Day of Resurrection. Those who follow Jesus are the ones who believe in God’s true religion, Islam, or surrender to God. Every prophet is fully aware of the true nature of this religion. Every messenger preached the same religion and everyone who truly believes in the Divine faith believes in it. These believers are indeed far superior to the unbelievers according to God’s measure, and they will continue to be so until the Day of Judgement. Moreover, they prove their superiority in our practical life every time they confront the forces of un-faith with the true nature of faith and the reality of following God’s messengers. The Divine faith is one, as preached by Jesus, son of Mary, as preached by every messenger sent before him and by the messenger sent after him. Those who follow Muhammad at the same time follow all the messengers sent by God, starting with Adam until the last messenger. (In the Shade of the Qur’an – Fi Zilal al-Qur’an, Volume 2, Surah 3, translated and edited by Adil Salahi & Ashur Shamis [The Islamic Foundation, 2000], pp. 97-98)
from Sam Shanoum

Buddhist

I’m a believer in the principles of Jesus, but I lived in Thailand for a while and became a Buddhist also, I see no reason not to be able to follow the examples taught by two great teachers.
Certainly among all the Thai Buddhists I’ve met, they do follow his principles better than we Christians.
“Ron” answering a question for yahoo

Also see:

Why do people think Scientology, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Christian Science are follower of Jesus?

One’s authenticity as a Christian is not enhanced by claiming to be a follower, it is most certainly watered down. If I were to use the label “follower of Jesus” to differentiate myself from insincere and otherwise less-than Christians then I place myself squarely in the company of many unbelivers.

So what shall we call ourselves? How about born-again, a true believer, a Christian?

The problem with calling yourself anything is hoping that a one-size-fits-all label can be found. Whether you use a lofty tone or take an aw-shucks-I’m-so-humble attitude to differentiate yourself by the label you use, you will always have a problem.

• If a Jew, Hindu, Moslem, or other non-Christian asks me what I am: I am a Christian.
• If a Presbyterian, Catholic, Methodist, etc. asks: I am a Baptist.
• If a Southern Baptist asks: I am an Independent Baptist.
• If a Liberal asks me: I am a Fundamentalist.
• If an independent Baptist asks me: I am conservative.

It all depends on what I want to communicate. For better or worse, labels are great for that. Sometimes people pre-judge me by my label positively, sometimes negatively. There is no guarantee that the label I might choose will communicate what I want it to. To different people, being a follower might be challenging, edifying, smug, or ecumenical. I cannot escape being non-offensive any more than Jesus, John the Baptist, or Paul did. Labels are mere introductions to the teaching to follow. The real job is to then teach and explain the significance of my label.

So will I skip the word “follower”? I will not stop using it altogether, but now I have a little more work cut out for me when I use it.