HOW DO I GAIN VICTORY OVER SELF-DECEIT? [PART 4]

 I believe in order to gain a clear perspective of our own deceitfulness, it’s crucial to see where we come from and compare how far we’ve fallen and how much we need God to help us.

The Genesis account of the origin of mankind records:

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our own 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 the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

So God created man in his image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the every living thing that moveth upon the earth.-Genesis 1:26-28

How can we know the image and likeness of God?

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom he also made the worlds.

Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the power of his word, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High.-Hebrews 1:1-3

In order to understand how we were character-wise before the fall, we need to study the character of God and see how much we have fallen.

The character of God according to His image

 ²⁰But ye have not so learned Christ;

²¹ If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

²² That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

²³ And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

²⁴ And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.- Ephesians 4:20 - 24

From the text above we learn that the image of God is righteousness and true holiness

The Character of God from Scripture

Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:

But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgement, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord. –Jeremiah 9:23, 24

The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.-Psalm 145:15

The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.

The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. - Psalm 145:8, 9

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. - 1 John 4:7

From the texts above we learn that God possesses:

-Lovingkindness

-Judgement (Justice)

-Everlasting Righteousness

-Everlasting goodness

-Impartiality

-Compassion

-Slowness to anger

-Holiness

-Truthful

Lastly, God is love

The Character of God as Revealed in Christ’s Life

²⁸And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

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. - Romans 8:28-29

Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ; for I am meek and lowly in heart. -2 Corinthians 10:1a; Matthew 11:29b

²¹ For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

²² Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

²³ Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

²⁴ Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. – 2 Peter 2:21- 25

Christ, the express image of God and thoroughly expression of God:

-Meek

-Gentle

-Never sinned

-Without guile (purity of speech / without deceit)

-Reviles not

From the few scriptures we’ve gathered we have learnt about the image of God, which only reveal him in part; and since men were created in His image, we can conclude that:

Mankind came from the hands of God possessing love, compassion, humility, impartiality, right doing (righteousness), justice, gentleness, without deceit and more. He possessed no taint of sin.

In the next article, we’ll look at how sin has corrupted mankind and led to self-deceit. We’ll also look at the cure for self-deceit thoroughly.