‘In His Image’ – Highlights of the book by Jen Wilkin

I read this book a while back, and at the time, I felt compelled to take notes to help me focus on it because when it comes to non-fiction, I find it a lot harder to read. Fiction, however, I can devour in a day. By the time I finished the book, I had gathered quite a bit of information, but I had the feeling that I would use it someday, and then once I started this blog, I just knew that this was the reason. So you can expect to see more posts like this.

In His Image isn’t the biggest book in the world; it’s short but highly impactful. It is all about God’s character, and I know I’ve recently done a post about that, but this is more of a summary of the points and phrases which stood out to me. Another perspective on the same topic is helpful too, at least in my opinion, because no matter how hard we study something, there will always be something that is missed that someone else can have seen.

I have taken notes divided into each chapter, which breakdown aspects of God’s character. In this format, I hope you will find it easier to read.

Photo by Guillaume de Germain on Unsplash

Introduction

The Introduction points out that the words and phrases the bible repeats are the most important things to remember and apply in our lives. We ought to aspire to be like Jesus, the image of God in human form and to become like Jesus; we need to know God.

Infinite. Incomprehensible. Self-Existent. Eternal. Sovereign. Unchanging. Everywhere. All-knowing. All-powerful.

This is who God is, parts of His character that we cannot achieve to be and nor should we because that would mean we are trying to be Him, aspiring to be His enemy. We need to be content with who we are with God and not desire to be things we cannot ever hope to be.

Ch 1 – Holy

God is Holy, and as humans, we strive to be like Him, to be holy as he is holy (1 Peter 1:16). Holiness is to be set apart, sacred and pure. So, to be like God, we should strive to be pure.

Do not conform to who you were but be reformed to who you are in Christ.

We achieve holiness in time by learning to act like God’s children. In this process, we become:

Loving
- Just
  - Good
  - Merciful
  - Wise
  - Gracious
  - Faithful
  - Truthful
  - Patient

Ch 2 – Loving

There are different types of love:

Eros – romantic love
Philia- sibling love shared between peers.
Storge – a parent’s love for a child
Agape – the love of god.

Philia occurs 54 times in the New Testament. Agape 259 times. Eros and Storge do not appear at all.

Agape – God’s love – is an act of will. It is unconditional, selfless, sacrificing, unending and enduring. It transcends feelings.

Earthly love, on the other hand, will always be limited. It is based on need and seeks to be loved in return.

When we love God completely, there is no room for pride or self-exaltation, and if we find it difficult to love others, then it may point to a deficit in our love of God. She says that unless we love God with all we have, we will not love others or even ourselves as we should. With every decision we face, we should choose the one that allows love to grow.

We love because God first loved us (1 John 4:19).

Ch 3 – Good

He is the definition of goodness. In His goodness, He loves and cares for us; He still gives when He has already given us the greatest gift of eternity with Him because of Jesus. We should aim to be good as He is good by being generous to others and loving our enemies. We must also remember that the moments we do not fear loss are when generosity truly flourishes.

Ch 4 – Just

Justice is getting what we deserve. God sees all and knows all. He neither over-punishes nor under-punishes. It is with clarity that He metes out His judgement. Despite our perception, all His discipline is given in the name of love. He has given us laws for our good. He allows us to repent and learn from our mistakes, although not without consequence. Believers are marked with an adoration for God’s law and justice, a reverence for all things concerning God. As a result, she says that believers with an advantage of any kind over others, be it wealth or education, ought to use it for the benefit of others. To seek an end to avoidable inequalities.

Ch 5 & 6 – Merciful and Gracious

When we think of mercy, grace follows quickly behind; in fact, we often think of them as intertwined, which they are. Mercy is not getting what we deserve, i.e., the punishment for our sin and grace is receiving what we do not deserve, i.e., eternal life because Jesus died for us.

Mercy is forgiving others and ourselves as often as needed, for God forgives us as often as we ask in His graciousness. The Lord expresses love through His mercy and grace. It cannot be earned, and it is freely and unconditionally given. Those who are unaware of any hurt they have caused are in the most need of mercy and forgiveness, and to do so is to follow in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus. For where laws condemn, mercy triumphs. We are taught to follow God’s moral law as Jesus did, and on this path, God’s grace will strengthen us to renounce our sinful and ungodly ways.

‘Out of his fullness, we have all received grace in place of grace already given.’ John 1:16

Ch 7 – Faithful

We are taught to be faithful like God in a world where being faithful and loyal is increasingly rare. As humans, we often fail God, and even the most reliable person we know has messed up and let someone down, but this only shows why we need God. Only He can be genuinely faithful to us; we know this because of the Bible and His promises to those who came before. God helps us in our trials when we are amid temptations. Temptation is normal, and it’s hard to overcome sometimes, but in His faithfulness, in His goodness, God has made a way. He executes righteous correction in His faithfulness to bring us back to Him.

Every act of faithfulness towards others is an act of faith towards God.

Ch 8 – Patient

Infinite, eternal, endless. Time does not exist for God as it does for us. He is patient, acting only when the time is right. It is an expression of His love. Only God knows the right time for us to enter a relationship or a season of isolation. Only God knows when our trials will end. We are fools to think our challenges will pass quickly; only God knows, so we must be patient. Impatience may not be a sin, but it is certainly not helpful.

Ch 9 – Truthful

I’ve already mentioned that we are made in the image of God and that, as His image bearers, we ought to reflect Him. Well, then, we also ought to speak and live the truth. We are called to do so and to seek it wholeheartedly. If we do not know how to tell what truth is and what is a lie, we are in a position of great weakness. When we see the truth and live in it, we are released from the chains of deceit that seek to take us away from God.

We are taught that sin is evil and that to sin is to reject God’s will. But it is more than that; to reject God is to deny truth. God’s truth is universal. He created everything and desired us to live in a community to share one truth and one belief and follow Him. He is the only one who can absolve us of our guilt, sin, and shame. Even then, it is a sad reality that even those of us who believe will not be relieved of our guilt, for we still sin, we still have doubts, and until we reach Heaven, it is something we must learn to live with. We worry about out-sinning God’s grace, forgetting that He is all-powerful and doubting His might, and as bad as this is, it does tell us something. We have hope, for to be worried about this shows us we are on the right path.

Ch 10 – Wise

God is knowledgeable, knowing all things, but He is also wise. He doesn’t just possess information; He created it and knows how to use it for good to serve us so that we may glorify Him. When we think of wise people, it’s generally older people with more experience and knowledge than us who give good advice and serve others. To be wise is to be morally good, to help others and be in community.

Wisdom is with the aged and understanding (Job 12:12).

God says it is folly to seek worldly wisdom; in fact, He declares it is not wisdom at all. He says that wisdom is a mark of spiritual maturity; it is something that we will attain in time as long as we continue to seek Him and live His way. He calls us to seek Godly wisdom, which submits to His truth, is patient and builds others up. The simplest and most crucial act of wisdom is to repent and ask God to forgive us for our sins daily.

Conclusion

‘In His Image’ concludes with arguably the most critical piece of information. What motivates us matters. We need to become sanctified and let the joy of the Lord lead our lives. Joy should be both our motivation and our reward. It is God’s will that we become living proof of Him through our actions and our words.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).

I highly recommend you read ‘In His Image’ for yourself. Jen Wilkin is a great writer, and reading ‘In His Image’ has helped me live a little more like God wants me to. If you choose to read it, I know it will help you too; after all, I’ve just mentioned a few highlights there is still a lot to read. Until next time…