Read Romans 3:23 and Colossians 3:9-11. Jesus didn’t come to the earth just to get you into heaven. He came to get heaven into you. If you have read Romans 3:23 it’s likely that you connected the idea of falling short of God’s glory as missing heaven. In other words, all have sinned and as a result fall short of the requirements of getting into heaven. Now, I am not disputing this fact. However, I am suggesting that ‘glory’ in this context is not referring to a place we are going but a state we are to live in.
With humanity sinned, they fell from glory. What glory? The glory that is expressed when mankind properly reflects God’s image in the earth. The original intention God had for mankind did not include shame, fear, brokennes, regret, powerlessness, and bondage. And yet for some reason we blame all of our failures and missteps on our humanity. Have you ever heard someone say - after they sinned or failed - “‘well, I’m only human.” This excuse becomes justification for their actions. It’s as if “who can blame me, it’s just the way I was made.” The enemy tricks us into accepting a lower standard for life that falls short of God’s masterful design. Now, it is true that as a result of the fall we are born into sin. And yes, without Christ it is inevitable that we are going to fall and miss the mark. However, it is not because of the way God created us. He created you to be blessed, fruitful, victorious, healthy in relationships, and fulfilled in purpose. Anything less than this ‘image’ is actually a fallen expression of God’s intention. In other words, we are living below our intended humanity.
Jesus didn’t come to the earth just to get you into heaven. He came to get heaven into you.
Therefore, Jesus came to restore His image in our lives. Thanks to Jesus we can ‘put off’ the old self and ‘put on’ the new self created in His image. This is the key to escaping the past. Being born again renews the capacity that was on the first man and women before they sinned. In this new state nothing is impossible to those who believe. “You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you!” (Philippians 4:13) In Christ, your Divine DNA has been unlocked!
