The most ambitious and stupendous words God ever uttered may very well be those recorded in Genesis 1:26: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Though, at his creation, man was a physical representation of God’s likeness, God was also planning to make man after His very character—in His image.
Here was a dual creation. One aspect of it God created at that moment, instantaneously at His command; the other would be created in human beings over time. It would require the one in whom it was being created to choose to have it created in him or her. In this sense, humans were to take an active part in this spiritual aspect of God’s creation—by yielding to God’s creative power as He worked to cultivate another holy, divine member of His family.
As Herbert W. Armstrong explained in Mystery of the Ages, this spiritual creation—God instilling His divine, perfect character into humans—was the greatest thing God could create; Mr. Armstrong termed it the “supreme creative accomplishment.”
Thus, the creation of human beings in Genesis 1 was incomplete: Though physically perfect, they could not think in spiritual terms. God began educating them in His law, His plan of salvation, and the choices they would have to make to become a part of the spiritual creation.
Sadly, Adam and Eve chose not to continue their spiritual development, but rather to live cut off from God. Additionally, they would also fall under the sway of Satan the devil and thus become hostile toward, and an enemy of, the great Creator (Romans 8:7-8), utterly unable to obey God and to be part of the spiritual creation God intended for man.
Of course, God’s plan wasn’t thwarted. Because of Christ’s first coming and sacrifice, which paid the penalty of all sin repented of, God would be able to continue the spiritual creation through human beings. This would be done, for the most part, after the Second Coming, when Jesus Christ would remove the god of this world and set up His world-ruling government.
Despite this awesome plan, God would still—before Christ’s Second Coming and while Satan still ruled the Earth—select a choice few to continue His spiritual creation. They would have a particularly challenging process ahead of them. As Paul wrote in the verses referred to above, carnal man cannot keep God’s law; it is entirely impossible for him to please God; and, as one Old Testament prophet wrote, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked …” (Jeremiah 17:9).
These are the odds this group faces when called to take part in God’s spiritual creation: called in a state of mind hostile to God, unable to submit to God, unable to keep the law that defines God’s character, and with a deceitful and desperately wicked heart.
And there’s more. God also says that of those wicked human beings in this world, He generally calls the weakest and most base to take part in this feat! (1 Corinthians 1:26-28).
How could these firstfruits possibly accomplish God’s goal for them?
Not By Our Power
God, the Master Designer and Creator, revealed the steps for His spiritual creation in the annual holy days. The time leading up to and revolving around the spring holy days is a time of self-examination—seeing where we lack, where sin infects our lives. We strive to obtain more of God’s righteousness, His mind, His character—to become more perfect.
But this may seem impossible, as we have no ability inherent in ourselves to do this. God even tells us that our righteousness is “as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).
This does not mean we don’t have our part to play in this spiritual creation. But humanly, we are powerless to obtain eternal life in God’s family. Humanly we cannot be subject to God’s law—the code of conduct that defines this character we are to obtain. The conclusion of Lesson 34 of the Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course stated, “Yes, God expects you to do your part in His plan, but there is no way you can earn salvation! Eternal life in God’s Kingdom is a free gift (Romans 6:23). No one but Jesus Christ has ever deserved it! No matter how much you do, you will fall far short; God will not owe you salvation. He gives it to you as a free gift on condition that you accept Christ’s sacrifice and strive to obey Him!
“God knows that to overcome your human weaknesses, to thoroughly and perfectly ‘unleaven’ your life, your own puny human powers and abilities are not enough! You need His power!”
And that’s what Pentecost pictures: God giving a measure of His Holy Spirit—His mind, His divine nature—to those He calls out. That is the only way we can develop spiritually.
The Creator God is no less involved in this spiritual creation than He was in His physical creation. He is actually more involved! God is Creator! And He is creating His character in us.
The Source of Character and Our Part
Mr. Armstrong wrote profoundly about this spiritual creation process in The Incredible Human Potential. On page 34, he wrote, “[S]uch perfect character must be developed. It requires the free choice and decision of the separate entity in whom it is to be created. But, further, even then it must be instilled by and from the Holy God who, only, has such righteous character to endow. … And even then such holy character is the gift of God. It comes by yielding to God to instill His law (God’s right way of life) within the entity who so decides and wills. Actually, this perfect character comes only from God, as instilled within the entity of His creation, upon voluntary acquiescence, even after severe trial and test.”
It is easy to underestimate God’s part as the Creator of such character. Remember how King David asked God to “Create in me a clean heart” (Psalm 51:10). God alone has such character to endow. We cannot conjure it up from within our rotten, deceitfully wicked heart.
Notice how Mr. Armstrong described God’s part. He used, in that passage, the word instill or instilled three times. He also used words like gift and endow. We receive it from God.
We do have our part to play, but notice the words and phrases used to describe that: “free choice,” “decision,” “voluntary,” “acquiescence,” “the entity who so decides and wills.” Our part is made up entirely of yielding to God, choosing to let Him create in us. Of course, this does not minimize the importance of our part—for that is no minor feat. But the point is not to be thinking that we have to build up the strength to overcome and become righteous and filled with God’s character. That character must come from God, for only He has it to give!
Notice what Mr. Armstrong wrote about ancient Israel’s journey from Egypt—relating it to the spiritual archetype: “While Israel was in Egypt they were Pharaoh’s slaves, helpless and powerless under his taskmasters—just as the sinner is in the power of the devil” (Pagan Holidays—or God’s Holy Days—Which?).
We of ourselves have no power to escape the clutches of sin, because the devil is more powerful than us! But we do have one source of power that we must use continually as we depart from sin—the power given to the New Testament Church in a.d. 31 on the feast of Pentecost: God’s Holy Spirit.
Mr. Armstrong also wrote, “The children of Israel started out of Egypt, the night of the 15th of Abib, as we must, willingly, of our own accord, start out of sin as soon as we accept the blood of Christ. They started out on their own power—and we must make the start ourselves” (ibid).
The power that we possess of ourselves—that we must use in order for God’s power to work—is the power of choice! That is what starts this spiritual creation, as Mr. Armstrong wrote here.
But this initial power cannot get us character. “[W]hen Israel took the blood of the lamb,” Mr. Armstrong continued, “then God acted, and as a result Pharaoh released Israel. When we accept Christ’s blood, God acts, and the devil must release us. …
“[A]s soon as the Israelites saw this great army pursuing them, they lost their courage. Fear came over them. … They saw it was impossible for them to get away from Pharaoh and his army, because he was too powerful for them. And they were helpless. So it is with us” (ibid).
As we saw earlier, humanly the deck is stacked against us. Looking at our sins and flaws, it seems there is no way we can make it. In fact, God wants us to come to grips with that fact, so we will rely on Him!
Exodus 14:13-14 relates, “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” There is clearly delineated the division of responsibilities in this spiritual battle.
God is showing us that He instills this character in us when we yield to Him!
Mr. Armstrong continued, “Helpless, we are told to stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. He shall fight for us. We cannot conquer Satan and sin, but He can. It is the risen Christ—our High Priest—who will cleanse us—sanctify us—deliver us—who said He would never leave us nor forsake us! We cannot keep the Commandments in our own power and strength. But Christ IN US can keep them! We must rely on Him in faith” (emphasis added throughout).
Christ’s mind must be in us (Philippians 2:5). He must come in the flesh through us (1 John 4:2). It must be God’s righteousness in us. It is His character. If we keep the law more perfectly, if we overcome sin, it is not us doing that—rather it is Christ in us. Certainly we are yielding to His power, but we must recognize that it’s impossible to overcome any other way.
“And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward” (Exodus 14:15). As stated earlier, our part is yielding to God’s power in faith. And faith implies action. We must go forward in complete reliance on God’s power.
We “go forward” by putting in the time in prayer, study, meditation, fasting—putting those things first in our lives, desiring to keep God’s law by the power of His Spirit in us—and then God fights for us and gives us the strength to keep His law more perfectly. Then, Christ is overcoming in us!
To Conquer, God Must Conquer Us
Notice how Mr. Armstrong defined godly character: “Perfect, holy and righteous character is the ability in such separate entity to come to discern the true and right way from the false, to make voluntarily a full and unconditional surrender to God and His perfect way—to yield to be conquered by God—to determine even against temptation or self-desire, to live and to do the right” (The Incredible Human Potential).
The components of character are, firstly, discerning right from wrong and, lastly, doing the right over the wrong despite any other factors. But it is that component in the middle that is so critical to understanding how to obtain this character: “to make voluntarily a full and unconditional surrender to God and His perfect way.”
Character ultimately manifests itself in action—in us keeping God’s law, living and doing the right even in the face of temptation. But these actions are only possible if we have made a voluntary, full, unconditional surrender—“to yield to be conquered by God.”
God conquers us, so we—with His power—can conquer sin and Satan.
We must be conquered if we are to conquer!
Once conquered, and surrendered to God’s way of life, then Christ can live in us—He can come in the flesh through us, living His life through our thoughts and actions (1 John 4:2).
“The two above-mentioned conditions to becoming a Christian—repentance and faith—we ourselves must perform. But these do not make us Christians—do not convert us. It is what God does—giving His Holy Spirit by His grace as His free gift—that converts us.
“Our repentance and faith do not earn the receiving of God’s Spirit. God does not give us His Spirit because we repent and believe. He gives His Spirit because He wants to give it. He wants us to have His Spirit as His gift before we repent. He merely requires repentance and faith as conditions” (ibid).
It starts with us exercising the power of choice—solely our decision to surrender, yield, get out of the way, not doing what we want but what God in us wants—and then God continues to empower us more and more with His Spirit, which He has given us freely as a gift. Through us, He will conquer our sinful nature, as well as the devil’s and society’s influence on our minds.
“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. … For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Romans 8:9-10, 13).
We can only conquer our evil deeds through God’s Spirit! And if we do this, then we will live forever!
God’s Creative Accomplishment
Notice how Paul described the spiritual creation of the firstfruits: “And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:28-31).
When the spiritual creation in us is complete, we won’t be gloating about how much we were able to contribute. All the glory will go to God for being able to produce the supreme pinnacle of His creative powers!
Remember the context of Jeremiah’s condemnation of man’s heart: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. … O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters” (Jeremiah 17:9-10, 13).
There is no hope in man. If we forsake God—the only source of this character and the fountain of living waters—there is no hope! But there is hope in God.
Mr. Armstrong exquisitely summed up this spiritual creation—God’s part and ours—on page 77 of The Incredible Human Potential: “We are, in truth, the work of His hands. Yet we ourselves must do our part in this spiritual development. If we lazily neglect Bible study and prayer—or if we let other material interests become more important and we neglect such great salvation, we lose out.
“But if we have the strength of character to yield, of our own will to put ourselves in God’s hands, He will instill within us His Spirit and by it His righteousness—His character—open our minds to His spiritual knowledge. We have to want it! We have to work at it! We have to put it first, above all else.
“It must be God’s righteousness, for all of ours is like filthy rags to Him. He continually instills His knowledge, His righteousness, His character within us—if we diligently seek it and want it. But we have our very important part in it. Then all credit goes to God.
“As we receive the character of God through the Holy Spirit of God, more and more God is reproducing Himself in us.
“Finally, in the resurrection, we shall be as God—in a position where we cannot sin, because we ourselves have set it so and have turned from sin and have struggled and struggled against sin and overcome sin.
“God’s purpose will be accomplished!”