The significance of being created in God’s image is being causative. God is a creator; those created in His image cannot be in His image unless able to create, as well. Unless one appreciates being causative, one should regard him or herself as being the opposite of God’s image. We live in a world where the majority of people feel incapacitated. They feel genuinely incapacitated to change conditions in their environments. However, blaming others for wrongs is the worst sin of humanity.
A child born in an environment of lawlessness bears the responsibility of changing that environment for the better. The truth of the matter is that being born in a lawless environment requires one to cause order in that environment. Jesus is one typical example of an individual who left an impact that can be used by anyone in need of order. Jesus declared being the way the truth and the life.
Looking to Jesus does not necessarily mean adopting the stance of trusting Him at all times. It means taking up the role of being causative, just as Jesus was causative, so that nothing becomes impossible to handle, in one’s environment. There is no need to feel incapacitated, due to physically limiting factors, like time.
Some of the tasks may require hundreds of years to accomplish. But God’s child cannot be intimidated by that timing factor, as being aware that God is not limited by time. Certainly, for God’s children, nothing can be impossible, as long as what would be intended would be in line with God’s will. To His disciples, Jesus stated that if they had faith as little as a mustard seed nothing would be impossible for them.
“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment (Matthew 17:17-18 NIV).
Jesus got frustrated by their lack of faith. They had been with Jesus all along. He had used Himself as an example of being the Son of God. What is it that caused them to fail to adopt skills, as well as He did? Or, was it a matter of skill, or a matter of awareness of their identity? The secret of their identity had already been divulged. They ought to have avoided doubt. If they were God’s children, how could they be limited by anything?
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah (Matthew 16:17-20 NIV).
Jesus had divulged the deepest secret utterance to His disciples. The awareness of being God’s child makes one unlimited to anything. There is no reason to entertain the word “impossible” for anyone who calls himself God’s child. Doing so would be another way of invalidating God.
Jesus conquered this world, not by establishing God’s Kingdom, at that time. As far as Jesus was concerned, the time factor was immaterial. Jesus conquered the world, even though it would be more than two thousand years, before the establishment of that Kingdom.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV).
Should troubles be anything regarded as limiting God’s children? Certainly not; for those who regard Jesus as the chief expositor of God’s truth. Any disciple of Jesus, worth his salt could not doubt anything that came directly from Jesus. God’s children are outside time and space. The physical universe may be cruel to them, as to possibly take away their physical lives. But that cruelty cannot access that which identifies them as God’s children.
A causative person does not take orders from any other source, except from the ultimate causative power in the entire universe. This is what Jesus displayed, as He refused to take instructions from Pharisaic authorities. They tried to silence Him, by nailing the Son of Man on the cross, whose effects were irrelevant. However, they could not silence the Son of the living God, who could not be observed by physical eyes.
In his defence, Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” For this reason, they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these so that you will be amazed (John 5:17-20 NIV).
Jesus was the duplicate of His Father, whose Son He was. It follows that His disciples were expected to do like Him, duplicating the Father, in all their activities. They were no longer to be limited by anything of this world. Jesus said in this world they would have troubles, but He assured them that He had overcome the world.
When Jesus was saying these things to them, they had not yet received the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, by faith, they were to regard themselves as God’s children. This faith aspect, which most Christians like to talk about, applies only to those not having yet received the Holy Spirit.
“Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came so that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
“So in Christ Jesus, you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and hears according to the promise” (Galatians 3:23-29 NIV).
The above Scriptures ought to be scrutinized analytically. Faith has got nothing to do with law-keeping, but belief in God. Hence, Paul says we are Abraham’s seed. Abraham was never given Laws, as provided to the Children of Israel, through Moses. Abraham simply believed in God and got justified.
What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? If Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:1-3 NIV)
There was nothing spiritual about Abraham, except that he believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Abraham was like the disciples of Jesus who believed that Jesus was Christ, the Son of the living God. Those disciples were not the Law-keepers, like the Pharisees. They believed in Jesus, by faith, to become His disciples. That alone, is what justified them to be Abraham’s seed, who also believed in God, by faith.
Believing in God does not necessarily mean meticulously keeping the Law. It simply means taking instructions directly from God. Like Abraham, Jesus’ disciples took instructions directly from God, through Jesus. Everything said by Jesus was approved by His Father. He declared that He could not do anything not approved by His Father. However, everything changes, for those having sacrificed everything, as to accept baptism.
“So in Christ Jesus, you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:25-28 NIV).
Faith no longer applies to those having clothed themselves with Christ. Those people can no longer be categorized by class or by gender. They are God’s children, deserving to be treated similarly to how Jesus is revered by those claiming to love Jesus. “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’” (Matthew 25:40 NIV).
Any person who calls himself “Christian” but feels incapacitated; taking instructions from his pastor is not causative. That person should never fool himself that he/she would be Christian. Of course, that person would be a disciple of the referred pastor, but certainly not a Christian. There is a need to clarify the distinction, for those desiring not to fall under deception.
Christians are God’s children, taking instructions directly from their Father, like Jesus. They are, actually, causative in their respective environments. With that kind of responsibility, nothing suggests that they have a pleasant time on earth. Physically, these can be classified as the most miserable people, the world has ever known, due to persecution.
“If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me” (John 15:19-21 NIV).
When Jesus said these words, He had already promised them the comforter who would direct them on how they were to conduct themselves. They would no longer be swayed by worldly doctrines, but as directed by the Holy Spirit, which would seal them as God’s children.
Those people are certainly different from those finding it impossible to break away from their places of employment, for instance. It is common to hear some people calling themselves “Christians” but expressing allegiance to their employers, more than to God. A Christian behaves similarly to how Jesus behaved. Jesus was only answerable to one authority, His Father.
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-27 NIV).
The above Scripture is not directed to those who would be quick to label such teachings as heretical. Indeed, what is said here does not apply to those of this world. If any reader feels offended by such quotations, let it be known that I understand. “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given” (Matthew 19:11).
What is most exciting about Christianity is that insults and rejection are what demarcates one from those of this world. Jesus never told His disciples to feel good when people treated them well. For a faithful Christian, rejection and insults, coming from those of this world, is what should make one happy. The one being rejected would be Jesus, rather than the person concerned.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12 NIV).
Anything considered to be the effect is that which is physical. All objects are effects, including physical humans. The reason I cannot be in Cape Town, while at my location is the consideration of my being effect. As a spiritual being, there is nothing that stops me from being in Cape Town, as I will. I disregard the physical limitations and be in Cape Town as God wills me to go.
As many Christians are known to be in Zimbabwe, their limitations are only in consideration of being effects, rather than being causative. They are stuck in assuming that they cannot do anything about bad conditions. All this comes from their being unaware that as God’s children, they are not limited by anything. They ought to be as causative as God is causative.
Their failure is to the extent that they assume being the effects, rather than causative. It is assumed that some readers might meditate on what is rendered hear and allow God to communicate with them. It is not for the author to determine how the reader ruminates and applies the communication. God communicates to people in different ways. The prayer is that the reader takes instructions directly from God.
While God’s children can be causative in their physical environments, they certainly cannot always be causative in spiritual matters. Even Jesus expressed His limitations in some areas. “But about that day or hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32 NIV). This includes positions of authority, in Heaven (Matthew 20:23).
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing relief to those having witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
The Print copy is now available at Amazon.com for $13.99
Also available as an e-copy at Lulu.com for $6.99
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