Scripture References: Ephesians 4:11-13
If you will notice in the above scriptures it reveals that the gifts of the ministry is given solely for the perfecting of the saints until they come to the stature of the fulness of Christ. In case you didn't know what Paul meant when he speaks of the fulness of Christ, then let me reveal to you that it means that the saints will in a process of time be conformed to all the fulness of Christ having become a totally new creation in him and will possess the same divine nature as he did. To bear this truth out further look at what the apostle Peter tells us in II Peter 1:3-4 that says, "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." The things that Peter says that God has given to us is everything that we need in order that we can become partakers of his divine nature. All these things are the many truths taught and revealed throughout the scriptures of the new Testament covenant, which are the many teachings revealed in the gospel of Christ. It is belief and obedience to these truths that will eventually conform us back to the very image and likeness of God like Adam was created in before he fell into a life of sin and rebellion against God. In Genesis 1:26 we find these words saying, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our 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 all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."
God created Adam in both his "image and likeness" meaning that Adam, in one sense of the word, was like God. Adam was like God in his character, which was holy, godly, and righteous. Adam was created like God in this respect simply because there was no sin in Adam. Now we know that this first Adam did eventually sin against God and when he did, Adam was no longer holy and godly as God was. Adam's nature was no longer sinless and divine, but rather his nature became sinful and that sinful nature led him into a life of rebellion against God. When this happened, man remained only in the image of God, but was no longer in the likeness of God. Even though man became sinful and lived in rebellion against God, God did not destroy man, but rather he was going to redeem sinful man back in fellowship with him. Before man can come back in fellowship with God, the sin that infested his very being has to be removed and destroyed. How God was going to do this was to be revealed in a plan of redemption that mankind would eventually come in contact with, but this redemption plan would not be revealed until many hundreds of years in the future. It was about 4000 years later (more or less) that this plan would be revealed in and through the teachings of the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So during all these 4000 years from Adam to Christ, there was not another man that was in both the image and likeness of God, because every human being born into this world since Adam was born possessing the Adamic nature of Adam, which was a sinful nature against the divine nature of God. But when Christ was finally born into this world from the womb of a woman, it would be approximately thirty years later that he would begin his earthly ministry on this earth. The apostle Paul tells us these words stated in I Corinthians 15:45-47 that says, "And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven." Paul tells us that Christ was referred to as being the second Adam, which reveals that Christ as a man would also be in the image and likeness of God, as Adam was before his fall into sin. Christ was not of the earth as the first Adam was, but rather he was the Lord from heaven.
Jesus Christ was the manifestation of God in the flesh, as Paul tells us in I Timothy 3:16 that says, "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." It was Christ that began to reveal the contents of a new covenant that would contain the perfect redemption plan that will redeem fallen man from a life of sin and back into perfect fellowship with God if his teachings is believed and obeyed. It was the writer of Hebrews that tells us these words as stated in Hebrews 5:9 that says, " And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him." The writer here tells us that salvation is eternal and not just for a certain length of time. There has been multiplied millions of people believing they can have this eternal salvation and for some reason or another lose it, but what reason can cause this to happen? What did Adam have before he sinned against God? It's plain to see from scripture that Adam was called a son of God. Adam was created as a son of God that possessed no sin in his being whatsoever, but he eventually became disobedient to a command of God and because of this he spiritually fell into a life of sin and rebellion. Although Adam was a son of God this does not mean that he could not commit sin, which is proven by the fact that he did sin against God.. So the man Adam that was a son of God could and did commit sin against God, but in I John 3:9 the apostle John tells us these words saying, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." This clearly reveals that anyone born of God does not and further more cannot commit sin, but many people has a problem with this statement knowing that Adam being a son of God did commit sin. Yes Adam was a son of God that could and did commit sin, but Adam was not a "born again son of God" that could not commit sin.. For Adam to be in a position where he could not sin, he would have to be born of God again for the second time. Since Adam fell in sin losing his fellowship with God, then he would have to be born again to regain that fellowship back with God. It was Jesus that finally came on the scene to reveal how a man could be born again in order to regain that fellowship and enter into the kingdom of God. This was first mentioned to Nicodemus who came to Jesus by night. In John 3:3 we find Jesus saying these words to Nicodemus saying, "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." It was the same apostle John that tells us in I John 3:9 that whosoever is born of God does not and cannot commit sin. So we see that it's the second birth, which is a spiritual birth, that makes us a son of God that cannot commit sin, but very few people believe this. So a person truly born of God has been redeemed from sin and spiritually brought back into fellowship with God and once again being both the image and likeness of God. A born again son of God is without sin, as Adam was before his fall, and it was Christ that was the Word made flesh to accomplish this. It's the revealed truths of scripture that will in time conform the believer into the image and likeness of Christ. Jesus tells us these words in Luke 6:40 that says, "The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master."
Being like Christ is to be conformed to the image and likeness of God, as Adam was before his fall into sin. Look what Paul tells us in Romans 8:29 that says, "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." Christ was the image of the invisible God, and according to Gods word, the first man was created in Gods image and likeness, but was no more like God when he disobeyed his command and fell into sin. So Christ came to destroy sin in our life and when this has been done, man once again is the image and likeness of God....amen