Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:26-27
 
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked. 1 Chronicles 4:9-10
 

 

Each one of us has absolute control over one thing only in life: our THOUGHTS. Your success and achievements in life depend entirely on your dominant thoughts. Whatever preoccupies your mind continually eventually becomes reality in your life-practically, physically and actually. That’s why you cannot afford to leave your self-concept to chance. You and I cannot afford to drift along with any sense of identity the world and the devil suggest to us. In order to mess up your destiny, the devil confuses your identity.

 
Observe that, right from the start, God’s word does not leave the question of the human being’s nature and identity to speculation. The Bible states categorically that humans were designed in the image and likeness of God.
 
A true anthropology is therefore necessarily a theological question. It’s not primarily a psychological or sociological matter. Humanness begins and ends with God. Take God out of the equation and the whole cookie crumbles!
 
Observe that God tends to correct people’s false identities, besides intentionally designing humans to be like Him in the first place. He changes Abram to Abraham. He enables Moses to reject his false identity as an Egyptian Prince. He renames Jacob to Israel. He addresses fearful Gideon as a mighty man of valour.