Genesis 1:27-28 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Our bodily design is creation in His image. If God created us to be in His own image, then by the law of begetting, we create children in our image which is His image. This is God’s design of creation.

What exactly does this mean to us in creation? If we are to understand fully creation’s design then we should examine each part of our creation, in context of what each part is, does and how it can achieve this issue of duplication by generation and regeneration.

Let us begin with the body. It is perfect in design, form and function. The body can only do what it is designed to do. Unfortunately this body is subject to disease, decay and death. That is not a fault of the body. The body has no control over its form and function, it cannot improve on its design.

Every bodily function serves a purpose in this perfect design. It is meant to serve the specific function to which it is assigned. It has two main goals in creation, procreation and survival. Procreation has no purpose without an instinct for survival. Both instincts are natural and in line with the creator’s design. There is perfect purpose in His design. All animals possess these traits in various forms, in this we are part of the animal kingdom. In this we do not differ.

Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Next we shall examine part two of our make-up, the living soul.

Acts 16:7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. NKJV

It would be so much easier on me if the Holy Spirit would just say, “No, do not go there.” Decisions would be so much easier if it were not left up to me to decide what is the right course.

Doesn’t that attitude beg God for us to become a puppet on a string?

Ever watch a puppet show? It is obvious that the puppet has no life of its own. There is no faculty of reasoning power, no animation, no life force.

God placed the life force of Jesus Christ in us to be seen of all men to the glory of God the Father. In this we struggle because we are here within this body, His temple, and have the primary faculty of life to act in accordance with our character, our new nature. He came to change us from within, so that all that we are now in Christ will reflect this new life with truth in character, revealing us to be changed.

Has He not revealed truth to you? You still have to act on that truth. In this we struggle, and the struggle is real and honest. We are not puppets.

Romans 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

Denying it does not make it true. What rules our actions is our nature, which is changing, because the character that is the animating force of deciding which action to take is tugged on both side, the spirit and the flesh. Which we chose to answer to in action is our character, be it old or new.