Character: Made in the Image of God

By Eric L. Warren

Character: Made in the Image of God, is a revelatory look at the true meaning of character. Jesus Christ is described as the express image of the person of God in Hebrews 1:3. The words “express image’ are a translation of the Greek word: charakter. Hence we understand that the image of God is the character of God. We were all made in His image according to Genesis 1:26. Therefore the express purpose of our creation was to be the earthly representation of the character of God. In these pages you will discover what that means for us today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9781664287860

Eric L. Warren

Eric L. Warren is a revelatory speaker, teacher, and spiritual life mentor and coach. He has served the body of Christ as a leader in various capacities for over five decades. His passion is to train, equip, and transform followers of Christ, with a view toward bringing them to a place of maturity in matters of the kingdom of God.

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Copyright © 2023 Eric L. Warren.

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ISBN: 978-1-6642-8787-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-8788-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-8786-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022923940

WestBow Press rev. date: 02/17/2023

Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations marked are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version. (Public Domain)

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™

Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB®, are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. HCSB® is a federally registered trademark of Holman Bible Publishers

Scripture quotations marked God’s Word or GW are used by permission. Copyright 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Endorsements

Apostle Eric Warren, my friend and co-laborer, has become one of the vital voices in this current apostolic season in the USA. He’s a father, sounding a clarion call to godliness in this incredible volume. This book is a discussion that probably should have been tackled forcefully as we entered the twenty-first century. However, this seminal work rectifies that misstep and is vociferously charged because it is an outcry against many shenanigans in modern Christianity.

A commitment to be men and women of character should be the goal of all believers and the foundation of all discipleship training. This book will be one of the hallmark writings on this most crucial subject. It is Word-based along with numerous practical points of application.

Apostle Eric does a splendid job of converging orthodoxy with orthopraxy. He reminds us that Jesus, first and foremost, was the character of God as much as He was the illimitable ability of God.

Unfortunately, many in modern ministry place a premium on anointing (spiritual power) at the expense of not emphasizing character enough. That is a gross mistake, and Apostle Eric addresses this urgent concern, necessary to alleviate or prevent many of the casualties caused by undeveloped ministry gifts.

After many years of pastoring and developing spiritual sons, Apostle Eric knows that godly character always grows from the development of the Christ nature within a person. I wholeheartedly endorse this book. Please allow the Spirit of God to speak to you through His servant.

—Dr. Stephen Everett, Apostle

This text is a brilliant piece of work. Eric Warren has succinctly captured the heartbeat of the Father in communicating the original divine intent for the creation of the human race. Humanity was created to be the express image (Greek: ‘charakter’) of God.

If we, the believers, could only understand that we are to vicariously function as exact representations of the ‘charakter’ (image) of God in creation, then the earth would be freed of the scourge of an identity crisis and the evils which accompany it.

Warren is a skillful exponent of the Apostolic Reformation. At the core of the Apostolic Reformation’s message is its pursuit of the restoration and conformity to the image of God’s Son in every believer. This book touches a vein of biblical truth, unlocking the incarnational side to the revelation of the mystery of Christ. It transcends the humanistic definition of character as simply being moral, ethical, and religious behavior patterns and locates it in the Imagio Dei.

—Thamo Naidoo

Senior Elder: Gate Ministries

Sandton, South Africa

In Ephesians chapter 4, verses 11-13, the Apostle Paul tells us about the five ascension gifts to the body of Christ. It speaks of the governmental gifts to the Church so we can become people of character. Apostle Eric Warren proves once again that he is a true gift of the apostle by restoring sound doctrine to the body of Christ. In this book, he challenges us to become that true measure of a man the world needs and God expects. Apostle Warren is transparent, encouraging, and inspiring! You will be tremendously motivated to engage in an adventure toward becoming the image of Christ! May this book provoke us to walk in the reality of Daniel 11:32b: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.

—Apostle Lyrica Joy Smith, Th.D.

The International Church for All Nations

Preface

Over the past thirty years, I have learned many spiritual and practical lessons about the importance of character. I am enriched by the wealth of wisdom on the subject throughout the Bible. There is, however, a scarcity of writing on this topic from modern-day theologians and Christian thinkers.

I desire to stir up greater interest in this subject and perhaps contribute to a better understanding of character from a biblical standpoint. I also hope this will be a spiritual catalyst for birthing more initiatives to champion the cause of character in our religious and secular communities.

For the past fifteen years, I have ministered in various ways about character as it relates to our relationships with God and our fellow man. Day after day, we are faced with media reports of numerous violations of conscience, decorum, decency, common sense, and what were formerly normative relational courtesies. The need to return to time-tested virtues and values has never been greater.

The purpose of this book is to explore the precepts and principles of Godly character and define character from a biblical perspective. I intend to communicate and demonstrate that character is inherently bound to every aspect of life. An understanding of the meaning of character, its purpose, and its application are imperative to the spiritual and physical well-being of every man, woman, and child.

We are living amid a season of significant change and transformation. These changes are affecting every aspect of our lives. Every day, we see tangible evidence of transition, transformation, and reformation in every arena of life. Amid these changes, our values and virtues are continually challenged and sometimes changing.

Changes in acceptable standards of character in principle and practice can be productive or destructive. When those changes are destructive, we must be prepared to restore the virtuous character that we have lost over time.

The character of people, corporations, governments, and systems are being exposed today. Often, this exposure reveals significant deficiencies. This book is based on the premise that God originates the positive aspects of character development. Therefore, to heal our character deficiencies, we must build our lives, our ministries, our businesses, and our culture upon the ways of God.

The Bible tells us that two spiritual beings serve as catalysts for everything that happens in the world: The one true God (Elohim) and the devil, also known as Satan. Both operate from a spiritual place to affect the natural world as we know it. Therefore, for every principle of truth, there will be both genuine and counterfeit manifestations of that same principle. The genuine will always bring glory to God, and the counterfeit brings glory to man or Satan. This principle applies to all aspects of character as well.

Nothing survives the rigors of change and transition without the strength of character. God’s character is the most brilliant, most glorious, and most resilient of all. We must discover it afresh and again. We must seek to understand it, embrace it, and represent it in every dimension of life.

Only the character of God will enable us to be a light during darkness and a source of hope amid the storms of life. When economic, physical, or spiritual seasons change, only our character will determine whether we remain towers of fortitude or crumble under pressure. It is imperative that we develop the nature of God in us now while time, revelation, and opportunity are in our favor.

The world is longing for the pure expression of the character of God. For the world to see what it longs for, there must be people that determine to re-discover the ways of God and embody those ways to manifest His character. The people who will be triumphant in these challenging times are those who learn to walk in His ways. They will be walking in the path of God and, therefore, will be triumphant in the practical aspects of life.

For this reason and others presented in this book, I believe that we are at a crossroads in the individual and corporate life of the world. God is developing people who know how to live triumphantly amidst destructive elements in culture and society. These champions will be people who walk in His nature and character. They will look like Christ, think like Christ, and behave like Christ. They will embody the character of Christ and will be in constant pursuit of the path that God walks. It is time for a reformation of character; may it begin with us.

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I am deeply grateful to the Lord for providing the spirit of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding contained in this book. I do believe that he provided such revelation for such a time as this.

Thanks also want to thank my wife, Carolyn, for her unfailing support and continual prayers. And finally, thanks to all the sons and daughters in the faith that contributed time, talent, and finances to help with this project.

Table of Contents

The Path that God Walks

The Ways of God

The Biblical Definition of Character

Examples of Character With Biblical Definitions

Character is a Reflection of God

God’s Perspective on Character

Character and the Rise and Fall of Leaders

The Ways of Man and the Dealings of God

The Will of God for Man

We Can Change Our Ways

Character and the Mind of Christ

Nine Practical Aspects of Christ-like Characteristics

Character and the Ministry of Reconciliation

CHAPTER ONE

THE PATH THAT GOD WALKS

In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality. (Proverbs 12:28 New International Version)

T here is a park about two miles from my home. For better than fifteen years, in good weather, I drove to this park at least three times a week to walk, run, and pray. The park has three or four natural pathways, but to remove the monotony, I have been creative and mixed and matched trails so that I can expand that to seven or eight different paths. I have walked in this park so many times that I could almost do it with my eyes closed. I know the curves, the trees, and the varied smells on the path due to abundant vegetation. There are certain areas that I routinely walk and particular areas that I regularly run. While I have prayed and conversed with God on every trail, there are certain areas where I’ve been able to have intimate conversations with God without distraction. Sometimes I think that I can feel the presence of God walking with me. I can confidently say that He has spoken to me in that park on many occasions.

The paths I have walked have become part of me. They have become indelibly etched into my life, so that the walks have become a matter of habit. I have experienced a range of emotions, developed mindsets, made declarations and decrees, and worked through areas of patience and impatience on those walks. In some ways, my character has developed through bends and turns of trails over the past fifteen years. Consequently, they make up a meaningful part of the design of my life and have contributed to the establishment of my character. What paths do you routinely walk? What roads have you traveled that molded and shaped your character?

If you were to walk the same path that I have traveled and made the same declarations, prayed the same prayers, wept where I wept, and rejoiced where I rejoiced, we would be very similar in our thoughts, behaviors, and desires. Our character qualities would be very similar.

The word character never appears in the most popular Bible in the world, the King James Version. Instead, when God wants to communicate to us regarding the essence of our character or His, He speaks about His and our ways. Or He talks about His paths or our paths. So, to understand the character of God, we will explore the ways and paths of God. If you walk on my path and adopt my ways, likely, you will become a reflection of the person I am. Likewise, when we walk the path of God and choose to adopt His ways, we become like God!

Would you be surprised if I told you that this is what God has always wanted for man? Do you know that you and I are descendants of the first man and woman, Adam and Eve? Do you realize you were created in the image and the likeness of God? (see Genesis 1:26)

The word image is the Hebrew word tselem. It means That which is a pattern, model, or example of something. (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament).

The word likeness is the Hebrew word damuwth. It means that which has a similarity or comparison.

God made us to be a pattern of Himself and to be like Him. How does this happen? It happens in two ways:

• by the impartation of God’s Spirit, and

• by choosing to walk in the ways of God.

These two things enable us to become the image of His image and the likeness of His likeness. The following are scriptural examples of these truths:

"Who (Christ) being the brightness of his glory and the express image of His person . . ." (Hebrews 1:3).

"I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me." (Psalm 101:2, 6).

We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, people who belong to God. You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God, who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once, you were not God’s people, but now you are. Once, you were not shown mercy, but now you have been shown mercy. (see 1 Peter 2:9

God’s original intent was to have a God-man in human form, walking the earth, managing its resources, and behaving in a manner that God Himself would behave, were He human. Since Father God could not become a man Himself, He created Adam and his kind as His first representatives on the earth.

When Adam failed to remain faithful to his call due to character defects, God sent His only begotten