In Genesis 1:26, the Bible tells us that God said: "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness." The image of God in man is the subject of a lot of debate and speculation among theologians. Volumes have been written in an attempt to explain exactly what it means. In the end, whatever it means, we know that the image of God stamped on humanity is what Genesis 1 underscores as the reason behind man's special place among all other creatures of God.
We know that the image of God in man was marred after the Fall, though it wasn't lost completely. The reason why we know it was marred is because Ephesians 4:24 and Colossians 3:10 tell us that it is renewed in people who become believers in Jesus Christ. The reason why we know the image of God was not lost completely after the Fall is because, according to Genesis 9:6, it is the rationale for the unjustified taking of human life being counted as murder.
So exactly what does it mean for human beings to bear the image of God? There are some indications in the text in Genesis 1.
First, the image of God in humanity relates to the matter of plurality in oneness. In Genesis 1:26, God said: "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...." God uses plural first person pronouns to refer to himself, suggesting that his image being stamped on humanity is tied in somehow to his own plurality in oneness. We know the doctrine of God's plurality in oneness as the Doctrine of the Trinity (God, the Father; God, the Son; and God the Holy Spirit, existing as three Persons in One Being). The Trinity is not explained in Genesis 1:26, but there is, as mentioned, a reference to the reality of plurality in oneness that stands behind it.
This suggests that humanity somehow reflects the same plurality in oneness as beings made in the image of God. Genesis 1:27 seems to underscore the point, saying: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."
Humanity is not all male, nor it is all female. It is male and female, organized into to stand in harmonious relationship to one another (in marriage) similar to the way in which the Father, Son, and Spirit stand in harmonious relationship to one another. One way for us to reflect this principle in our own lives is by cultivating the principle of harmonious plurality in oneness in all of our relationships, especially in marriage and the Church.
A second thing we pick up from Genesis 1 is that the image of God also relates somehow to the role humanity plays in ruling over the animals and "over all the earth." To "rule" means to marshal and manage life (nephesh) and other resources on the earth in a way that reflects God's ownership and values.
None of the other animals with nephesh have been charged with the responsibility given to us. We have the ability stamped on us as human beings to make value judgments and moral judgments that are God-like in relation to our stewardship here on earth. Earlier, I referred to verses in Ephesians 4:24 and Colossians 3:10. These verses emphasize the moral components of true knowledge, true righteousness, which true holiness as the part of God's image that is being restored in Christians.
All of this means that the image of God in us is much more than just another theoretical tidbit of theology. It is an extremely practical doctrine. Much more this tomorrow, with a special emphasis on the various roles that people play in their day to day life at school and work...
1 comment:
How amazing it is to look at this part of creation and realize how precious we are to God! I can relate to the Psalmist when he says "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" (Psalm 8) Thank you for reminding us of the awesome joy it is to be His child and to live with the reality that His fingerprints are all over us! How thankful I am that I belong to Him!
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