Mike Criswell
"Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness” (Genesis 1:26)
Without doubt the crowning glory of God’s creation was mankind! On the sixth day God took previously created soil and made Adam. Before God made man, however, He seems to have put just a bit of “extra thought” into his final masterpiece.
Although everything previously created was “good” and accomplished all that it was intended to be, not until after God created mankind does scripture say that it was all “very” good. In other words, every part of God’s creation now fit perfectly together in perfect order and in perfect harmony.
Notice that God says, “Let US make man in OUR image.” Previously, God never said this of anything He created. Up until this point God had created ex nihilo things that bore only a whisper of his personhood. But now, he specifically says, “Let us make man in OUR image.” The words are direct and without ambiguity.
What does it mean to be made in God’s image?
Some have suggested that this refers to man’s reasoning ability. Certainly, mankind has these qualities. However, the exclusivity of man is not specifically found in his volition of thought. Other species of the animal kingdom possess rudimentary volition and reason.
Some suggest that mankind has an eternal “spirit.” This is also correct and may indeed play a role in a correct interpretation of this passage. However, the fact that mankind has a “spirit” (an eternal nature) seems not to be the thing that would leave the most indelible imprint on later offspring not directly created by God.
What then does “our image” refer to? At first glance the words almost seem to imply a “model” or an “idol.” Many times, we use the word “image” to refer to an exact replica. In some sense this isn’t too far off. While we know that unlike God, man has a physical body. And while we know that God, by His nature, is unlike man in his “Omni-ness” (ie: all knowing, all present, all powerful), yet man was created initially with at least one fully God-like quality. Namely, mankind was created “upright” and perfectly sinless.
The caveat, however, is that man was also given a “free will” which would later lead to Adam’s ability to understand God’s law and then disobey it. Surely this is what the Preacher had in mind when he said, “Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices” (Ecclesiastes 7:29).
God created mankind to be “HIS” image bearer. In other words, Adam and Eve (and subsequently us as well) were created to “show forth His praises” to what would soon become a sinful world. As humans grow, learn, and rebel, it becomes necessary for them to be “trained” in the ways of God. Let us who have been saved from sin be the bearers of God’s “image” (likeness) so that we might instill godliness in our progeny and in those around us.
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