The Renewal of the Image of God

Creation Tide 11th Sunday(11/10/2019)

Genesis 1:26-28

The Renewal of the Image of God

 

A. Humans are the most noble creatures.

{Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness...”}(26).

 

Today’s text is about God's creation of man. Genesis chapter I states that “God said ‘Let there be light’ and there was light on the first day” and on the sixth day “God finally created man.” The Bible's testimony  highlights God's special interest in man.

 

Unlike other creatures, when God created human he said, “Let us make mankind in our image.” In this, he emphasized ‘let us.’ ‘Let us’ is grammatically plural form. That means triune God discussed together deeply when God created human.

 

“What is man?” It is a question as old as human history. There may be various answers to this, but the Bible stated, “God created mankind in the image of God.” So what does that mean? This emphasizes that the image of God is given within a man, which represents a special creature that can interact with God and communicate with the Creator. In the chapter 8 of Psalm, the Psalmist said “God crowned human with glory and honor” and sang of the nobility of man created by God(Ps 8:5). Remember that humans are the most noble and beautiful nature of all creatures.

 

B. The image of God has been lost.

{So God created mankind in his own image...}(27).

 

There are signs of God's creation in every created world, but the humans are only made as an independent creature with his special love and free will. The text emphasizes the word “in the image of God,” where ‘image’(chelem) means ‘shadow.’ This expression has a profound meaning for human reflection, a warning that when a man does not live the purpose God created, he lives a vain life.

 

In Genesis chapter 2, there is another story about the God’s creation of man. “God formed the man(adam) from the dust(adama) of the ground”(Gen 2:7). It also implies that without God's life or breath, man is nothing more than vain beings. So in God's image, there is a precious message that we should remember the root of human existence and the purpose of creation.

 

We must bear in mind that there is a danger in us that if we leave God, we will follow false gods and illusion, and eventually fall into abominable sins. A man who has lost the image of God is just a child of wrath(Eph 2:3).

 

C. Recover fully the image of God.

{So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them}(27).

 

The meaning of the text is that all men are created in the image of God. This is a declaration of human dignity, and a confession of faith that we must preserve and live by the image of God. In this message, the Bible invites us to the place of highest dignity. Therefore, we must reflect on the reality of our lives, which is the way to live like God's creatures.

 

Simply believing that God is the Creator does not restore our true humanity. In the beginning of Romans, Paul accused “they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened... and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles”(Rom 1:21-23). This is the unfortunate image of a human being who has lost the image of God.

 

In fact, it is not as easy as it is to recognize this condition and restore and preserve the image of God. This is because human nature continues to propensity to sin. For us to practice actively God's will, we have no choice but to follow Jesus Christ, who has shown the perfect image of the invisible God(Col 1:15). The way to trust and follow Jesus Christ is to fully restore the image of God.

 

D. Blessed are those who recover the image of God.

{God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it...”}(28).

 

God created humankind, the masterpiece of God, and blessed them. It is a blessing in itself to live in the image of God. God said to us, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground”(28).

 

When a man acts as God's agent in the world of creation, man’s value as a human being is revealed and he can make the order of creation beautifully. The restoration of the image of God is nothing more than the realization of the humanity God has granted. The purpose of human creation is to rejoice God and honor God.

 

We must strive to correct the natural image of God and political image of God, which are deeply distorted within us, and to restore the moral image of God that are only possible if we are in Christ. Recovering the image of God in us is working out our own salvation. God promised true happiness to the children of God that carried out the image of God until the last day.