"In His Own Image"

Scripture Reading: Psalm 8

Introduction

For the Next 13 Months…

We’re Looking at 13 Themes that Tells the Story of the Scriptures

For the Month of January…

We’re Looking at the Creation Account

Each Lesson will Be Titled After a Phrase Within Our Text…

That Summarizes What We will Be Talking about

Today, We’re Going to Look at the Phrase:

“In His Own Image”

This Phrase can Be Found in Genesis 1:26-27

Genesis 1:26–27 (NASB95)

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Throughout the First 6 Days, God Brought:

Light into Darkness

Order from Chaos

Life from Death

And the Last Thing God Created…

Was “Man” = ʾā·ḏām = Humanity

And He Chose to Make Humanity in His “Image”

What Does the Word “Image” Mean?

It’s Found Only 15 Times in the OT

11 of Those 15 Times…

It’s Referring to a Statue, Idol, Replica of Something

In Greek, the Word is eikōn

(Where We Get the English Word “Icon”)

A Representation of Something Sacred

When God Made Humanity in His Image…

He Made Little Statues, Idols, Replica’s of Himself

He Made Us to Represent Him

We Bear His Image Here on Earth

Humans are God’s Representatives on Earth

We’re to Live & Behave as He would if He were Embodied

Practically Synonymous with Being Made in His Image…

We were Made “According to His Likeness”

We were Made to Be Like Him

We were Modeled After Him

We were Made to Resemble Him

That Obviously Doesn’t Mean We Look Like an Invisible Spirit

It Means We were Made to Resemble His Character

We were Made to Be Like Him

So, God Created Humanity…

To Be Like Living Idols of Himself…

That Represent Him on Earth

But What in the World Does that Mean?

Let’s Let the Text Explain it for Us

(Read from the LSB)

Genesis 1:26–27 (LSB)

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, so that they will have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Being Made in the Image & Likeness of God…

Means Being Like Him & Representing Him on Earth…

By Ruling Over the Earth

God Made Humanity to Be in Charge of All of His Creation

Just as Pagans would Worship Idols as Representations of Their Gods…

And Expected Their Gods to Work Through Their Idols…

Humanity are Representatives of God…

And God Wants to Accomplish His Work…

Of Ruling Over the Earth Through Us

Earth & Everything in it were Made for Humanity

And it is Our Duty to Use What God has Provided in Creation…

To Create, Build, and Cause Life to Continue to Flourish/Prosper

Genesis 1:28 (NASB95)

28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Apart from Being Fruitful & Multiplying & Filling the Earth…

(More on that Next Week)…

We’re to Subdue the Earth

“Subdue” = To Subjugate, Conquer, Force into Bondage

We’re to Be in Charge of All that the Earth has to Offer…

And Use it for the Benefit of All Life on Earth

To Cause All Life to Flourish/Prosper

Just as God Brought Order from Chaos…

Humanity was Created & Made to Rule Over Creation…

To Keep the Chaos/Disorder at Bay

Genesis 2:15 (NASB95)

15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.

Even When All was Still “Good” in the World…

There was Still Work to Be Done

God Put Adam in the Garden to:

“Cultivate it” = To Serve, Work, (Many Times) Worship

“Keep it” = To Watch Over

God Put Adam in the Garden to:

Work it & Watch Over it

This is One Example of What it Means to Rule Over the Earth

To Work in it & Watch Over it

To Keep Order & Cause it to Flourish

So, God Made Humanity in His Own Image & After His Likeness

That Means Humanity are His Representatives on Earth

We’re to Resemble Him in His Character…

And to Do His Work Here on Earth

He Made Us the Rulers of Earth on His Behalf

We Work, Watch Over, & Take Care of the Earth He Created

The Hebrews Author Quotes from Psalm 8…

Which Mentions Humanity’s Purpose of Ruling Over the World:

Hebrews 2:5–8 (NASB95)

5 For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking. 6 But one has testified somewhere, saying, “What is man, that You remember him? Or the son of man, that You are concerned about him? 7 “You have made him for a little while lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And have appointed him over the works of Your hands; 8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet.” For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him.

God Didn’t Give Rulership of this World or the One to Come…

To Angels, But to Humans

He Made All Things to Be in Subjection to Us

But the Hebrews Author Adds 1 More Detail:

But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.

After the Fall of Humanity Due to Adam & Eve’s Sin…

We’ve Not Seen a Good Creation Subjected to Humanity

We See a Corrupted Creation the Rebels Against Us

Things aren’t How They’re Supposed to Be

We’re Unable to Perfectly Perform Our God-Given Purpose

We Don’t See Humanity Ruling the World Yet…

Hebrews 2:9 (NIV)

9 But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Humanity as a Whole isn’t Yet Ruling Over the World…

But Jesus, the Perfect Human, is

He’s the Only Human to Ever Live as Humanity Should

Because of His Death on Behalf of Sinful Humanity…

He was Crowned with Glory & Honor…

And Given Rulership Over All Things

He is the Perfect Image-Bearer of God

The Perfect Representative of God

Hebrews 1:3 (NIV)

3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

2 Corinthians 4:4 (NIV)

4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Colossians 1:15 (NASB95)

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

Jesus is the Perfect Image-Bearer of God

The Perfect Representative of God

While on Earth, He Proved this Through:

His Bringing Light into the Darkness…

By Casting Out Demons & Forgiving Sins

His Control Over Nature

His Healing of Ailments & Diseases

And in His Death, Resurrection, & Ascension…

He Took His Throne in Heaven as Ruler of the World

The redemption of man from the fall and sin includes re-creation (2 Cor. 5:17), his being “created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness,” in the image of Christ (Eph. 4:24).

Romans 8:29 NASB95

29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;

2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB95

18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Colossians 3:10 (NASB95)

10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—

Application

Jesus is the Ruler of All Creation

He is the Perfect Image of God

If You’ve Seen Jesus, Then You’ve Seen God

We’re to Be Conformed to the Image of Jesus

When He Returns We will Be Perfectly Conformed to His Glorious Image

Which Means We’ll Be the Perfect Image Bearers God Created Us to Be

And We will Rule Over Creation with God Forever