Imago Dei- Genesis 1:26-31

Introduction

Prayer-Psalm 8

Alright, 2nd—5th graders you guys are free to dismiss. And as a reminder, parents you can pick those children up at the Wetlands Building, and if you need any help finding where that is, don’t hesitate to ask someone with a lanyard.

For the rest of you, please turn with me to Genesis 1.

In 2013, a particular animated film, and a particular song from that film took the world by storm.

I mean, I was happily tucked away in North Africa, and somehow it made it to the Sahara Desert.

So I’m going to recite a few verses for you, and let’s see if you can name that tune!

It’s funny how some distance makes everything seem small, and the fears that once controlled me can’t get to me at all. It’s time to see what I CAN DO, to test the limits and break through, NO RIGHT, NO WRONG, NO RULES FOR ME… I’M FREE!

LET IT GO, LET IT GO…

That’s Disney’s 2013 classic, Frozen. The movie is based on an ice princess who had to hide and conceal who she really was, and the movie climaxes in this song. When she breaks free from what had been required, and finally finds her true self. Her authentic self.

It’s time for her to see what she can do. For her, NO RIGHT, NO WRONG, NO RULES FOR ME… I”M FREE.”

Over the last several weeks I’ve repeatedly made the point that the majority of American’s possess a Secularistic Worldview.

And this song, is highlighting, praising, and promoting the Secularistic Gospel

the belief that true freedom is found in defining yourself, your truth, your morals, being who you want to be, doing what you want to do.

But church, I’m telling you… that’s not freedom, but the fastrack to temporal, and eternal slavery.

The bird that that’s tired of being a bird and plops herself into the ocean all becasue she wants to be a fish… won’t lead to freedom.

A fish that wants to be free from the reef, and deep down thinks they’d be happier navigating dry land, and rides the tides to the shore… won’t find freedom.

No, true freedom only comes when we live within the design of God’s intended purposes for creation.

True Flourishing is only found when we discover God’s definition of who we are, what we are, and why we exist.

This is why we’re studying Genesis 1-3.

And today’s text specifically is going answer those questions for us.

So let’s read our text, and then I’ll unpack it for us.

Genesis 1:26–31 ESV

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

There’s 3 things I want to discuss with this text, God, Mankind, and Gender.

Let’s begin with God.

God

This is week 3 of this Series, and consequently the 3rd time I’ve said the same thing… A Christian Worldview begins with God.

As we looked at the first 25 verses last week, we saw that God’s name appears 25x. That God is the Author of Creation, and God possesses authority over creation.

Well verse 26, continues the theme.

Genesis 1:26 “Then God said,”

The Author of Creation, utters His Authoritative voice, and creation continues here on the back half of day 6.

But a significant turn of events takes place here in verse 26.

Up to this point, everything has been “And God said...” but when it comes to the creation of mankind, a divine deliberation proceeds creation.

God, pauses, and consults… with Himself.

Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”

Church here, in the very beginning of creation we have the undertones of Triune Theology.

We already saw the appearance of the Spirit of God, in verse 2, but here this collaborative conference underscores the cornerstone of the Chrsitian Doctrine on the Trinity.

The Bible clearly teaches, that God is Triune.

That he eternally exists as 3 persons. Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Each person is fully God, and yet there is one God.

3 in 1.

And I don’t have time today to fully unpack this, but what it means for us today is that there has never been a time where God has existed as a single, lonely, solitary, isolated individual.

He has always existed within community. The Father has never been without the Son, or the Holy Spirit.

They have always coexisted in perfect harmony and relationship, and each member of the God ahead was active in Creation.

Ephesians 3:9 says God is the Creator of All Things.

Colossians 1:16 says in the Son all things were created.

Genesis 1:2, The Spirit was active in creation.

And church this is so important to know and believe, because many will falsely teach that God created us, because he was lonely. He is Love and He had so much love, but nobody to share it with.

That’s unbiblical.

Acts 17 says that God who made the world and everything in it, is not served by human hands as though he needed anything…”

He doesn’t need us for relationship or for any other reason.

For all eternity there was perfect love and fellowship shared among the members of the Trinity.

John 17:5 “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.”

So you and I, are not special special because somehow we meet God’s need for fellowship.

No he doesn’t need us.

But... we are special.

becuase we are made in the Image of a Special God.

Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.

So let’s talk about Mankind for a moment.

Man

Mankind is made in the Image of God.

The latin term is imago dei, and nothing else in all of creation holds this description.

Not the land creatures, the sea creatures, or the birds of the air. Not the milky way, the sun, or the moon. Not the heavens, and not the earth… only mankind was made in the image of God.

So what does this mean? How does this make us special.

Well to begin, I must be clear that first and foremost it means WE ARE NOT GOD.

We reflect God, we are like God. We resemble God. But we are not God.

We can never outgrow our creaturehood. We are not absolute, or independent, or self sufficient. That’s only true of the Triune God.

We are finite. Limited. God is Not.

There will always be an infinite distance seperating our image, and that of God.

In 2013, Annie and I had the unique opportunity to visit the French and Swiss Alps. And I’ve never seen beauty like those mountains, and I’ve seen the Rockies and the Himalayas.

Standing in the French village of Chamonix and looking up at Mt. Blanc is breathtaking.

So breathtaking, that I immedately changed my screensaver to Mt. Blanc when I got home.

But it’s not the same. It doens’t take my breathe away when I open it up.

Why? Becuase the image, could never replace or compare to the real thing in all its glory.

The same is true for you and I being in the image of God.

We are like God, but we are not God.

But there are 4 ways that we Reflect, and Represent Him.

And I’ll give them to you in 4 R’s.

The first is Relational. Relational.

Relational

As God is Trinity, operating in relational harmony with one another, we in His image are created to be Relational.

We have capacity for relationships. Now anybody with a dog knows that animals posses the capacity for relationship too, but not nearly to the degree of depth as mankind.

And there in the Garden, it’s clear that humanity’s primary relationship was with God.

In Genesis 2, before Eve was taken out of Adam’s side, God spoke with Adam.

In Genesis, God walked with and among Adam and Eve.

As a creature made in His image, we were given the capacity to be in Relationship with Himself.

And even though, the ole bite of the apple, made this much tougher— as the Scripture progresses we see God rescuing His people, Loving his people, protecting his people, delivering his people, making covenatns with his people, and on and on. We were created in His image, so that we may possess the capacity for relationship with Him.

But we can also be in relationship with others.

God saw that it was not good for Adam to be alone, so he made Eve.

And they were able to communicate, and understand one another, and love one another, and procreate with one another.

They had relationship.

Church, everytime you talk with God, walk with God, grow in your relationship with God… or everytime you get married, go on a date, call a friend, hug your child, laugh with your co-worker, attend your church… you are demonstrating your likeness of God.

It’s Relational.

But its also Rational

Rational

Mankind, compared to all other creatures, carry unbelievable rational, or intellectual capacities.

We can think logically and critically. We compare, and analyze, and draw conclusions.

We can reason and choose.

And all of this is a reflection of God’s intellect and rationality.

Now sure, chimpazees have good memories and can solve some puzzles, but how many chimps do you know to have painted the Mona Lisa!

Or compose, or even play Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.

Or engineer rockets, that can take you to space?

No, only mankind possesses this marveouls mental rationality.

And everytime someone invents a machine, writes a book, paints a picture, solves a problem, or learns a language--- we are reflecting the Image of our God.

Naturalists, those who promote the lie of evolution, argue that this characteristic, the rational aspect of humanity, is the primary area that separates man from animal.

Naturalists would say, mankind is special, but because we are made in the image of God, but because we possess intelligence.

That humanity is sophisticated, given their mental capacities.

And this belief, has serious implications on behavior.

Because let me ask you…

if the ability to reason and rationalize is what makes mankind special, what happens when a person’s rationality is underdeveloped, like they have a mental handicap.

What about the aged, the alzheimer, the dementia?

What about the unborn? They can’t reason, they can’t rationalize.

You see, according to Naturalistic thinking, they are subhuman.

And so when we deny the Imago Dei, we will inevitably begin to depreciate the value of human life.

But it’s different for Christians.

as Christian’s, believe that the value, significance, and dignity of mankind is not rooted in their ability to rationalize but value is an assigned privelege simply because they are made in the Image of God.

So then, as Theologican Wayne Grudem writes, “no matter how much the Image of God is marred by sin, illness, or weakness, age, or any other dsability, all mankind has the status of being in God’s image and therefore must be treated with the dignity and respect that is due to God’s image bearer.

People of every race is worthy of dignity and rights.

People of every economic status is deserving of love and respect.

People of every age and ability is special and singled out in the eyes of our God.

And the UNBORN is deserving of full protection and honor as human beings.

This is what we believe, all because of the Imago Dei, the Image of God.

But if you don’t believe this.

If you reject that mankind is valuable because they are the reflection of God… you will depreciate the value of human life.

And as Secularism runs rampant in our Post-Christian country… we see this belief system playing out in the debate around abortion.

There are on average 930,160 abortions in America each year.

I wept typing that.

almost 1 million humans, created in the image of God, worthy of life, value, and dignity… murdered.

And that’s just America.

In India, where we lived there are 16.6 million abortions per year.

When Annie went into the doctor, after we found out she was pregnant with Emmy, it was a shock.

A traditional family plan there has 2 kids, so when the doctor realized this was our 3rd she said, “So you’re here for an abortion, how many have you had thus far?”

Just normal. Totally accepted and promoted.

My daughter, is my favorite daughter… But more than that, she is God’s favorite. She is made in His image.

Church, I said this a few weeks ago… I don’t ever want to be deemed a political church.

But when it comes to abortion… that is not primarily a political issue, but a theological one.

Becuase all of mankind is made in the image of God!

So we have to talk about it… it matters.

And given the statitiscs on abortion, we know that 1 in 4 women in the USA will have an abortion by the age of 45.

Which, given the size of this room, means that somebody or multiple people here have experienced it.

And the weight of that sin is heavy with guilt and shame… isn’t it.

And the tough reality… is that when we sin against the Image of God, we ought to feel guilt & shame.

It should grieve us.

And the Bible teaches that there is a worldy grief, that leads to death.

There’s a grief, that weighs you down.

It’s a 100lb backpack that you can never shake. A mistake you can’t run from, or hide from… it’s always with you.

But the Bible also teaches, there’s a different grief. A grief planted by the Holy Spirit intended to lead us to repentance.

To lead us to Jesus. Where we find forgiveness, grace, mercy, and the love of a Prodigal Father that leads to salvation.

And to help us all understand this… I’m going to call someone up from our church, who has courageously agreed to share her testimony.

So would you welcome Victoria Bryarly on stage with me.

Many of you know Victoria, she’s been with us since day 1, she serves in CBC Kids, and her husband Matt runs our AV, and is one of our deacons.

I pray, you’re encouraged by what she has to say this morning.

Testimony

Thank you so much Victoria. Can we give Victoria a round of applause please.

It takes a lot of courage to stand before us all to share so personally, vulnerablly, but also so graciously. So I’m grateful for your encouragment victoria.

Church, whatever your sin, “There is no pit so deep, that God’s love is not deeper still.” as Corrie Ten Boom once said.

Where sin abounds, His Grace is more.

So if you are grieved over any sin, regardless of how much shame is attached to it… I pray today you find freedom at the foot of the Cross.

So… let me brings us back to our outlne:

we are made in the image of God. And I told you there are 4 R’s by which we reflect God.

Relational, Rational… and quickly, the 3rd is Righteous.

Righteous

Being created in the image of God means we reflect and image God’s Righteousness.

We were created with a perfect innonence. Free from any and all sin. A reflection of God’s holiness.

This means we possess a consciousness of morality. We can know right from wrong.

God has created us that way. We have an internal alarm, a moral compass.

Now we all know that this aspect of our being was totally shattered, and suffered great destruction in the fall.

Commentator Philipp Bethancourt compared the fall of sin to a broken screen of a dropped phone.

Phone still works to some degree, but the fragmentation of the screen makes it really hard to see things clearly.

Sin shattered the image of our screen.

But Jesus, came as the great Screen Repairer.

He came to make us new… so that as Ephesians 4:24 says, we can again be after the likeness of God in true righteousness.”

So, we reflect God’s Righteousness.

But finally, our reflectino is Regal.

Regal

There is a King-Like, Rulership that comes with the Image of God.

I’m not going to unpack this, because Coleman will actually address it later in our series, but Mankind was Created in God’s Regal Image, and made to rule. To steward. To cultivate, protect, and preserve creation.

So there you have it…

4 R’s of our Representation of God as the Imago Dei.

Relational, Rational, Righteous, and Regal.

But as we close this morning, look quickly with me at verse 27

Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

I have to take a quick moment, to discuss Gender.

Gender

As with most things the BIble teaches, the concept of Gender is sure to comfort the afflicted, and affict the comfortable this morning.

Genesis 1-3 constructs Worldview. Shapes identity. Provides Foundations of beliefs, that drive values, that drive behavior.

And here on day 6 of God’s Creation Account, He stated that HIs image would be best reflected in two genders.

Male and Female, as assigned by God, and given in the womb.

This means, that gender is not constructed from self psychology or identification.

It is not interchangeable, or eradicable.

Although that’s what secularism would lead you to believe.

Gender is given by God, for the purpose of reflecting the Image of God.

BOTH Genders.

Male & Female.

You see, if we lived in a society of only Christian Men, or only Christain Women… we would not gain a full picture of the chracter of God.

We need BOTH.

And one is not superior, or inferior to the other.

(I’ll address roles and responsibilities, when we get to Genesis 2), but for today the thing we must see is.

Who was created in the Image of God!? BOTH!

Male and Female has equal worth, and value to God.

Equal in value, equal in dignity, & equal in worth.

But as I conclude, let’s go back and try to tie this into worldview.

Conclusion

As we’ve heard this morning, our predominant secular society doesn’t hold these beliefs do they?

Secularism rejects God, holds very little shared value and dignity for all of human life, and rejects biblical gender assignments.

So how do we live as Christians, in a Secularism Age.

Well, this may seem like a fat DUH, but…

First and foremost, Genesis 1:26-27, tells us that EVERY human we meet is worthy of love, value, respect, and dignity… even the Secularistis!

Church, for far too long Christians have demonized those we disagree with.... they’re not demons. They’re not enemies. They are the Imago Dei. Worthy of love and respect, and dignity.

The Imago Dei should be the foundation of our love and treatment toward all people. Regardless of the opinions they hold.

The Imago Dei should should inform how we respond to those we meet, or love, or interact with who stand in direct opposition to our biblically held beliefs.

For Example, when someone is passionately pro-choices… How do I respond to them!? I mean I disagree… I believe it’s wrong, what I do i do!

Well I immediately remind myself that this person is more than the opinions they hold. They are a human being, made in the image of God, and valuable enough for the High King of Heaven to die for.

And allowing the Imago Dei to set the table of conversation, actually softens my heart to treat people with dignity and not just in accordance to their opinions.

This is so important yall.

You are going to disagree. A LOT. A Christian Worldview isn’t the majority worldview.

This means, that the time is coming, if it isn’t already here,,, when you will personally know someone that self-identifies gender fluid.

Or someone you love is wrestling with deep Gender Dysphoria or Sexual Confusion.

It’s so common. And will only become more so.

So what do you do…

YOu remind yourself of the Imago Dei… that has to be the foundation of your love and treatment of all people.

And viewing them as the Imago Dei, should pull us away from demonizing them, and instead pave a pathway of Christian Charity and biblical tolerance.

Biblical Tolerance is pretty much patience. It is the willingness to allow, endure, or suffer differences of belief and opinions simply because they are made in the Image of God.

But as Theologian and Pastor Carl Trueman says, the challenge today is that tolerance isn’t enough anymore.

He goes, on, “All people want to be accepted, recognized, and affirmed based on who they feel that they are, regardless of who God says that they are. So the game is no longer toleration, it’s affirmation. And here’s where it becomes problematic as a Christain. We can affirm our common humanity, but we cannot affirm or celebrate that way of life.”

He goes on… “We should never present the truth in a hurtful fashion, but sometimes the truth hurts. He says, My daughter tells me my head is bald and my teeth are crooked, and that’s hurtrul. It’s offensive. But she’s not wrong. So as a Christian parent, friend, pastor, or youth volunteer, or grandparent… anyone addressing a loved who is struggling with gender confusion… you will need to speak the truth in love in order to stop a person from traveling down a destructive path.

Trueman, actually has a great deal of good advice on how to approach situations like this. Because every one of them is nuanced, and ought to be individualized.

So if you want help, or counsel or support in a situation such as this, we are here for you and would love to come alongside you and resource you.

But for all of us… living as Christians in a Secular Age is challenging. It already is.

So may we root ourselves in the truth of Scripture, and ultimately may we become more and more like Jesus.

Who was ALWAYS COMPASSIONATE, yet never COMPROMISED HIS CONVICTIONS.

Let’s pray.