This Mystery of Marriage #1: The Blessing of Marriage (Marriage & the Image of God), Genesis 1:26-28

Introduction: If you haven’t heard, I got to do something pretty neat last weekend. September 18th was my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, so last weekend we celebrated with a vow renewal ceremony. When my parents were married in 1975, my mom was 18 & my dad was 20. In the state of Mississippi, both people had to be at least 21 years old or have their parents sign for them to get married. But just next door in Alabama, a woman was legal at 18 but the man had to be 21. So, my parents eloped, with my Granny’s blessing (my dad’s mother), who went with them to sign the paperwork for my dad so that my parents could get married.

What a blessing their marriage has been, not just to me, but to so many others! 50 years later, my parents are still together, still going strong. Just some of the blessings of their marriage- 2 children, 7 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren, & a host of friends they’ve made throughout their 50 years together.

The blessing of my parents’ marriage is a reminder to me that, just like all things, marriage comes from God. Romans 11:36, for of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

We’re starting a new series today called This Mystery of Marriage, and we are starting at the beginning. Genesis 1:26-28, 26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

There are several important concepts in these 3 little verses, not just for Christian theology, but for our personal identity. Perhaps the most important concept in these verses is the phrase “image of God” (Imago Dei). The Image of God is clearly seen in the blessing of marriage, 3 aspects of the blessing of marriage:

1. Marriage is a Blessing of REPRESENTATION. Vs. 26

Before we get into the text, we need to set it in context of the creation account. Leading up to these 3 verses, God created everything out of nothing (ex nihilo), He spoke it all into existence in 6 days- the 1st 3 days were days of forming, the next 3 days were days of filling.

Day 1, God created Day and Night; Day 4, put lights in it

Day 2, God created sea and sky; Day 5, put fish & birds in them

Day 3, God made dry ground; Day 6, put land creatures in it

Psalm 24:1-2, The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for He founded it upon the seas & established it upon the waters. 1:25, God saw that it was good. Something different happens in verse 26, a creation of distinction is announced. FSB- The creation of man and woman is the climax of God’s creative activity.

God (elohim)-the most common title for God (gods) in the OT. Elohim is a plural intensive noun, an early indication of what is later revealed in the NT about the nature of God- He is Father, Son, & Holy Spirit, but in this passage, we don’t yet know that, so there is some mystery to it- the Trinity is a mystery of The Divinity.

Let US make-a 1st person plural verb; Man (a’dam)- singular noun, humankind; Image-statue, replica; the visual appearance of something or someone; Likeness-model, shape; has to do with a similarity in appearance, character, or nature.

3 Views of the Image of God: Substantive, Relational, or Functional

Substantive View. The image is some DEFINITE characteristic or quality within the makeup of humans (e.g., creative identity).

Relational View: Humans DISPLAY the image of God, when in a particular relationship (e.g., with God or others).

Functional View: God’s image consists in something humans DO, a function which is performed (e.g., dominion over creation).

I think the IMAGO DEI encompasses all three of these views: The Image of God is a DEFINITE quality that sets humans apart from animals, which is on DISPLAY through our relationships with others and in what we DO as God’s representatives on earth.

What we’re going to see in the next verse is how God (a plural title) made mankind (a singular word) in His image, but that one singular man wasn’t enough to adequately or accurately represent God.

2. Marriage is a Blessing of REVELATION. Vs. 27

In creation, God’s image is most fully realized in the two biological sexes- males and females. This complementary relationship of males and females together reveals God’s image to the world.

I said a mouthful right there, so it might be worth repeating, & then we’ll unpack it. In creation, God’s image is most fully realized in the two biological sexes- males and females. This complementary relationship of males and females together reveals God’s image to the world.

Created (3xs)-God created man (mankind)… He created him (the man)… He created them (male and female). Create- (Heb. bara) the same word used in Genesis 1:1, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. In v. 26, the plural declaration “let us make” is a different verb (asah), but the words are synonymous. There is even a different word that we will encounter next week (yatsar), God formed man from the dust of the ground. The important thing is that God made, He created, both men & women, males & females, & both of them are in His image.

This is where it could get tricky. The question could be asked- the Bible says that God is Father, so how can He be both male and female?

Sean McDowell makes the analogy- To ask the question, “Is God male or female?” is somewhat like asking if God is right- or left-handed. Or is his first language English or Spanish? Truth is, he is not confined by our human or material world. He created us in his image, but he is unlike us in many, many ways.

God is neither male nor female; He is totally other from us. As a divine being, God transcends sex and gender. He is a Spiritual Being, so He is not to be understand in a biological sense. John 4:24, God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. So, while God is neither male or female, the Bible overwhelmingly uses masculine language to describe God- referring to Him as “Father” (Matthew 6:9) and “King” (Psalm 47:7), and using male pronouns (He/Him). Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, also became a man (Philippians 2:5-8).

There are traits of God that are clearly seen in males (not toxic)- strength, power, decisiveness, aggressiveness, provider, ruler, & leader.

There are traits of God that are clearly seen in females too: beauty, grace, mercy, tenderness, caring, and affectionate. God is like a mother eagle hovering over her young (Deuteronomy 32:11); Like a woman would never forget her nursing child, God will not forget his children (Isaiah 49:15); God experiences the fury of a mother bear robbed of her cubs (Hosea 13:8); Jesus longed for the people of Jerusalem, like a mother hen longs to gather her chicks under her wings (Luke 13:34).

Truthfully, both men and women carry godly traits, just as both men & women have the same hormones, but in varying amounts. Here’s the deal, neither gender is complete in & of itself, we need one another. 1 Corinthians 11:11-12, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord. 12 For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God.

This is where the complementary relationship of man and woman come together to both represent God on the earth, and to reveal Him to others. Marriage is a blessing of revelation.

3. Marriage is a Blessing in need of RESTORATION. Vs. 28

God blessed the man & the woman. Blessed- favor; God invoked His divine favor on the male & female. Be fruitful and multiply: fruitful- reproduction, multiply- to become numerous. Fill the earth & subdue it: fill- to make full, subdue- subjugate it, to be over it; Have Dominion- to rule, exercise authority.

God’s blessing on the 1st couple was to bear His image together, complement one another, make a bunch of mini-me’s (little image-bearers), and rule over His creation. Together. Marriage is the first blessing of God for this world- a blessing that represents God, a blessing that reveals God to others, & blessing that is in desperate need of restoration.

If I polled this crowd to ask everyone this question- how many of the marriages that you have been exposed to, or had any experience with at all, whether it was your own or someone else’s, how many of those could you point to & say-that marriage was a blessing to the world?

By blessing I mean- it represented God well, & together that man & that woman showed who God is and what God is like.

More than likely, our answers would fall somewhere along the lines of these statistics, which have held true for several decades now: According to the American Psychological Association, approximately 40-50% of first marriages end in divorce. The divorce rate for second marriages is even higher, with approximately 60-67% of second marriages ending in divorce.

The most common reasons for divorce are (1) Communication, (2) Unfaithfulness, & (3) Money. So, what happened? The world we live in is obviously far removed from what we just read. God made man in His image- we hear that we evolved from animals. God created people with a distinct biological sex & gender (male or female)- we hear that there are at least 50 different genders that a person can identify as. God made a man & woman to have an intimate physical relationship with each other, because that’s how babies are made, & that’s what the blessing is about. We hear that anyone, of either gender, in any kind of relationship, can get together & science can figure out a way around the natural means of God’s design.

How did we get here? Sin. This world is broken by sin, & we need redirect to God’s good design. ILL: 3 Circles. One of the ways that we can redirect people to God’s design is by our marriages. Marriage is made in the image of God.

God’s Image is sacred, He didn’t just give it to anything, He gave it to people. His Image is why we believe all life is sacred, marriage is 1 man & 1 woman for their whole, & that children are a heritage from the Lord.

Jesus affirmed God’s design for marriage, and we do too. Matthew 19:4-6, And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” Marriage is a blessing, not a burden.

If you want to change the world, love God, get married, have babies, & go to church. Show the world the blessing of marriage in God’s Image.