Made in God's Image
Genesis 1-3 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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I am going to quote a famous document—see if you can tell me where this came from:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
What am I a quoting?
of course—The Declaration of Independence
you probably believe this—all are created equal. all have a right to pursue these things.
these are self-evident or obvious.
even those who are non-Christian, non believers, secular, would argue for this too in our country in the western world.
but not everyone in human history or even today believes this.
Author Glen Scrivener - wrote a book called The Air We Breathe (Australian and Anglican) shows how this idea—that we take for granted in our society, has not always been there.
we take these ideas like freedom, compassion, equality for granted.
he argues as he traces history and philosophy—that the reason these concepts exist in the western world is interestingly—because of the Jesus Revolution—Christianity.
in fact, he says imagine you went back a long time and interview Philosopher Plato—and asked him about it he might say— nonsense. some are men and some are women. some are slaves and some are free. not everyone is equal!
when Jesus came into the world, I believe He very much entered a world where this was the case.
so where do we get this idea today that we kind of take for granted—that every life matters. all humans matter.
right here....in the Bible. let’s explore one of those fundamental ideas that makes a big difference.
Please turn to Genesis 1:24-31. Genesis 1:26
First book of the Bible, our amazing God creating all things by speaking—we are going to zoom in on day 6...
24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.
25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “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.”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Let’s talk about this amazing concept of the image of God that has infiltrated our western world and is extremely practical today...
What is the Image of God...
Humans are unique in God’s creation (vs. 24-27)— we are different than the animals and plants! Those thing are according to their kinds. We are made according to God’s image!
right before in verse 24—God makes land animals. and before that in vs. 20-23, he makes sea creatures and birds of the sky on day 5.
but none of those animals of the sea, sky, or land—none of them are said to be made in the image of God.
People, humans beings are different than animals; distinct; privileged. We are the only ones that it is said are made in the image of God.
so one way of looking at this question is as image bearers of God, what makes us different than animals?
and a lot of it is tied into what we DO...
what makes us different than animals?
some theologians have said:
reasoning or logic - intellect
morality - right and wrong
beauty - we can create and make and admire beauty
relationships - with God and others
communication and speech
certainly some animals have shades — even your dog knows when it has been a bad doggie—it’s not the same as a human being
the 2nd point what does it mean to be made in the image of God...
Humans have a purpose and a mission (vs. 28)
occupation or mission - to image God
what does an image do — image = reflection
and if we are the image of God or reflection of God—we are made to reflect God.
one writer says: “We were created to be signposts pointing others to him, mirrors displaying his character to the world, and when people see us, they see aspects of God. Your purpose isn’t something you earn or work for; it’s something you already are.”
look at vs. 28 as part of that mission
28 God blessed them and said to them, “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.”
vs. 28 - be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue it, and have dominion/rule over it. not just about making babies and having farms. a beautiful call to imitate the creative work God himself accomplished in creation. we are co-creators with God at some level:
by having kids...
by subduing and filling the earth
“Filling the earth is about filling the empty spaces with beauty and using your gifts and talents to show the world the creative nature of its God. (part of that is using our gifts to the glory of God; part of that is having children - although I don’t think you have to get married or have children to fully display God’s image but when we do—we are co-creators with God, imaging the work of God.
in fact, when you get to the NT - part of that fruitfulness language is shown in the NT—John 15...whether you are married or not—you are called to bear fruit spiritually
Galatians 5:22-23 (we are imaging God)
John 15 - (when we are in Christ—we are fulfilling this)
“Having dominion is about bringing order—ordered hearts, ordered relationships, ordered businesses, ordered homes—out of chaos.” — Elizabeth Garn it’s not about ruling with an iron first. our dominion and ruling over creation is meant to be a picture of the kind of care and rule God has. it is meant to be a kind of power that is beneficial to all.
we are co-rulers with Christ under God—
Application: everyone has a purpose; it’s not that we are God or on the same level as God, but as the world sees us—we image God. As we know God and follow God, we show what He is like.
Humans reflect God’s image individually and together. (vs. 27-28)
27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
both male AND FEMALE are important
equality - shocking in that context and for lots of traditional cultures - the woman is equal! that would have been surprising for the readers of Genesis!
also shocking that everyone is made in God’s image. in other ancient creation stories, the king might be said to be the image of God—he represents God—but everyone! Crazy!
we also see that gender matters—gender is not some social construct or cultural construct that we look inside of us and define—but is defined outside of us and given to us by an amazing, powerful, and holy God.
God makes biological sex and distinctions. there are 2 genders—male and female according to biological sex.
we have compassion for those experience gender confusion, and we also have truth that there are 2 genders—defined by God.
in addition, we filling and populating the earth is only possible because of the opposite sexes.
4. Humans are not the center of reality—God is.
Theologian Owen Strachan says — for thousands of years, humanity was understood in light of God; we had certain duties before God and responsibilities.
but in the 1900’s and on especially—there was a rise of God is dead theology.
humanity is a blank slate—evolved from an eons-old combustion of gases. Humanity has no divine origin, but an accidental one. … we are not distinct from the beasts; we’re a higher animal, nothing more.
so because of this—humans don’t have ethics either. we are here; we die; we dissolve into nothingness. so we create our own realities - we are true to ourselves, alone by ourselves and supposedly free.
but if that is true—we ask—why do many of us as humans feel so lost.
I would argue it’s because we have replaced God with self.
Genesis reminds us that we are not lost—we are divinely created. the culmination of creation. given incredible significance and purpose. we matter—b/c there is a God who breathed the very breath of life in us—whether male or female—we matter.
and so if that is the case—is God is the center of the universe—then He calls the shots. He knows what’s best. I am going to trust Him in how to prioritize my life, how to use my time, money, sexuality, and relationships to His glory.
Application:
We have an identity!
in order to know who we are, we have to look beyond our heart—and look up to God. He made us; He made us in His image—He defines reality and who we are...
not our inner feelings
or our hearts
or culture, or the world and what people say...
but God and God alone.
and before I mention it—I think there is a tension here: when we define the image of God, we are tempted to focus on what we do. it’s called a functional definition. we are made to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue it—all important functions. we are meant to rule the world under God’s rule—important!
and we sometimes define image of God in terms of our capacities to reason, think, make decisions, right and wrong, relationships, all important—-but before we do. we are.
in other words the Image of God is first about our being—who we are in God—before it’s about our doing.
this matters! We live in a society that measures accomplishments, achievements—where did you go to school, what activities did you participate in, where did you work, what did you accomplish—but God measures it differently—the image of God is inherent to who He created us to be.
this takes me to my 2nd point.
We have value and dignity
why? b/c we are made in the image of God
and regardless of capability or function or doing—whatever level that is, all human life matters.
this applies equally to men and women
including your family friends neighbors co-workers.
It applies to your boss that you can’t stand, or your co-workers who constantly drive you nuts or may talk behind your back.
to your parents who get on your case
to your spouse you are righting with
to the addict who is struggling to overcome an addiction
to the person on the other side of the political aisle that you tend to de-humanize. even democrats are made in the image of God; even republicans are made in the image of God. (and independents and other political affiliations around the world)
even dictators or cruel rulers (though they are not reflecting God’s rule at all)
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.
One of my concerns lately with the Charlie Kirk death...is how our culture thinks and divides over this.
I mentioned last week we are trained by our social media algorithms to focus on one side. Thankfully in this church, everyone has been appalled by his death, saddened that a man at a university, exercising free speech was shot, and a wife lost her husband and kids their dad.
but did you know—I have heard from some of you who loved Charlie Kirk, been affected and emboldened to be more bold for the Gospel—praise God
and I have also heard from some of you that even though you didn’t want him shot or killed, you didn’t necessarily care for his style. and while you want to be bold for Jesus, you won’t adopt the same style.
do you realize we have both opinions worshiping together in our church week after week?
are we still all made in the image of God?
because that person across the aisle—their primary identity isn’t their political affiliation—it’s their image in the image of God.
and if they are a Christian—they are family.
you see the enemy is never human—our enemy Scripture says is this:
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
as we keep thinking about the value and dignity of life—-
even includes the unborn; this is why we are against abortion; we believe life begins at conception. that little fertilized egg already has human dignity and value because he/she is made in the image of God already even though they can’t even functionally do anything yet. it’s why we support important organizations like the Hope Clinic.
This is why the elderly matter, and topics like euthanasia come up. Here is the word on screen. I remember when I first heard that word “euthanasia.” I thought my teacher was saying “Youth in Asia.” and I thought—well there must be a lot of kids in Asia. no but it’s euthanasia. end of life care—do we intentionally end life early—assisted suicide. we would say even our elderly who their capabilities are diminishing, still made equally in the image of God. their life matters.
even someone on a ventilator who has lost all mental capacities and brave ways—are they still made in the image of God! Yes—in terms of their being even if their functionally not displaying that. their life still matters and we have to make these medical decisions carefully with a physician before God.
even those who are born with a physical disability, or a mental challenge, or Down’s Syndrome—are they any less made in God’s image? No—they are made in the Image of God. life matters, even if it has been affected the the Fall in Genesis 3 and our function has gone awry but our being is still directly made in the image of God.
was reading a Christianity Today article that talks about the image of God.
and it was referencing this idea—of God’s image.
it describes woman named Emma at her church...
Emma is a deeply committed Jesus follower with cerebral palsy. Recently she went to a church she had not visited before. As she was leaving, an elder approached her and asked, “Can I pray for you?” She replied, “Why would you want to do that?” He said, “I feel that Jesus wants to free you from your disability.”
Emma’s response was calm but firm: “I’m happy as I am, thank you.” She left the church with dignity, but she was really upset. “Every time that happens, it makes me feel like I don’t belong in church,” she told me. “It’s like people think I’m less than everyone else. But I’m not, right?” A tear rolled down her cheek.
My friend’s experience lays bare a theological fault line Christians must confront: When the church sees disability solely as something to be fixed rather than something that can be honored and received, it obscures the truth of creation’s goodness and distorts the image of God.
the article is challenging!!
it goes on to say—
While the imago Dei (Image of God) has sometimes been defined in terms of intellect, rationality, or physical capacity, this view inevitably excludes those with profound intellectual disabilities or those living with dementia, whose capacities are either undeveloped or diminishing. But the problem runs deeper: If the image is equated with cognitive or physical function, then all human beings are, in effect, growing out of that image as we age and our bodies and minds decline. This renders the imago Dei not a gift bestowed but a status to be lost, an anthropology that is both theologically incoherent and pastorally troubling.
There is another way to think about the image of God. God’s Spirit (ruach) sustains all living creatures, including animals (Gen. 7:15; Ps. 104:27–30). What distinguishes humans is God’s desire to relate to them (Gen. 1:26–28). The imago Dei is manifested in God’s loving gift of relationality. What distinguishes humanity is not superior functionality but God’s relational intent. God speaks with human beings, entrusts them with responsibility, and desires communion with them in a way not extended to other creatures. The imago Dei is a gift, not a human capacity.
Some might challenge the inclusivity of this view by arguing that relationality requires reciprocity, asking, “If you can’t respond to God’s gift, then how can you receive it?” Once again, Genesis has a reply.
In the second creation account, in Genesis 2, humans are called to care for the world—to tend, to keep, and to sustain it (v. 15). If caring for the world and all its creatures is a foundational human vocation, then we as creatures are counted among those who also need to receive care. If you find yourself in a situation where you can only be cared for, where you cannot respond to others and to God, this does not mean you are somehow a lesser portrayal of the image of God.
did you catch that?
the author refers to theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer—who says as humans—like Adam—he was made from dust—shows our vulnerability before God, dependence on God. being made in the image of God—show dependence, vulnerability, not self-sufficiency.
Against this backdrop, the Genesis account offers a radical counter-vision. It insists that vulnerability is not a failure of human life but rather a feature of its divine design.
To be human is not to be autonomous but to be made for communion. And communion—both with God and with one another—is made possible not through strength but through the shared grammar of need.”
so some of those people in our lives that may experience some type of handicap or disability if I can use that word, they are not somehow less made in God’s image. in fact, they may be showing pieces of God’s image, that others struggle to show.
that takes me to my application on the image of God...
3. We have a purpose and a mission.
look at verse 28 again
28 God blessed them and said to them, “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.”
God gave all humans that creation mandate or cultural mandate. to fill the earth; subdue it; rule.
many theologians note that there at least 3 things bound up with this:
— we represent God in creation
—we relate to God in relationships
—we reflect the one who made us — his righteousness
I think many of us get kind of lost or misfocused on “what should I do with my life.” and I get it—important question.
but you can do almost any job (make sure it’s not illegal of course or hurts others) and fulfill this
if you do that job to the glory of God—it can fulfill this.
again this is not limited to those who get married or have kids because as we get to the NT—we that language of fruitfulness is applied spiritually.
Galatians 5:22-23 — the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience—when the Spirit produces that in us—we are fulfilling this
when we show and tell the good news, the Gospel of Jesus, multiplying followers of Jesus and discipling them—we are fulfilling this.
and you can do this anywhere—doesn’t have to be in the church
in fact, while I am for training pastors—we need good pastors—I would rather see you stay where you are and figure out how you can run your business or do your job at Wal-Mart to the glory of God—because we need God’s image bearers everywhere!!
4. We have a destiny...
now with this point there is a problem.
we have Genesis 1...and then we have Genesis 3—the fall.
as mentioned earlier—our being made in God’s image is still there. but it has gone awry. functionally, we don’t always mirror God well.
yet we are still made in God’s image.
6 “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.
7 As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.”
this is God’s instruction to Noah—still made in God’s image—still given that same command to be fruitful and multiply.
Even after the Fall of Man—we are still made in the Image of God—praise God!
but now—we don’t reflect God well. In fact, Noah in chapter 9 gets drunk and has a weird incident with his son in a tent rated R.
one writer said we are like mirrors cracked and broken. still reflecting God—but it has been affected by the fall and sin.
our desire to put ourselves in the place of God.
but that’s not the end of the story.
since we cannot image God well...God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who has always existed within the Trinity, the Godhead—Father, Son and Spirit,
God sent His Son—
and look at Colossians describes Jesus
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
Jesus makes visible the invisible God. He images His Father perfectly.
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.
we were designed to represent God, but we failed.
Only Jesus succeeded.
The Apostle will make a comparison between the first Adam in Genesis...
and the 2nd Adam—Jesus Christ
49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man (Adam), so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man (Jesus).
Owen Strachan—the story of the first Adam—a real man, explains why we too suffer, and die, and rebel against God (sin).
the story of the 2nd Adam—Jesus—also real—explains how death doesn’t have the last word. In Christ, we experience eternity with God forever and get a new resurrection body like Jesus’ for all eternity.
we all are born, even conceived in Adam’s Image, still the image of God, but fallen.
but in Christ, through faith and repentance, we are new creations Scriptures says (2 Cor. 5:17)
born again, Jesus says! (John 3)
and we are being made more and more into our original design—the image of Jesus.
9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
As followers of Jesus, the Holy Spirit makes us more and more like the image of Christ, which is what we were designed for.
To be truly human—that is not defined by sin. we often define it that way—you are just human. we struggle, and that’s true in Adam.
but if Jesus is the perfect representation of what full humanity looks like—to be truly human is to be in Jesus, under God’s authority.
so we are made originally in God’s image, yet we must be remade by gospel grace in Christ’s image.
The Image of God—this theology has made a huge difference in our western world—
but I want you to think of these 4 applications from it:
look at these applications—how would our lives change if we really knew:
we have an identity
we have value/dignity
we have a purpose/mission
we have a destiny
and this is ultimately all because of Jesus Christ
Do you live with this idea of God’s image?
do you treat others with this idea of the image of God?
