By Chalcedony Williams
Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
So God created human beings in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”
Genesis 1:26-28 NLT
You may be familiar with the phrase “chip off the old block”, often used to describe someone who resembles their parent in one way or another. The existence of this phrase is evidence that we cannot help but notice who we come from. Our parents, by design, become a frame of reference for how we see ourselves and how others see us. This can be frustrating, especially if you are determined to be your own person and break away from any family ties. The unique and profound parent-child relationship is a mere shadow of the deeper Creator-creature relationship.
As humans, we love to create and want our handiwork to represent and communicate something about who we are. This desire comes from our Creator – the God of heaven and earth. God’s big moment in the creation story, the Final Act of His masterpiece, was creating man in His image. The God who always existed in a perfect relationship in the Godhead demonstrated through the use of the plural pronoun “let us” (Gen 1:26), decided to create human beings who would be able to relate to Him, know Him and benefit from a relationship with Him.
God formed a man from the dust and breathed life into His nostrils. God also made the man a companion, a woman, and He commanded them to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and reign over it. The idea of a command can sometimes make us feel uncomfortable, but this command was a blessing. It is a blessing to be fruitful, productive, and create and procreate. What a beautiful picture of God’s Kingdom: a garden full of fruitful, productive and constructive men and women working together in faithful commitment to God’s command. Human beings are different from other creatures. God made us with a conscience, self-awareness, the capacity to love, to perceive right and wrong, and the free will to choose.
As image-bearers, God also gave human beings the responsibility to rule and govern His world. God commissioned the man and woman to act as His regents, representatives of His Kingdom rule on earth as it is in heaven. The plan was not for them to take power for themselves but to be caretakers. Human beings would fill the earth acting on behalf of and fulfilling the will of the Creator – the God who shines light in the darkness and brings order out of chaos.
We were created to fellowship with each other and our Creator and to produce good works in His world. Our productivity would be advanced out of adoration for our King, care for all that He has entrusted to us, and love for each other. We were created to extend Kingdom fruitfulness to the far reaches of the planet until the whole earth is filled with image-bearers who know, love, and submit to establishing the Kingdom of the one true God.
Ask: What makes human beings different from the rest of creation?
Seek: In what ways can those around you see that you represent the one true God?
Knock: Read Psalm 8 and reflect on the majesty of God’s name and the role of human beings in reflecting His glory on the earth.
