Human beings are God’s greatest creation Genesis 1:26-2:3
26Then 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. 2 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so, on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Once God had finished creating Adam, he surveyed his entire creation and saw that “it was very good” (v.31). Mankind had not yet fallen, and lived in a state of blissful peace with God.
Have you ever wondered what it means to be made in the image of God? Scripture does not explicitly tell us. What is it about us that makes us special? Is it our ability to make choices? Our knowledge of good and evil? Our creativity? It does include being made as male and female – some part of being made in the image of God is reflected in our relationships; our relationship with God, and our desire for relationship with each other (an expression of God’s triunity)? Our mandate to be rulers over the creation and exercise authority as God does? It is probably all of these things and much more.
Despite being made “very good”, Adam and Eve sinned, and all of us inherited the curse of sin and death. The fall tarnished the good image of God in us, but God is so invested in the eternal wellbeing of humans that he became a man, Jesus of Nazareth, and died on a cross to pay for our sins. He rose victorious from the grave and brought us restoration by giving us his own image through repentance and faith. As the author of Hebrews writes, Christ is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:3). When we trust in Christ for salvation, the Father sees us in the same way.
Head: Do you believe that the Father sees you the same way that he sees Jesus? How does this shape our walk with God?
Heart: What are some ways in which Jesus is “very good”? How can these ways affect the way we pray and worship him?
Hands: What is one way that you can reflect the image of God to someone else in your life today? Once you know, do it!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you that you suffered and died on a cross in order to restore me to blissful, eternal peace with the Father. Thank you that you have granted me your goodness. May you lead me to reflect the image of God today, in your mighty name, amen.
A song to listen to: God of Wonders
Lincoln Brown- Adelaide Presbyterian Church