05/13/2008

Genesis 1:26 - 31 (HCSB)

²⁶Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”

²⁷So God created man in His own image;
He created him in the image of God;
He created them male and female.

²⁸God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.” ²⁹God also said, “Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. This food will be for you, ³⁰for all the wildlife of the earth, for every bird of the sky, and for every creature that crawls on the earth—everything having the breath of life in it. _ëI have given_û every green plant for food.”

And it was so. ³¹God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. Evening came, and then morning: the sixth day.

I remember when I was younger, there was debate about what made humans different than animals. One conclusion was that humans used tools. But it was discovered that a species of monkey uses twigs to pick up ants to eat. Another used leaves to scoop water to drink. Then the arguement was that humans communicate with a language. But then we learned that dolphins and whales have a complex language. On and on it went. And in the light of Darwinian evolution, almost every distinguishing thing we could find about humans was matched in some way by other animals.

In Ben Stein’s movie “Expelled,” one distinguished evolutionary biologist exclaims with great passion that since we are evolved and (according to him) there is no god, then our life is utterly and totally meaningless. And indeed, in Darwinian evolution, humans are but another accident of nature, having no purpose, nothing outstanding. Especially in light of the fact that a yet greater species will evolve from us, our existence is of no benefit or consequence.

Yet, the Genesis account tells us something different. What we see in these verses is that God created all things with a purpose, and at the conclusion of creation, he crowned it all with His prized creation; man. What was special about man?

“Let Us make man in Our image.”

Without going too much into it, it is believed that the first-person, plural reference is an indication of the trinity of God.

But what is the “image” of God in which we are made? Is God flesh and bone? Does God have two hands and two feet?

If we believe that God is transcendent above time, space and matter, then He does not.

What then is the “image”?

Humans were created with a soul. We have the ability to sin, and conversely, the ability to choose to honor and revere God. Animals were given no restrictions in the Garden of Eden. They cannot sin – nor can they have the glorious experience of salvation that we enjoy.

This is not to suggest that God has the ability to sin. But rather, the “image” of God that we have is the spiritual aspect—the transcendent aspect of God is in us. There is in us, a part that is transcendent above this body, beyond time, space, and matter; a part of us that is and will be eternal.

This is what makes us unique among creation. Now let’s look at purpose. There are two purposes. First: “They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”

All creation was created for us and we were created for God. We are the guardians and stewards of this magnificent creation. It is our charge to maintain it with as much reverence to God as possible. And in so doing, we honor God. We have the freedom to explore, tame, research, invent, and so forth, so long as we honor God in the act. To exploit and spoil this earth is to disregard our purpose.

Secondly, we were created to worship God. Angels were created to serve God as minions. We, on the other hand were created with a will to worship God or to turn our backs on Him. God allows us this freedom because He wants those who worship Him to do so of their own desire.

In the movie “The King and I”, when Anna first meets the king, everyone must keep their head lower than the king – and they do so out of fear and obligation. Anna teaches the king that honor given out of respect is far greater than obligatory salutation. In the same way, God desires that we worship Him willingly.

Unfortunately, many will turn away from the glory of God and refuse to worship Him. God has allowed us this freedom, yet, not without consequence.

Is your worship of God done out of a sincere heart, or out of fear of reprisal?

Terms of Usage: This devotional may be copied or forwarded for personal use without permission, but must include the author, publisher, web link, and copyright notice. Use in another published work must obtain permission first.

[ Previous ] [ Up ] [ Next ]