Life In The Image Of God

Genesis 1:27-28          So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.”

Life as we know it begins with the creation of Adam and Eve. They too were created by God from nothing. They too are commanded to become fruitful, increase in numbers like the other created living creatures. But they are equally different than the other creatures. The difference makes them unique and destined for greater usefulness in God’s plan 

God created mankind in his own image. We are a reflection of God in the state in which he formed us. In the image of God we find our living existence leading to Life”. In God’s likeness we are set apart from other living creatures. They are not made in His likeness. Unlike them, we are to subdue the world and rule over all the other living creatures. Our living, our existence has meaning in our very nature of having been made in God’s image. We have life because we are in a cooperative relationship with God, one in which we contribute to His created world in ways the animals can’t.

 

Life, unlike a living existence, places us in a relationship with God. To have meaningful life, we must be in relationship with others. Cooperative relationships are the only mechanism for fulfilling the commands God gave Adam and Eve. When God place them in the Garden of Eden they were confronted with a choice, unlike the other creatures. They could eat from any tree in the garden, including the Tree of Life, but were not permitted to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.   

 

            Life is found in living within the image of God. This entails accepting the mandate to rule and subdue the created world and accepting the restrictions place upon us. There are things which we can do and things that we are not permitted to do. Taking God at his word brings us into a life predetermined by God, fulfills His will and transforms existence into Life.