| Adam and Christ, Part 2: The Image of God (part 2) |
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| Written by David Lawrence |
| Monday, January 23 2006 00:00 |
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What does it mean to be created in the image and likeness of God? It is an image that reflects Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and it is an image shared by both male and female. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the one God; male and female are the creation of God known as man. But what sets apart man from all other creation? Animals can reason in simple ways and know what it is to love. Animals learn responsibility and can manifest tremendous intelligence. Anyone who has had a pet or who has worked closely with animals will understand what I mean. So how is man different, or are we but another animal? We can really go with certainty to no other passage than Gen. 1:26-28, for here God reveals about his creation of man what He wants us to know. The thought that runs through the text is that man is to exercise dominion. He is to subdue and rule over the animals and all other creatures of God. He is to fill the earth with his kind. It is in this role of viceroys of God that we find the primary distinction between man and the rest of creation. In order to accomplish the task of exercising dominion over the creation, it is obvious that God endowed man with the ability to do so, the necessary knowledge, wisdom, holiness, and righteousness that he might be a good and faithful ruler, acting in the place of God on the earth. It is an awesome responsibility, and it is an exalted honor. No other creature was given such a position. In whatever other particular ways man reflects the image and likeness of God we may not know until we are with the Lord in glory. Until then we accept by faith that we bear this image with all the privileges and responsibilities that come with it. But a terrible event occurred. The man, under covenant to God to obey Him and faithfully exercise his God-given role of viceroy, disobeyed. A great fall occurred, and as a result all of creation was frustrated and disrupted. We continue in our next devotional. |
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