”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,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; 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. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.”
Genesis 1:26-28, 31
The story of Creation is a beautiful account of a loving, wonderful Heavenly Father who created mankind in His own image and likeness. Creation is the action or process of bringing something into existence. When God, the Father created the universe He saw that the earth was formless and desolate. Upon seeing this He chose to create the heaven and the earth, the sea and the dry land. He chose to create mankind in His image and likeness to be fruitful and multiply. Filling the earth with a family with characteristics and attributes just like Him (Genesis 1).
In Scripture, light is used to symbolize God, life, faith, truth, holiness throughout scripture. God is light and in Him there is no darkness (1 Jn. 1:5). “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it“ (Jn. 1:5).
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that has been made (Jn. 1:3). We understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible (Heb. 11:3). People have wrestled with this mystery for thousands of years. Some have even come to the conclusion that it “popped into existence from nothing at all.” [1]
When God created human beings, He made them like himself in His image and likeness. He created them male and female, blessed them, and named them (Gen. 5:1). The Imago Dei, Latin for “image of God”, is essential for our understanding of who we are as God’s creation. Humans are created in the image of God in their moral, spiritual, and intellectual nature. We bear resemblance of His character. We have similar faculties of mind, will and emotion. We possess properties uniquely characteristic of humans, have the capacity for reason and choice, and are accountable to God. If we don’t grasp this we may never understand the heart of the Father. We have the supernatural potential to “live and move and have our being“ in Him.
In Genesis 9 after the flood which destroyed the earth because of man’s disobedience, God gave Noah instructions to, “Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth. He gave Noah power over all the animals, birds, and fish, and told him that the one thing you must not eat is meat with blood still in it. He forbid this because “life is in the blood.” God also explicitly said, “Human beings were made like God, so whoever murders one of them will be killed by someone else.” He restated that Noah and his sons, “must have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth” (Gen. 9:1-7). God made a covenant with Noah and his sons, and with all living beings—all birds and all animals—everything that came out of the boat with Noah. God promised that “never again will all living beings be destroyed by a flood; never again will a flood destroy the earth” (Gen. 9:8-9).
When I hear of the amount of innocent bloodshed occurring today through wars, genocide, infanticide, gun violence, abortion, and so forth “the blood still speaks” (Gen. 4:9-10; Heb. 4:13-14). The case of Abel reveals that God observes the lives of those He created. We are not free to live as we please, accountable to no one but ourselves. God keeps watch on the wicked and the good. (Prov. 15:3).
All of God’s creation is “fearfully and wonderfully made.” God sees them before they are born. He created every part, carefully putting them together in their mother’s womb when the bones were being formed as they are growing in secret. He alone allotted the days of their life and recorded them in His book before any of them ever began (Ps. 139:13-16 GNT). He knows the struggles and hardships they will face in this life because we live in a fallen world.
“From one man, Adam, he made every man and woman and every race of humanity, and he spread us over all the earth. He sets the boundaries of people and nations, determining their appointed times in history”
(Acts 17:26 TPT)
Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. We are what we are by God’s design. We exist because of Him. He created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together (Col. 1:15-17).
No matter how different our complexion, features, or language, we are all derived from One common Father. No one nation, and no individual, can claim any pre-eminence over others. In this respect all are created equal; and the whole human family, however they may differ in complexion, customs, and laws, are to be regarded and treated as brethren. It follows, also, that no one part of the race has a right to enslave or oppress any other part, on account of difference of complexion. [2]
”Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our ancestors by being unfaithful to one another?”
(Mal. 2:10)
God loves His creation. He loved the world so much that He gave His only Son for mankind. He says in Isaiah 43:4, “Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life.”
In righteousness and justice, God is restoring His creation to it’s original intent. I pray that this writing will bring faith, hope, encouragement, strength, and insight to all who have a desire to co-labor with God in the building of His Kingdom on earth.
Blessings,
Dr. Francine
All Scripture is taken from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise noted.
Notes:
1. Robert Adler, 6 November 2014, Why Is There Something, Rather Than Nothing? BBC, http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141106-why-does-anything-exist-at-all
2. Barnes’ Notes On the Bible, biblehub.com
BEYOND CHURCH WALLS 