“26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”
Genesis 1:26
The opening few chapters of Genesis took the ancient world by storm. The claim that all humans are an image of God was revolutionary, but at the same time, it was hard to understand. What does it mean to be the image of God? What does it mean to be a human? Why is this considered to be a ground-breaking idea?
In ancient times, this analogy (image of God) was reserved for only two entities: kings and idols. When Genesis uses the word “image,” it is referring to the word selem in Hebrew. Several people are surprised to know this, but this word is often translated as “idol.”
Our True Purpose
“22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.”
Genesis 1:22
According to Genesis, all humans were created with a purpose. Not only are we supposed to be consistently unique, but our words and thoughts are supposed to set us apart. When God says that he made humans in his image, he’s clarifying the purpose of creating man to us. He tells man that he is supposed to “rule and reign” and be “fruitful.”
“15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.”
Genesis 2:15
In Genesis 2, the humans are placed into a garden so they can tend to it. Notice how the tone of this verse is purposeful. But what does it mean when God wants us to care for a garden he created? This might be helpful to think of a new definition of human purpose. Like a King, we are meant to rule the world on God’s behalf.
We submit to his vision and his definition of good and evil.
The Truest Human: Jesus
“27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
Genesis 1:27
Jesus tread on the earth, preaching and teaching about the Kingdom of God. He preached about the coming of the Kingdom and his reign in the world. He taught people what living in this Kingdom would look like: loving your enemy would be the top priority, and last would be equal to first. Those who wanted to take leadership roles must be willing to serve and that humans are God’s idols.
He demonstrated what it means to be a human, and when we follow him, we follow the truest path towards humanity. To know more about the nature of humanity and what does it mean to be a human, sign up for a course with Dr. Andrew Knight, or call him today on + 1 877-411-5300.