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Imago Dei - Image of God

Words of Faith Final

Imago Dei - Image of God
Words of Faith 1-6-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Genesis 1
     [26] Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

         What does it mean to be human? Genesis tells us. The wonder of creation reaches a climactic point in the making of humans. Here we discover our design.
         This creative moment was different from all the others. Instead of an impersonal "Let there be ..." there was a personal "Let us make."  Perfect care was given to creating every leaf, mold, and wild creature, but a more personal perfect care was given to the creation of humans.
         The humans were not made "according to its kind" as the animals were. Instead, humans were made "in our (God's) image" and "in our likeness."  Since God is Spirit, this image and likeness are not a physical form though we dwell in physical bodies that are beautifully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139). Because of the image of God in us, humans are distinct from animals in several specific ways that reflect the nature of God.
         1. Humans were created with free will and moral responsibility. We can discuss later how much free will was lost in the fall, but the humans were clearly different from animals. Animals are driven by instinct. Animals are incapable of the deepest forms of love that originate with God. (I know! I have a "loving" dog, too, but he does not choose to love as much as he responds to kindness.) Animals are also incapable of malice. They are incapable of moral deliberation. They simply react instinctually to their circumstance. Humans have the capacity to reflect on a situation, consider a consequence, and then act with benevolence, indifference, or cruelty. Humans can reflect on the morality and meaning of life. This we get from God.
         2. Humans were created with a spirit. This is the image and likeness of God, Spirit. We will see more detail of this in chapter two. Because we were created with a spirit, in the image and likeness of God, we are eternal creatures. Our essence is not flesh and will live on when our bodies return to dust. We were created to last.
         3. Humans were given the place of ruling over the rest of creation. The old word for this is "dominion" and means to subjugate. But the real meaning is that humans were charged with the stewardship of the earth and the animals. To "rule" in the image of God is not to destroy and recklessly consume. It is the place of humans to exercise moral stewardship and use the gifts of nature and animals entrusted to us. These are given for our provision.
         4. Humans can create. God creates "from nothing."  Humans cannot create in the way God does. We create using the stuff and talent God gave us in the world.  Humans cannot speak things into existence, but humans have a capacity to create that animals do not have. Part of the stewardship of the earth is to be creative. Humans can envision something that is not there and then build it. Humans can cultivate, plant and harvest. Humans seek to express a thought and then write it. Humans can be filled with emotion and then sing it or play it. Humans have a unique capacity for art, music, and architecture, to name a few creative activities. This reflects the image and likeness of God.
          This is how God created us as humans. He created free, moral, creative stewards in the image of God. Later in Genesis, we will learn of the "fall" which shattered this image of God. Without the redemptive work of Christ, the image of God is horribly distorted and bent toward sin. Without the blood of Jesus, our spirits are dead, our rule is selfish, and our creativity is twisted and stunted.
         The wonderful thing about the work of Jesus is that He redeems the broken image and restores us to what God intended us to be. The work of Christ makes us fully human and restores the image of God. The work of Christ unleashes the creativity the Lord God placed in us.

         O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!  You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!  Amen   (Psalm 8)

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)        
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.