God created man in His own image, thus making man different from every other thing God created. The lesson is that God created man within a relationship; a relationship He shares with no other created thing.
We live in an advanced and advancing technological age. All who are reading this are certainly aware of that, if only because you are reading this via the Internet. We see technological advances in all areas of life from agriculture to medicine to computers, which are getting faster and smarter. The advances in computer technology are supporting advances in robotics and artificial intelligence in amazing ways. The advances in robotics and artificial intelligence are concerning for some, even to the point that a colleague recently asked if a robot guided by artificial intelligence could meet the qualifications of eldership, which are provided in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1.
Rather than focus on the answer to that man’s question, it is important to recognize the underlying question. What does it mean to be human? To answer this question, one must spend some time exploring the creation narrative in Genesis 1.
As you spend time intentionally looking at Genesis 1, notice the days of creation are arranged into 2 groups of 3 days, Days 1-3 and Days 4-6. Days 1-3 provide containers for the items created on Days 4-6. Throughout these days, God evaluated his work as being good. At least until he created man. On Day 6, God first created the land-dwelling creatures (beasts and creeping things) and concluded that process with these words, “And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:25).
The text clearly takes a turn in verse 26, “Then, God said, ‘Let us make man in our image …’” Here we see a distinction between man and everything else that God had created. Specifically, man was not only created by God, but he was also created in the image of God. One of the things that distinguishes man from animals (and robots) is bearing the image of God. Perhaps you have heard someone showing their appreciation for their pet by saying, “Dog’s are people, too.” That is incorrect. Neither dogs nor any other animals are people – no matter how much we love them – because they are not created in God’s image. Only humans are created in God’s image.
Verse 27 goes on to specifically identify that God created humans in binary categories of sexuality, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
Being created in God’s image allows humans to be in a relationship with God in a way that no other created thing could be. After this relationship was broken in Genesis 3, a thread of redemption can be traced through the remainder of scripture. Considering any other created thing on the same level or above man denies the uniqueness of man as God’s image-bearer. Denying the uniqueness of man among all created things is what my pastor calls the destruction of divine design. And this intentional or unintentional destruction of divine design demonstrates the damage done by sin to the relationship between God and man.
Consider the following as you reflect on this week’s devotion:
- As you survey your culture, identify ways you see the intrinsic value of humans diminished (intentionally or unintentionally) by not recognizing or acknowledging their status as image-bearers.
- How do the examples of disregard for man’s status as image-bearers affect society or culture?
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