Made in ???

Where a product is grown or manufactured has become an important aspect of many people's lives - we want to know that the food we put on the table for our families is grown and handled in safe ways. Cars, electronics, clothes, medicine, if you see a made in the USA stamp on it more people are apt to trust the quality. All because of where it's made... 

Last week as we began by laying the foundation for our faith we looked at Genesis 1:31, God’s declaration that his creation, his kingdom was complete, and it was “very good.” God created a kingdom, and he is the King is where we left off but God’s creation doesn’t end with that. He made human beings to represent him in that Kingdom – Look at Genesis chapter 1 again, this time let’s look at verse 27-28:

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Even though God had every right to rule his creation, God chose not to do it alone. Instead, he created Adam and Eve as the crowning achievement -- the pinnacle of His creation. Just as everything else in creation Adam and Eve were created for a specific role… to serve as his image bearers, or representatives, in creation.

When we stop for a moment to consider what it means to be made in the image of God, it doesn’t take long to get lost in a maze of theological discussion – this is a major point of contention and has been debated by scholars for centuries thus we don’t have time to unpack all the different arguments here but there are a couple of key options we need to consider this morning.

Some argue that the image of God is primarily related to our ability to use reason and intellect. Some argue it is tied to our ability to relate to God and our fellow man. Others say that the image of God is tied to the task and mission that God gave to Adam and Eve. In reality it is most likely a combination; our image is found in both the characteristics AND the relational aspects that we share with God.

In the ancient world, an image of one of the pagan gods would be placed in a temple in order to represent that god. While it’s not a perfect parallel between that pagan practice and the concept of the image of God, we could say that we too are God’s representatives here on earth. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:20a “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us...”

This doesn’t mean that we are to walk around worshiping each other – instead, it means that we are able to fulfill the commission that he has given to us found in Genesis 1:27-28…

By being created in the image of God Adam and Eve were able to do what God had called them (and us) to do…

But are we the image God made us to be? Can we fulfill our mission if we are living in rebellion against the Creator?

Hope to see you Sunday as we explore what it means to be created in the image of our Creator!