Image
October 30, 2024
Curious this morning, I was wondering whether or not I held the Bible concept of the creation of Mankind correctly.
First, I checked the original Hebrew language as to the meaning of the word “image.” -https://www.ancient-hebrew.org/index.html.
Were we just created like a shadow image of God, making our physical appearance like His, or did it go deeper?
Where did our minds come from? Was that part of God’s blueprint?
Well, yes. It turns out that God created people to be molded in His own appearance as a person — feet, legs, body, neck, head, hair — all the same anatomy. Referring to Genesis 1:26, “…Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…” The first word in the Hebrew refers to our physical likeness — the physical shadow image. The next word “likeness” adds clarity to the picture: we were created “like father, like son.” The inner characteristics of mind and conscience, and consciousness — which is self-awareness — are all part of our creation.
Why were we made like this?
The answer lies in the ensuing part of Genesis 1:26 — “…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, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
Maybe it is sort of like God rules in Heaven and He wanted to give us the ability to rule on Earth.
By the way, the word “rule” needs some clarification. Other translations use the word “dominion” which also needs some clarification. Many people understand dominion to mean “domination.”
No. Not at all.
God said Mankind was to take care of the Creation, not to give it a “beat down.” We weren’t created to beat it into submission.
Rather, dominion means we are supposed to take good care of it.
That brings us to the Fall of Man in the ensuing Genesis stories.
If anyone doesn’t see how the dynamics of our fallen nature works, check out how this sinful nature works its way into real life…
Take a deep breath of our polluted air. Take a big glass of our polluted waters. Climb the nearest mountain we call a landfill. Look at medical reports on how microplastics have invaded everyone’s bodies…
Because of our tendency to do harm and cause hurts like this, I think of it this way God doesn’t have to bring judgment on the whole Earth to destroy it, because we are bringing such destructive judgment on ourselves… and that, because we choose domination over dominion…
Nevertheless, we were created for better things and better consequences.
So, we need to be saved from ourselves and from all the hurtful and harmful consequences of Mankind’s foolish, prideful, and ignorant actions throughout the brief history of our existence.
God knows we need to be saved.
People might not realize this until it’s too late.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8h1bck
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“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” — John 3:17, BSB.
