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In
Al/ ofus bear the image ofthe God wlw created us. lfal/ ofus rea/ized what
The
thot
mean~
the world would be o for dijferent p/oce in which to live.
Iffiage
S
o God created man in his own
image, in the image of God he
created him; male and fema le
he created them.... And God saw
everything
that he had made, and
behold, it was
very
good" (Gen.
1:27, 31). Perhaps the above is the
most profound and inspiring theo–
logical statement in the entirety of
the Bible. Man had been created in
the express image of the living God!
What an incredible, awe-inspiring
thought! What implications it has!
Consider for a moment what it
means to bear the image of God.
Every human being who has ever
walked the face of this good green
24
by
Brian Knowles
earth has borne lhe likeness of
God-no matter how tall, short,
maimed, crippled, sick, healthy o r
whatever. No matter whal race or
elhn ic group one has sprung from–
he or she bears the image of God.
Eve is described as "the mother of
a/!
living" (Gen.
3:20).
Eve bore the
image of God eq ually with Adam.
And she was created "very good."
All races sprang from 1he womb
of mother Eve. Adam is 1he father
of the human race. Theologically
speaking, we have a ll descended
from that "one blood" (Acts 17:26),
and we are aU,
in
thal sense, the
"otfspring of God" (Acts 17: 29).
The mingled blood of Adam and
Eve runs in 1he veins of every living
human being, and that blood bears
"the image of God."
The implications of tha t state–
ment could revolutionize the whole
of human relalionships on 1his
plane1-if we could only understand
and embrace them!
What does it truly mean to be in
God's own image? ls this mcrely
talking abou1 lhe physical resem–
blance of man to God? Or does it
imply much more?
Much more indeed!
Of aU God's crea1ed crealures
man is lruly unique. Man alone has
humor. creativi1y, imaginalion. Man
was created lranscendenlally higher
th an any o1her life form. Man
slands al lhe head of the creation,
bearing qualities unheard of in the
lower animal world. Man is the very
apex of God's crealive acts, 1he
Creator's pinnacle of achievement.
And as such, man stands alone in
the universe. Man is above il all.
Man alone is "lhe otfspring of
God"!
Even the angels of God were cre–
aled as "minislering spirits senl
forth 10 serve. for the sake of those
[humans] who a re to obtain salva–
tion" (Heb.
1: 14).
Man was crealed
to rule, to have
dominion.
He was
given aulhority 10 rule over 1his
planet now, in this life. But his po–
ten tia l was even greater : "For it was
not to angels thal God subjected the
world to come, of which we are
speaking.
lt
has bcen 1es1ificd some-
The
PLAIN TRUTH December 1977