Genesis 1:26-31
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, 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.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. … God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Reflection
Human beings are created in the image of God (imago Dei). I am sure a lot of thought and conversation has occurred from the “beginning” about what this means. We obviously know that since God created humans, male and female, in “their” image, that does not mean physically. What this could mean is that humans are created in God’s image in the following ways (according to John Wesley):
The natural image – human capacity for understanding, freedom of will, and love which are expressions of God’s image;
The political image – human beings exercise stewardship over creation and share in God’s ongoing governance of the earth; and
The moral image – human beings have the potential for righteousness, true holiness, and happiness, signs of the divine image.
Consider how in your life you are reflecting the image of God in what you do each day, 24 x 7.
