Genesis 1:26–31 (ESV): 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 

 27  So God created man in his own image, 

in the image of God he created him; 

male and female he created them. 

28 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 over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. 

—————————————————————————

Made in the likeness and image of God.

What does that even mean?  What does that imply?

Abba,

First, I am struck by the fact that MALE and FEMALE are made in your image.  What is clear from a reading of this passage is that a full understanding of your person cannot be had without both masculine and feminine attributes.  You made man and woman to reflect your glory and BOTH reflect your nature and being.  You may have separated yourself and your likeness into two distinct sexes in your creation but both reflect your nature and being. 

The realities of how different men and woman are is often the brunt of jokes.  We think differently, we view the world differently, we value different things.  These differences are often the source of much conflict tension.  And unless we come to see, value, and appreciate those differences, we are not  able to benefit from them to the degree you intend us to.

Truth is, though we are different, we also compliment and complete each other.  We were created to be lacking.  We were created to be missing critical components of a whole being.  We were created to be dependent upon one another. 

Is it wrong, Abba, to say then that you are dependent upon one another in the context of your being as Trinity?  I mean, to be a God, perfect and holy, to be a loving and giving God with no one to love and give to, how would that work?  Truth is, you are perfect 3 persons in one being. There is a sense in which you are dependent upon one another in your being to be who you are. Your perfect love and grace demands a recipient of that.  You are perfect in yourself and dependent on no one and nothing outside yourself but I think there is a sense in which you are dependent upon yourself to be yourself, to be God.  Your very Triune nature would seem to be essential to your being God.  To be dependent on anyone or anything would detract from your divinity and ability to be God.  But as a self contained being in multiple persons, you can be dependent on community without having to dependent on anyone or anything outside of yourself!  So even your very being as a Triune being is an essential part of your nature and person.  Brilliant!!

Truth is then, our being made male and female is a reflection of that essential nature you possess perfectly in your being as ONE God but THREE persons.  Your creation of male and female is an essential part of that.  This is profound and rich!  Stunning really!

But this seems to only scratch the surface of what it means to be made in your image, in your likeness.  

As I further meditate on this, the image and picture of a painting comes to light for me.  The following is a mini story, if you will, of how I processed this thought. 

—————————————————————-

I stare at the painting.  It’s beauty captures my attention, though I am not even sure why….yet.  Something about the portrait captures my heart and arrests my soul to attention.  There is something…..different.  Unique.  Extraordinary.  I cannot put word to it.  An explanation is eluding me.  But it is there.  My hunger and thirst, my passion to discover the source of my enthrallment drives me now to examine the piece with veracity.

I ponder the creator’s intent.  His design.  His purpose.   His thought process.  I ponder why he would create such a work of art and what does it say about the creator that such a work of art exists.

I am struck by the fact that as I ponder this masterpiece, that what I am smitten with more is the creator of the work more than the actual creation.

And isn’t that the point?

A piece of art is never about the art itself.  It is always about the artist; the creator of the art.  The art exposes the person, values, character, and passions of the one who made it.  It draws attention to the person, not the work.  It is a snapshot of them.

Staring at the painting now, pondering the one who made it, it dawns on me….this is not even the original.  I am staring at a copy.  A replica.  A solid, quality replica, but a replica nonetheless.  The trick with replica is to make it appear as authentic as possible.  In truth, a quality replica is only noticeable to a trained and studied eye.

I ponder, why does this truth, this understanding strike me so?  What is so profound about a copy?

It is the nature of copies that first dawns on me.  The copy in front of me; the likeness I study, the replica I own and hang in my own home does not have a unique likeness.  It reflects the original.  It is lesser in quality and its very existence is to mirror the image of something else.  The copy was never created to be independent or self sufficient.  It was made forever bound to the original.  It’s identity, purpose, value, and significance are found, not in itself, but in the original.  That growing awareness only magnified my desire for the original whose quality and perfection was the real source of my delight!

I did not resent my cheap copy but I came to understand in that moment that the value of my cheap copy was rooted in the original.  My cheap copy only had value BECAUSE of the original.  

What’s more, this image looking back at me from the wall did not possess an identity of its own. It merely reflected the original.   When examining this picture, the identity and being of the one who made, of the original is what I saw.  There was nothing unique about this copy.  It’s worth and sense of being was forever bound by the one it was fashioned after.

So why make a copy, I thought.  Why risk marring the beauty and worth of the original with cheap imitations?  As I pondered this truth, I realized that were it not for the cheap copy, I would know nothing of the original.  Without the copy, I would not have an awareness of the one who made it nor would I understand the genius and  beauty of the maker.  The replica, was made in order to expand the reach and spread the joy of the original and its maker.  It was made to extend the enjoyment of artist and masterpiece alike.  It was made to expose the creator to a wider audience than a mere single copy could reach.  It was made to so that ALL could know and enjoy the one who made it as well as the glory of that which was made.  

My heart swelled with pleasure and delight at being privileged to see and know such genius.  My heart longed to know more of the creator, a creator whose genius would produce such beauty and splendor!  I determined then to set myself about the task of getting to know this one whose work of art inspired such praise within my soul!

————————————————————————————

Fictional though it may be, I tried to depict the deep implications of being made in Your likeness, Abba.  The realities of being image bearers of your name, of reflecting Your person are rich and deep.  And somehow, I think I have still only begun to scratch the surface!  Truly, what a glory you are and what a privilege it is to bear your likeness.