Sample Outline

Unit 1: Creation and the Fall Scripture Covered: Genesis; Job

2. God’s Good People 9/9/18

Passage: Genesis 1:26–2:3,15-18,21-25 Background: Genesis 1:26–2:25

• We bear God’s image in how we rule over the world (Gen. 1:26-31). • We bear God’s image in how we work and rest (Gen. 2:1-3,15). • We bear God’s image in how we relate to Him and others (Gen. 2:16-18,21-25).

Essential Doctrine: 28. Image of God in Humanity

Session in a Sentence: People were created by God to bear His image in every facet of our lives.

Christ Connection: Jesus is the image of the invisible God, and as such, He is the perfect ruler over the world, the One whose perfect work earns our everlasting rest, and the One who restores our relationships with God and others.

Missional Application: Because we are image bearers of God, we reflect His glory in how we steward the earth, work and rest, and cultivate relationships with Him and others.

Devotion 1: Gen. 1:26-31 Devotion 2: Gen. 2:1-15 Devotion 3: Gen. 2:16-25 Devotion 4: Psa. 8:1-8 Devotion 5: Heb. 1:1-4

1 Sample Manuscript

Volume 1: In the Beginning Unit 1: Creation and the Fall Session 2: God’s Good People Date: 9/9/18

Summary and Goal [95] In the previous session, we traced the first five-and-a-half days of creation seeing that God created everything good for His Son. In this session we will examine the rest of the creation account and focus on the pinnacle of creation—humanity. In doing so, we will see that God created people to be unique from the rest of His creation and to bear His image in every facet of life. It is in bearing God’s image that we find our dignity and purpose and the foundation for our relationships with God and others is established.

Introduction [376] A few years ago there was a story in the newspaper about a man who had perhaps the worst day ever. While his wife was delivering their fifth child, the man sold an old ring box. The problem was that his wife’s fingers had swollen during her pregnancy so she had placed her wedding ring inside the box. Without knowing it, the man sold the box—and the $22,000 ring tucked away in it—for what he thought was a fair price: $10. While not many of us have given away a $22,000 ring, at one time or another we have made the mistake at the core of this blunder: we have greatly misunderstood and undervalued something. Perhaps it was a piece of china we didn’t realize was a collectable. Perhaps it was a piece of jewelry we didn’t know was made out of gold. Or perhaps it was a car we thought was on its last legs so we got rid of it only to learn it kept going for several more years. Whatever it was, we assessed its value only to find out later that we grossly underestimated it.

When have you underestimated something? What happened?

While we have each experienced the sting of undervaluing an object, we have all made a greater mistake—a more costly one—as well. And many of us continue to repeat this mistake day-in and day-out. We fail to value our humanity as we should. Like the husband with the ring box, we tend to think we know more than we do about our humanity because there has never been a time in the history of the world that we “know” so much. We celebrate our “enlightened advances” as a culture—advances that continue to redefine humanity and lead us to believe that we understand it more than ever. But does the fullest definition of humanity lie before us? Are we inching closer to it with every tweak and adjustment we make? Or, in fact, has the best and truest definition of humanity already been shared with us? Is our culture actually moving away from it? We find the answer in a place that should not surprise us—the beginning of the story of humanity in Genesis 1-2.

Voices from the Church The proper understanding of everything in life begins with God. No one will ever understand the necessity of conversion who does not know why God created us. He created us "in His image" so that we would image forth his glory in the world. We were made to be prisms refracting the light of God's glory into all of life. Why God should want to give us a share in shining with His glory is a great mystery. Call 2 it grace or mercy or love – it is an unspeakable wonder. Once we were not. Then we existed – for the glory of God! — John Piper [Desiring God, Bethlehem Baptist Church, 1996, p. 55]

1. We bear God’s image in how we rule over the world (Genesis 1:26-31) [1291] 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female. 28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.” 29 God also said, “Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. This will be food for you, 30 for all the wildlife of the earth, for every bird of the sky, and for every creature that crawls on the earth — everything having the breath of life in it — I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day.

MAIN POINT: Our understanding of humanity is easily distorted and often debated today.

Perhaps the greatest barrier to understanding our humanity is that our quest for perfection and worth drives us to focus on our deficiencies—what we perceive to be wrong with ourselves and where we fall short of our idealized standard of beauty and value. We are keenly aware of these deficiencies and desperately want to remove them. If you have ever taken a group picture you have experienced this. It’s nearly impossible to take a great group photo because inevitably someone will not be happy with how he or she looks in it—even if everyone looks great from your perspective. We are drawn to our imperfections—real or perceived. And so when it comes to understanding who we are—who God made us to be—we start there instead of with God’s design and purpose revealed in Scripture. We begin with what’s wrong only because we assume that we know what’s right—what we are supposed to be like. What it means to be human. We think we know what the essence of true humanity is, simply because we are human. Who understands humanity better than us? And that’s the problem. Just because we are humans does not mean we understand what is at the core of humanity and in the position to determine what gives us the value, purpose, and meaning we long for. But this is what is going on around us every day. We live in a world seeking to define and redefine humanity, and where human rights based on the definition of the day are paramount. The positive result of this is that we are more attuned and responsive to the humanitarian crises and injustices all around us, such as racism, male chauvinism, police brutality, slavery, and sex-trafficking. But the flip side of this is that our culture is more confused than ever about what it means to be a person—to be human. And that confusion can easily reverberate into the church. So with our culture’s shifting landscape of humanity bombarding us from outside, and our focus on what’s wrong with ourselves plaguing us from within, it is easy for us to forget that God has provided a definition of humanity. We find it not obscured within the pages of Scripture, but at the very beginning of the story—in the creation account. As we reach the sixth day of creation, we see a shift in the narrative. God’s language changes. The details increase and we are given an explanation of not just what God created, but why as well. It is within this shift that we begin to understand humanity and discover what gives us worth and purpose: being created in the image of God. Being image bearers of God is a core doctrine, evidenced by the fact that is the first thing mentioned about humanity. This doctrine doesn’t just 3 teach us about ourselves, but about God as well. God is the main character of the story of Scripture, therefore, any understanding of who we are doesn’t start with looking at us, but Him. Our identity, our worth, our purpose comes from Him. It’s only when we hold a high view of God that we can have a right view of ourselves.

In what ways do you see the world attempting to redefine what it means to be human?

MAIN POINT: Being made in the image of God in part means we share in God’s ruling over creation.

The sixth day of creation, and creation as a whole, culminates with the creation of man. While humanity is one part of God’s creation, we quickly see that there is something unique—something special—about God’s final creative act. The creation of man is not introduced with God saying, “Let there be,” as in the previous acts of creation; instead He declares “Let us make.” There is deeper intimacy in this statement which infers collaboration within the Triune Godhead. But even more startling than this change in the cadence of creation is God’s statement that follows: that man will be made in His own image. There are several ways to interpret what being made in God’s image means. Some believe this points to our relational nature, echoing the relational nature between the Father, Son, and Spirit. Others see this as clarifying what unites humanity to God while simultaneously setting us apart from other creatures— spirituality, morality, language, and creativity for example. And still others see this as our task to rule under God’s overarching rule, supported by what God says immediately after declaring that man will be made in His image: “They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth” (v. 26). These explanations do not need to be mutually exclusive; being made in the image of God is multi-faceted. We know that God is sovereign over all of His creation (1 Chron. 29:11-12) and does not need any help in ruling over it, yet He has chosen to create us with the unique capacity and calling to rule. And in doing so, God declares to us His worth and character as sovereign to make such a decision, while simultaneously declaring our worth as the sole recipients of this right. Almighty God has singled out humanity for this task and placed us above all other creatures (Psa. 8:3-8). Because God values human life and sets it apart from all other life, we are to do the same (see Gen. 9:5-6). God has placed us as stewards over all creation and our rule should reflect its value, and more importantly the value of its Creator. The greatest way we do this—the greatest way we bear the image of God—is by valuing the pinnacle of His creation—humanity. Our rule over creation should be marked by a deep, unwavering regard for humanity, knowing that people of every tongue, tribe, and nation bear the image of God. Even now after the Fall the image of God has not been lost, only distorted. Being human means that each of us, in the most generic form, is an image bearer of God [Hammett, 2007, p. 352]. God’s image is still present, although perverted. Even in our sin, God does not remove it from us and make us as beasts. He leaves His stamp upon us.

How should all people bearing the image of God impact how we relate with one another?

Further Commentary 1:26 Let us make man in our image. The text does not specify the identity of the “us” mentioned here. Some have suggested that God may be addressing the members of his court, whom the OT elsewhere calls “sons of God” (e.g., Job 1:6) and the NT calls “angels,” but a significant objection is that man is not made in the image of angels, nor is there any indication that angels participated in the 4 creation of human beings. Many Christians and some Jews have taken “us” to be God speaking to himself, since God alone does the making in Gen. 1:27 (cf. 5:1); this would be the first hint of the Trinity in the Bible (cf. 1:2). [ESV Study Bible]

Further Commentary 1:27 There has been debate about the expression image of God. Many scholars point out the idea, commonly used in the ancient Near East, of the king who was the visible representative of the deity; thus the king ruled on behalf of the god. Since v. 26 links the image of God with the exercise of dominion over all the other creatures of the seas, heavens, and earth, one can see that humanity is endowed here with authority to rule the earth as God’s representatives or vice-regents (see note on v. 28). Other scholars, seeing the pattern of male and female, have concluded that humanity expresses God’s image in relationship, particularly in well-functioning human community, both in marriage and in wider society. Traditionally, the image has been seen as the capacities that set man apart from the other animals—ways in which humans resemble God, such as in the characteristics of reason, morality, language, a capacity for relationships governed by love and commitment, and creativity in all forms of art. All these insights can be put together by observing that the resemblances (man is like God in a series of ways) allow mankind to represent God in ruling, and to establish worthy relationships with God, with one another, and with the rest of the creation. This “image” and this dignity apply to both“male and female” human beings. (This view is unique in the context of the ancient Near East. In Mesopotamia, e.g., the gods created humans merely to carry out work for them.) The Hebrew term ’adam, translated as man, is often a generic term that denotes both male and female, while sometimes it refers to man in distinction from woman (2:22, 23, 25; 3:8, 9, 12, 20): it becomes the proper name “Adam” (2:20; 3:17, 21; 4:1; 5:1). At this stage, humanity as a species is set apart from all other creatures and crowned with glory and honor as ruler of the earth (cf. Ps. 8:5-8). The events recorded in Genesis 3, however, will have an important bearing on the creation status of humanity. [ESV Study Bible]

Further Commentary Although humans are created in the "image" and "likeness" of God (the terms are essentially synonyms; cp. 5:3), it does not follow that God has a body. "Image" or "likeness" often refers to a physical representation of something that may be nonmaterial. Man was created to serve as God's representative to govern the earth. Since man is God's image-bearer, murder merits the strongest retribution (9:6). The OT prohibits making any material image of God (Ex 20:1-4; Dt 4:16) because God is spirit (Jn 4:24). In Lk 24:39 Jesus explains that a spirit "does not have flesh and bones" (see Isa 31:3). Because God is spirit, He is invisible (Jn 1:18; Rm 1:20; Col 1:15; 1 Tm 1:17). [The Apologetics Study Bible]

Further Commentary 1:26 The crown of God's handiwork is human life. The narrative marks the prominence of this creative act in several ways: (1) the creation account shows an ascending order of significance with human life as the final, thus pinnacle, creative act; (2) of the creative acts, this is the only one preceded by divine deliberation (“Let us make” in v. 26); (3) this expression replaces the impersonal words spoken in the previous creation acts (e.g., “Let there be,” “Let the earth”); (4) human life alone is created in the “image” of God and has the special assignment to rule over the created order (vv. 26–28); (5) the verb bārā’ occurs three times in v. 27; (6) the event is given a longer description than previous ones; (7) in v. 27 the chiastic arrangement highlights the emphasis on “image”; and (8) unlike the animals, who are

5 said to have come from the land in v. 24 (though v. 25makes clear that God created them), mankind is referred to only as a direct creation of God. [The New American Commentary: Genesis 1-11]

Further Commentary The language of 1:26 reflects this idea of a royal figure representing God as his appointed ruler. This appears also to be the understanding of Psalm 8, which focuses on human dominion, though without explicit mention of the “image” or “likeness.” This is further indicated by the term “rule” ( rādâ) in 1:26, 28, which is used commonly of royal dominion. Human jurisdiction over animate life in the skies, waters, and land corresponds to the “rule” ( māšal) of the sun and moon over the inanimate sphere of creation. Our passage declares that all people, not just kings, have the special status of royalty in the eyes of God. It is striking that God consigns jurisdiction to one of his creatures, since the major tenet of 1:1– 2:3 is the sovereignty of God's creative word. It was this feature of creation that so astonished the psalmist; for him the Infinite One crowned human infancy with the glory of his rule (8:5–8[6–9]). The supreme value God places on human life is also reflected in 9:5–6. Whereas an animal may be wrongly brutalized, it is the taking of human life that merits the charge “murderer.” [The New American Commentary: Genesis 1-11]

Further Commentary 1:27 The creation of humanity is the crowning event of chap. 1, as shown by the fact that created is repeated three times. The verb created (Hb bara’) is the same one used in 1:1, referring to a kind of creative activity that only God can do. The term man (Hb ‘adam) is used elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible to refer to humanity in general, not just males (7:21); all people, both male and female, are created in the image of God (cp. Jms 3:9). It should not be concluded that God is both male and female. Christians are generally agreed that God does not have a literal physical body. He is in no way limited by space but is everywhere fully present (Ps 139:7-10; Ac 17:28). Therefore, he cannot be said to be literally either male or female, or both. People are the only beings that are created in the image of God (Gn 9:3-6). The Bible never lumps people into the category of animals. Instead it separates the creation of people from all other beings and attributes the most privileged roles in creation to humans alone. [CSB Study Bible, p. 6]

Further Commentary Human beings, both male and female, are said to have been made in the image of God (1:26b-27). Thus humans are different from other created beings like animals, and this fact has important consequences for how we live. First of all, it means that every human being resembles his or her Creator in some way. Consequently, every human being is special and important. We should be able to recognize the Creator in the men and women we see around us. Second, it means that we should not worship any animal (Exod 20:4; Rom 1:21-22). Woe to the person who lowers himself to the level of animals by giving an animal or an image of an animal the place that belongs only to the Creator! Third, because God created both our bodies and our spirits, we must not artificially separate the two and think that we can ignore our bodies while living to God in our spirits. Scripture makes it plain that we must not mistreat our own bodies or those of others (1 Cor 6:19-20). [Africa Bible Commentary, p. 11]

Voices from Church History The scope of our art is to provide the soul with wings, to rescue it from the world and give it to God, and to watch over that which is in His image. — Gregory of Nazianzus [1 Ritzema, E. (2013). 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Early Church. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.]

6 Voices from Church History The soul of the poorest beggar that cries at the door for a crust is, in its own nature, of equal dignity and value with the soul of the most glorious monarch that sits upon the throne. — John Flavel [Ritzema, E., & Vince, E. (Eds.). (2013). 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Puritans. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.]

2. We bear God’s image in how we work and rest (Genesis 2:1-3,15) [1102] 1 So the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed. 2 On the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it he rested from all his work of creation.

15 The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it.

MAIN POINT: Our work is to be highly regarded because it reflects the work of God.

Monday mornings sure don’t seem like they were part of God’s plan. Even if we love what we do for a living, there is still a sense in which work is…well, work. It can be difficult. Taxing. Frustrating. But we see here that work is part of God’s plan. Adam was placed in the garden of Eden to work before the Fall. Work is not a result of sin then, although the difficulty we experience in our work certainly is (see Gen. 3:17-19). God designed work—our vocation as well as every other form of work—to be part of how we fulfill His mandate to rule over creation. And even now as we work, we bear the image of the One who brought all things into existence by the work of His spoken word. God has worked and continues to work in us and through us (see Phil. 2:13; Eph. 2:10) giving work weightiness and dignity. This is why it is so easy for so many of us to misunderstand work and seek our dignity in it. Yes, there is dignity in work, but our dignity does not come from work. Dignity—worthiness—isn’t something that’s earned Monday through Friday. Neither is dignity lost because of unemployment or retirement. Instead, dignity has been stamped on every human being. Humanity’s ability to work provides us with great power within creation, but our problem is that left to our own devices, we lack direction for that work. We are like the people of Babylon who set out to work together to build a tower, but not in the image of God, but in defiance of God instead (Gen. 11:1-9). We have staggering potential, but because of our sin that potential drives us away from the One who placed it within us. We have the ability to build bridges spanning across seemingly impenetrable geographical barriers to bring people together and even unite cultures. However, we also have the capacity to barricade and destroy bridges and divide people. We have the amazing ability to write documents like the Emancipation Proclamation. And we have the ability to write “For Whites Only” signs as well. Humanity is both the glory and the garbage of the universe. But there is good news. Our capacity and power to glorify God through work is not destroyed, only distorted. God’s image can be seen in our work when we work for the Lord in His power (Col. 3:23). The gospel redeems our work today, and gives us the hope that a day is coming when Christ will return and we will finally be able to glorify God perfectly in our work.

MAIN POINT: Rest is to be highly regarded because it reflects the rest of God.

7 While some people struggle to engage in work, others can’t seem to stop. These workaholics have two settings—“on” and “still on.” But while we bear God’s image through work, we distort that very image if that is all we do. In the opening chapters of Genesis, we meet a God who does work, but He is also One who rests. On the seventh day, after God completed his work creating the heavens and earth, He rested. Not because He needed to. God was not weary from His labor. He is all-powerful. He is infinite and does not grow tired—surely not from speaking. Instead, God resting signaled that His creative work was completed. It was an exclamation mark on this wondrous act. It is finished! But God resting matters for another reason: in His rest from work we find a pattern for our work and rest. There is a natural rhythm—appointed and modeled by God Himself—to our life of work and rest. We work and we rest together, in balance. All rest and no work does not reflect the image of God, but neither does all work and no rest. Every week, and every day, is to be a balance between the two. We understand why God calls on us to work—it gets things done. But why rest? How does rest glorify Him? Precisely because it doesn’t get anything done. Rest reminds us that we are finite. We tire. We grow weary. We burn out. There is always more to do, but each day—and each week—we reach a point when we have to step away from our work and rest. And in doing so, we are at once humbled as we also are required to place our trust in God—the true provider of all our needs. This is the lesson the Israelites needed to learn in the wilderness when they were instructed to collect the manna (see Ex. 16:1-35). The people were to collect what they needed each morning and anything they collected in surplus would rot. But on the sixth day, they were to collect enough for that day and the next. No manna was provided on that last day—the day of rest. Here we see the pattern of work and rest and God’s calling on His people to trust in Him—to rely on Him to provide for their needs. Rest was intended to draw them to their God. And that is why we rest as well. But there is one more layer to bearing God’s image in our rest. When we rest, we reflect the image of the One who created and rested and the One who will provide our final rest one day. Hebrews 4 speaks of a Sabbath rest that remains for God’s people—a rest found in Jesus Christ that will be fully realized upon His return. On that day, we will finally rest from the struggles and labors of our work brought on by sin. And from that day forward, we will rest as conquerors because of the work Christ completed to conquer sin and death for us.

Which is more difficult for you to see and practice the image of God in your life: work or rest? Why?

Further Commentary 2:15-16 The overall picture of Eden presented in the preceding verses suggests that the park-like garden is part of a divine sanctuary. The man is put in the garden to work it and keep it. The term “work” (Hb. ‘abad; cf. v. 5; 3:23; 4:2, 12; Prov. 12:11; 28:19) denotes preparing and tending, and “keep” (Hb. shamar) adds to that idea. Since this command comes before Adam sinned, work did not come as a result of sin, nor is it something to be avoided. Productive work is part of God’s good purpose for man in creation. Later, the same two verbs are used together of the work undertaken by the priests and Levites in the tabernacle (“minister” or “serve” [Hb. ‘abad] and “guard” [Hb. shamar]; e.g., Num. 3:7-8; 18:7). The man’s role is to be not only a gardener but also a guardian. As a priest, he is to maintain the sanctity of the garden as part of a temple complex. [ESV Study Bible]

Further Commentary

8 As with “seventh day,” the same phrase “his work” (in the Hebrew) occurs three times in vv. 2–3 to emphasize that creation was God's work alone. Creation's “work” ( mĕlā’kâ) has its later human parallel in the construction of the tabernacle by skilled artisans who were inspired by the Lord (e.g., Exod 31:5; 35:29; 36:1–2). “Work” also has the meaning of common, human labor (e.g., Gen 39:11; 1 Chr 27:26). “When the name ‘work’ is given to God's six days' creation, human work is ennobled to the highest conceivable degree, as being the copy of his model.” [The New American Commentary: Genesis 1-11]

Further Commentary 2:2 This is the first use of the number seven in the Bible, a number that will play an especially significant role in the religious and social life of ancient Israel (4:15; 7:2-4,10; 21:28-31; 29:18-20). On the seventh day God rested, thus setting an example for people—who are made in his image—to follow (Ex 20:8-11; Dt 5:12-14). Though God rested form all his work that he had done, this is not to say that God has abandoned the universe. In the NT Jesus affirmed that God is still at work in the world, even on the Sabbath (Jn 5:16-17). Also, God’s “rest” does not imply he was tired. It literally means “cease” and implies only that his creative work was complete. [CSB Study Bible p 7]

Further Commentary When God created the earth, he gave all living things the ability to reproduce and replenish the earth. God then gave humans the special duty to watch over the land. This duty is vital to sustaining all life. If human beings are good stewards of the land, it will continue to sustain all life and provide a means of livelihood. Through work, we are able to take care of our needs and the needs of our families and communities. In this sense, work is divine and not evil. When we neglect this duty, the land will not only fail to produce food but also become unfit for all living things. [Africa Study Bible p. 8]

Further Commentary God did not create human beings to wander idly round the garden. He gave Adam (and through him all humankind) a purpose. Adam was to work the garden and maintain it (2:15). Today, we associate the task of caring for a large garden or a farm with backbreaking labour, but that only became true after the fall. At creation, Adam was given the privilege and responsibility of working for God in the location where he had been placed. The same is true of us today. [South Asia Bible Commentary, p. 16]

Voices from the Church The more we understand how the gospel redeems our work, the more we understand that our talents and gifts are not ours to keep, but to give away. They are not meant to be used for our own selfish gain, but for the glory of God and the good of others. — Bethany L. Jenkins [The Gospel for Life Series: The Gospel & Work, p.12]

Voices from Church History The shop, the barn, the scullery, and the smithy become temples when men and women do all to the glory of God! — Charles Spurgeon

Voices from the Church Work is so foundational to our makeup that it is one of the few things we can take in significant doses without harm. Indeed, the Bible does not say we should work one day and rest six, or that work and rest should be balanced evenly - but directs us to the opposite ration. Leisure and pleasure are great goods, but we can only take so much of them. If you ask people in nursing homes or hospitals how they are doing, 9 you will often heart that their main regret is that they wish they had something to do, some way to be useful to others. — Tim Keller

3. We bear God’s image in how we relate to Him and others (Genesis 2:16-18,21-25) [1193] 6 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.” 18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him.”

21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. 22 Then the Lord God made the rib he had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 And the man said: This one, at last, is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called “woman,” for she was taken from man. 24 This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh. 25 Both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame.

MAIN POINT: We bear God’s image in our loving obedience to God.

Being created in God’s image sets us apart from the rest of creation in yet another profound way— humanity alone has the capacity to be in a personal relationship with God. God did not create people because He was lonely and needed us. God has eternally enjoyed a perfect relationship of love, fellowship, and unity within His triune nature. We were created not to provide relationship for God, but instead so that He might provide relationship for us. Humanity was created to enjoy the overflow of God’s love. One mark of this relationship is our loving obedience of God—manifested by God’s solitary restriction in Eden. God is our Creator—the greatest good there is—and because of this, we ought to be compelled to obey Him out of loving gratitude. Adam and Eve were to obey God’s instruction concerning the tree of knowledge, for no other reason than that. They were to trust the One who was completely trustworthy. Love the One who is love. Obey the One who gave them breath in their lungs. But they failed and sin entered the world. We still possess this image of God, but again because of sin, we are incapable of carrying it out. We too are rebels seeking to disobey God in every facet of our lives. The Fall has hindered our capacity to love and obey God—to be in relationship with Him—and distorts the direction of our efforts. We focus on ourselves instead of God and look deeper within ourselves for the solution to what ails us—what we lack and feel that we need—instead of turning to Him. In doing so, we only dive deeper into our depravity. We are dead in our sin (Eph. 2:1-2) and our lives are marked not by loving obedience to God, but by living in the passions of our flesh. In this way, we portray not the image of God above us, but the likeness of the primal beasts beneath us. This is the predicament of all humanity, thinking that dignity and worth can be found in pleasures of the world that are right in front of us. But as sure as humanity’s nature has been distorted by sin, God had a plan to restore His image that was marred in man. And this plan rested on Jesus, the perfect image of God (John 14:9; Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3). Through the sinless life of perfect loving obedience, death, and resurrection of Jesus we find the true 10 answer to our fallen state. When we trust in Christ, our sin is forgiven and removed from us and in its place we are given Christ’s righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). We once again have the capacity to bear God’s image through relationship with Him. And in the restoration of humanity we see a clearer picture of what it means for us to be made in God’s image. We learn more of what humanity is, not by our differences from the animal kingdom; but rather, by seeing what we have in common (or may one day have in common) with Jesus Christ, the perfect image of God. Jesus shows us what it means to be human—namely to have a perfect relationship with God. Christ is both God’s and man’s ideal man. It’s in redemption that we truly understand what we were intended to be. We don’t recover our purpose by looking within ourselves, but by looking outside of ourselves—upon Christ Jesus—the One who lovingly obeyed the Father and restores our relationship with Him.

MAIN POINT: We bear God’s image in our love for others.

God enjoyed perfect relationship within Himself, yet He created people to enjoy Him as well. Similarly, while our primary relationship is with God, He designed us to enjoy meaningful relationships with other people as well. We’re like God in that God wants us to be in peer relationship with other persons who share our same substance. The first time God says something is not good is when man is isolated. It is important to note that this happens before the Fall—human relationships are not a concession by God because our sin broke relationship with Him. God’s plan is for people to give Him glory by how we relate with one another. So He is not threatened when husbands and wives, parents and children, friends, or church families love and enjoy one another. He is not shouting, “Look at Me! Look at Me!” He is glorified by those He created dwelling in loving community. But bearing the image of God in our relationships with other people is much more than this. We reveal God and point to the gospel just as much with how we relate to strangers, outcasts, and enemies as we do with spouses, children, and friends. Loving those who are easy to love is one thing, but loving those who might be more difficult to love is another (see Matt. 5:43-48). This love is counterintuitive— countercultural. It goes against the thinking of the fallen world which creates a multitude of reasons to divide and devalue people because of ethnicity, nationality, income level, and culture. But love joins humanity together as we recognize that dignity rests in God has assigned an inestimable worth to every person. Our origin is a profoundly intelligent act by One who has eternal value; by One who stamps His own image on each person giving them their worth. And it is this worth that compels God’s people to love all—casting aside racism, classism, nationalism, sexism, and any other “ism” rooted in sin—as we share the hope of the gospel with the world. When we see human dignity as God defined and designed it, we won’t treat people differently based on who they are. We will treat them similarly because of whose they are.

In what ways can you bear the image of God in your relationships with others more clearly?

Further Commentary The symbolic significance of the “rib” is that the man and woman are fit for one another as companions sexually and socially. The body metaphor is employed by Paul in his writings to indicate respective roles in community, especially speaking of Christ and the church (1 Cor 12:21–25; Eph 1:22– 23; 4:15–16; Col 2:19). In Eph 5:22–31 he draws on the “head-body” imagery in a domestic metaphor 11 where the husband as “head” of the wife parallels Christ as “head” of the church (cp. 1 Cor 11:3). Paul's quotation of Gen 2:24shows that Eph 5:28–30 is an allusion to Gen 2:22–23. It would seem that Paul had appealed to the woman as man's “rib” to indicate their loving unity, not their domestic equality. This is the significance of the “rib”; they are of the same human “stuff.” [The New American Commentary: Genesis 1-11]

Further Commentary 2:25 Because the devastating effects of sin had not yet ravaged nature or humanity, there was no need for clothing. Adam and Eve could live without the barriers needed to shield them from their environment and each other without a sense of shame. Later, in the time of the patriarchs and kings, clothing was associated with dignity. Accordingly, prisoners of war were not permitted to wear any clothing, slaves wore very little clothing, and higher social classes wore more clothing than anyone else in society. [CSB Study Bible p. 10]

Voices from Church History This great gift of God, the salvation of our souls, is no other than the image of God fresh stamped on our hearts. It is a “renewal of believers in the spirit of their minds, after the likeness of Him that created them.” — John Wesley [Ritzema, E., & Vince, E. (Eds.). (2013). 300 quotations for preachers from the Modern church. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.]

Voices from Church History In all these things the only way that we differ from animals is that we are upright, not horizontal, in posture. This is a reminder to us from him who made us that in our better part, that is our consciousness, we should not be like the beasts we differ from in our upright posture. Not indeed that we should throw ourselves heart and soul onto what is most sublime in bodies; for to seek satisfaction for the will even in such noble bodies is to fell the consciousness into a prone position. But just as our body is raised up by nature to what is highest in bodies, that is, to the heavens, so our consciousness being a spiritual substance should be raised up toward what is highest in spiritual things--not of course by the elevation of pride but by the dutiful piety of justice. — Augustine [http://staging.metaphors.lib.virginia.edu/metaphors/8423]

Voices from the Church It sounds really spiritual to say God is interested in a relationship, not in rules. But it’s not biblical. From top to bottom the Bible is full of commands. They aren’t meant to stifle a relationship with God, but to protect it, seal it, and define it. — Kevin DeYoung [Piety’s Pattern by Kevin DeYoung taken from The Hole in Our Holiness by Kevin DeYoung, copyright 2012, Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org, p. 45.]

Conclusion [332] Understanding that we have been created in God’s image should change the way we view ourselves and others. We have been created for a type of intimate relationship with God that is reserved for humanity alone—this is our source of dignity. And this is a dignity that is inherent. It is God-given therefore cannot be earned or lost. Our dignity rests in who God created us to be and who we are in Jesus Christ—the image of the invisible God whose perfect work restores our relationship with God and others. This is the message we are to share with the world. This is the good news that those who feel they are without dignity need to hear. These men, women, teenagers, and children need to be reminded that they are made by God, to be like God, for God. And in Christ Jesus, they can experience that purpose. At the 12 same time, those with an inflated view of their dignity should be reminded that they were made from the dust and their value is not found within themselves, but in their connection to God. As the people of God, we are to winsomely affirm dignity everywhere we see it and look for every opportunity to attribute it to our Creator. We affirm the dignity of every person, never seeking to communicate anyone is worth more, or less, than any other person. We recognize that we have all been created by the same God, have been impacted by the same disease of sin, and can be forgiven of our sin and restored back to God through the same cross of Jesus Christ.

Belief/Response Question: In what wrong things do you at times try to find your dignity and worth as a person?

Group Fellowship/Application Question: In what ways can we as a group engage in our community to affirm the dignity of others (e.g. the poor, widows, orphans)?

Personal Evangelism Question: What potential relationships can you begin or cultivate with others who do not know Jesus?

DDG CONTENT

Day 1: Genesis 1:26-31 [255] When we read the creation account in Genesis 1-2, we tend to focus on what it teaches us about God and humanity. And we should. Those are critical doctrines to the grand narrative of Scripture that follows this account as well as to our daily living. However, we cannot miss what this passage teaches us about creation itself too. How should Christians view and treat the earth? While God’s creation is certainly majestic and it reveals much about the Creator (see Ps. 19:1-6; Rom. 1:20), we know that we are not to worship creation itself (Rom. 1:21-25). But neither should we go to the other extreme and treat creation callously. Notice the emphasis God places on our role as His stewards over His creation in these verses: • God created humanity to rule over the creatures (26, 28) • God created humanity to fill and subdue the earth (28) • God created the plants and trees to be a source of food for humanity and all the creatures (29- 30). What God says matters and so does how often He says it. It is clear from these five verses that God expects us to take ruling over His creation seriously. We are to be faithful stewards who value His creation and take care of it. And in doing so, we bear the image of the One who created it all, who is sovereign over it all, and who one day will send Jesus to renew it all.

What are some ways that you can better care for God’s creation?

Day 2: Genesis 2:1-15 [175] There is an interesting detail about creation in Genesis 2:5. “No shrub of the field had yet grown on the land, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not made it rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground.” Notice the cause and effect. Shrubs and plants had not grown and sprouted because God had not made it rain and there was no man to work the ground. Both were necessary as part of God’s plan for creation. Imbedded in this cause and effect we find God’s intended purpose for humans to rule over creation. The roles God gave us were not an afterthought. He did not create the world then create people only then 13 to figure out how we would fit within His design. From the very beginning, God’s intention was for people to work in concert with Him ruling over creation.

How is your purpose and dignity strengthened knowing that God’s intention is for you to work in concert with Him?

Day 3: Genesis 2:16-25 [224] The end of Genesis 2 records the first marriage ceremony with God the Father giving the bride to the waiting groom. After Adam awakens from his slumber and the Lord presents the woman to him, he responds in joyous prose of acceptance of God’s good provision. Every animal had paraded past him with none being a suitable counterpart (2:19-20). But now this woman—who had been taken from his flesh and bone—was at last the one. Then in verses 24-25, a parenthetical comment further explains God’s design of marriage. In marriage a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife to become one flesh. This does not mean that a married couple severs all ties with their parents, but it does point to the primacy of the new relationship. While the parents have been the primary relationship of human love, support, encouragement, and help to this point, that all shifts to each spouse. God’s intention is for the marriage relationship to be one of deep intimacy and unity, as expressed by the closing refrain of the man and woman being naked with no shame. Marriage like this is for our good and for God’s glory as it pictures the relationship between Christ and the church.

How has marriage—yours or someone else’s—helped you understand God’s love for you better?

Day 4: Psalm 8:1-8 [209] The majesty of creation is all around us—in what we can see and what we cannot see. From the thundering power of a waterfall or the terrifying brilliance of a lightening strike to the intricate design of the smallest of flowers or the gentleness of a butterfly’s flight through the air, God has given us ample reason to stand in awe of His creation and more importantly of Him. This is what David felt as he penned this psalm. As he fixed his gaze at the moon and stars in the heavens and considered how God created and ordered it all, the scope of creation stunned him. In the midst of an enormously large and majestic creation, David felt rather small. And it is through this posture that he was able to consider what he asked next: how was it that God appointed such seemingly insignificant people to rule over it all? What a gift to be crowned with glory and honor by God in such a way! As we consider our role in bearing God’s image as rulers over creation, may we echo David’s conclusion to this psalm: “LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the earth!”

What aspects of creation amaze you? Humble you?

Day 5: Hebrews 1:1-4 [176] We cannot read the overarching story of Scripture without seeing God’s ongoing desire for us to know Him. Every step we take away from Him is followed by Him taking multiple steps toward us as He relentlessly chases us down to restore us back to Him. Prophet after prophet was sent to warn the people

14 of their sin and call on them to repent. Time and time again. No matter how rebellious the people were— how blatantly they sinned against God through idolatry—God continued to reach out to them. Until on that day in Bethlehem when God’s voice was heard in a different way—through the cries of a newborn baby named Jesus. Jesus would not be merely another way God spoke—He would be the perfect way God spoke to us—as He is the exact expression of God’s nature. And it is through Jesus that we might finally be restored with God and discover what it truly means to bear God’s image.

In what ways does Jesus help you better understand your humanity?

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