Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
I think this is an amazing piece of art. God creating in the dust and breathing life into spit and dirt. Our hands are images of His Holy Hands also. The image of God, imago Dei, read in passing, never taught it’s meaning. So, why my fascination? As I scoured the scriptures for the trials, testings, tribulations, and temptations of Jesus the image of God kept rising to the surface like an unspoken beckoning: “LOOK and SEE.” The image of God in man–all men! Not just Adam who was created in His image; not just Jesus, begotten of God; but all men are given the “image of God” whether He is worshipped or ignored. The sins the Father finds most offensive–abominations–are those attacks on the image of God in another and in ourselves.
Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology Online states “the centrality of the image of God as a crucial theme cannot be overstated. From the beginning of the end in Genesis (protology) to the end of the beginning in Revelation (eschatology), the image of God is crucial to understanding the flow of redemptive history.” Is THIS why we struggle? Have we not understood the image of Holy God in fallen man is what demands a sacrifice for redemption?
Science is proving this concept of the image of God in man! Somatids in the blood never die (the life is in the blood); our DNA contains a “God code” and its helix emits laser light; sex chromosomes, mitochondria, and the laminin of the cells directly point to Yahweh contained in our dust from creation.
“Imago Dei is a shadow or likeness of God.” A snapshot. (relevantmagazine.com) If we trace the image of God through Scripture will we be able to assemble the picture of this image of God one pixel at a time? Small dots of knowledge put together with laminin of the Holy Spirit to reveal the face of God in man. Will we be able to discover why our restoration is so important to God that He would sacrifice His Son! It is not because we deserve it!
Dr. Art Lindsley writes because we are “made in the image of God,” this is the “basis of our significance.” Can we like Martin Luther desire to move from “using God’s words” to truly “grasping the reality they signify?” Something here has “PROFOUND significance” in all it encompasses.
I am coming to believe, until we lay hold of this reality in us, we will not fully grasp our role, beauty, importance, and worth as the Bride of Christ. I must rely on the leadership of the Holy Spirit, theologians far more knowledgeable than I, and resources of Scripture, medicine, science, and nature. This is WAY above my pay grade. I simply want to follow the Lord’s leading. We are not gods but by being created in the image of God do we possess god-like qualities, traits, pursuits, and abilities?
So, put on your scuba diving gear with me (you can do it!). We are jumping into deep water. You will need plenty of oxygen to fuel your brain, a clear mask for peering into the depths, and lots of courage to explore the unknowns with me. We will be held accountable for all we learn. We may be required to surface, rest, and then return later. The Lord Himself is leading this expedition to a treasure more valuable than gold: Our understanding of who we really are from God’s perspective! NO FEAR!
Scuba Diving in the Red Sea Underwater video
What if I gave everything? Casting Crowns
Diving Deep
Yvonne Jones
