The Bible claims in its very first chapter that we are created in the image of God. But what does that mean? Does it mean we look like God? Does it mean we have souls? Does it mean we can love? Does it mean that we, unlike animals, can tell the difference between good and evil? Does it mean that we can communicate with each other? Does it mean that we can transcend ourselves and engage in self-reflection? What does it mean to be created in the image of God?
You will remember one of the first principles of Bible study we have mentioned many times before. We must first understand as much as we are capable what the message of the Bible meant to the original audience before we are free to determine what it may mean to us. If we don’t do that, we end up making the Bible say whatever we want it to say or whatever we have been told that it says. So, what did the writers of Genesis mean by the phrase “image of God?” A second principle of interpreting the Bible is to always look at the context. With this particular question of the image of God, the context is very helpful in allowing us to understand what the writers meant by the phrase.
It’s crucial that we realize that in this first chapter of Genesis we are not talking about a specific person named Adam.
As we begin our investigation guided by these two principles, we must make one crucial observation. The word translated “man” in the King James Version and the Revised Standard Version is the Hebrew word “adam.” The word “adam” in ancient Hebrew simply meant “humankind”–not a specific individual human but humankind. Notice in verse 27 we are told that God created “adam” male and female. Women are also “adam” because they are a part of humankind. It’s crucial that we realize that in this first chapter of Genesis we are not talking about a specific person named Adam. We are talking about humankind/all humans/collective humanity which includes you and me.
One other word in these verses is helpful in our understanding of “image of God,” and that is the word “dominion.” What do you think of when you hear the word dominion? We are tempted to think in terms of rule, kingship, and royal authority. God bestows on adam/humankind the status of royalty. We were meant to rule and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, all the animals, and all the creeping things on the earth.
We’re all royal, so in a very real sense, not a one of us is more significant than any other member of the human race.
Notice in Genesis 1 that every man is a king, and every woman is a queen, which of course means that no man or woman rules over any other man or woman. Why? Because we are all kings and queens. Humankind is blessed with an equality of royalty. We’re all royal, so in a very real sense, not a one of us is more significant than any other member of the human race.
The phrase “image of God” is part of the original blessing God gave to the world. The phrase gives us dignity and worth. And we all are recipients of that blessing.
Now we should note how different this understanding is from the Babylonian creation story known as the Enuma Elish. There human beings are created from the blood of the monster Tiamat which was slain by the gods to allow for creation. The top half of Tiamat became the sky and the bottom half became the earth. And from its blood human beings were created. So, in this story our ancestry began with a monster which brought chaos on earth. And in the Enuma Elish the gods create human beings to do the work the gods don’t want to do. In other words, according to this tradition, we are made to be slaves to the gods. Genesis on the other hand says that God created us to be royalty, to rule, and to have dominion. Do you see the critical difference between these two interpretations of the origin and purpose of humankind? In one tradition, we are kings and queens made in the image of God. In the other tradition we come from a monster and were made to be slaves—to live lives of drudgery and quiet desperation. The phrase “image of God” is part of the original blessing God gave to the world. The phrase gives us dignity and worth. And we all are recipients of that blessing.
But there is much more behind this phrase “image of God.” To gain a fuller understanding of the meaning of “image of God” we must be aware of an ancient practice among kings in the ancient Near East. Whenever a king conquered or occupied a territory, he erected a statue/an image of himself in that place. It’s similar to what the early explorers did when they came to the Americas. The Spanish, French, and English planted their flags in the new world to indicate that from now on this territory belongs to their king. The flag represented their king and their country. Even though the kings were back in Europe, the flags symbolized their authority and ownership.
In a similar manner, the images of the kings erected in newly conquered or occupied territories in the ancient Near East communicated this message: “This land is mine. I own it. I rule it. And I claim it as my own. It is under my authority.”
We might be in the image of God. We might have royal status, but we are not God.
The writers of Genesis are saying that we are representatives of the real King with a capital “K.” We might be in the image of God. We might have royal status, but we are not God. We represent God, and we are answerable to God just like any representative of a king is. Perhaps we might be closer to the meaning intended by Genesis if we used the word “viceroy” in reference to ourselves as being created in the image of God. A viceroy is someone who rules over a country, a colony, or a province in the name of, by the authority of, and in obedience to a king. Viceroys are not free to rule however they want. They must rule as true representatives of their king and in obedience to his will. Those viceroys who choose not to rule according to the will of their sovereign are removed from office.
Our job as viceroys representing God is to mediate God’s blessings to creation so that everything at the very least remains very good.
So, if we are viceroys representing God, what does that mean? We rule and practice our dominion in the name of, by the authority of, and in obedience to God. In other words, we exercise our power in ways which reflect God’s will for creation. We rule as God rules. And what did God do as King in the first chapter of Genesis? God blessed the world in such a way that everything was very good. In a previous sermon in this series, we talked about the use of the jussive mood in Genesis 1. The Hebrew verb form signifies a God who invites, evokes, and permits, not a God who rules with ruthless power and with no regard to the dignity and worth of creation. There is nothing coercive or tyrannical about God’s rule. And so, our rule as God’s agents must follow the same pattern. Our job as viceroys representing God is to mediate God’s blessings to creation so that everything at the very least remains very good.
Our understanding of dominion from a Christian perspective must be guided by our knowledge of the way of Jesus Christ who taught that those who follow him must rule through service.
Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann further helps us understand the use of the word “dominion” in this chapter. It is used in relationship to our dominion over animals. But what the writers had in mind is the dominance a shepherd has over his sheep—a shepherd who cares for, tends, protects, and feeds his sheep. In the political arena this terminology was used to describe the proper role of the king. He was to be a shepherd king who cared for, tended, protected, and fed his people. So, the task of our “dominion” as beings made in the image of God has nothing to do with exploitation and abuse. As Brueggemann says, it has to do with “securing the well-being of every other creature and bringing the promise of each to full fruition.” And our understanding of dominion from a Christian perspective must be guided by our knowledge of the way of Jesus Christ who taught that those who follow him must rule through service. Lordship means servanthood. It is the duty of the shepherd not to control but to lay down his life for his sheep. (John 10:11.) Our job as beings created in the image of God is to make sure that creation becomes fully what God wills it to be.
We have confused our royal identities as God’s children with the notion that we can do anything we want because we have dominion.
Do I have to tell you that we have totally blown it as representatives of God on this earth? Instead of blessing the earth we have cursed it with our greed, arrogance, and apathy. We have confused our royal identities as God’s children with the notion that we can do anything we want because we have dominion. And we then have the audacity to say that God has given us that dominion to do whatever we want. No! A thousand times, NO! We have been given dominion to represent God on earth and to bless the earth. We are free to do what God would have us do on this earth. “Image of God” is not a blank check for us to do as we wish. It is a royal commission from the King (with a capital K) to bless the world in God’s name.
To increase our appreciation of the fuller meaning of “image of God” I call your attention to Genesis 5:1-3. Notice that Adam’s son Seth is in the likeness and image of Adam. Now that does not just mean that Seth looked like Adam (“a chip off the old block” so to speak). In ancient times the child was answerable to the father. Even adult children were to be respectful and obedient to their fathers. And the child represented the father. The child was supposed to be a reflection of the father. What the father wanted should be what the child wanted. In a similar way, God is our Father and as God’s children we represent our Father and in respect and love seek to do his will.
If we don’t clean up our act, Mother Nature may do precisely that as she steps in to take over the protection of this planet.
Now with all this we see that the dominion and rule we enjoy as “adam” is limited by the will of God for this earth and by our status as representatives of God. All that we are to do and all that we choose not to do should be designed to bring blessings, harmony, and health to this earth. And again, I don’t have to say that we humans have failed miserably at this task. We deserve to be recalled and removed from office. And if we don’t clean up our act, Mother Nature may do precisely that as she steps in to take over the protection of this planet.
Now there is one more point I want to make before we look at more implications of the meaning of “image of God” for us in the 21st century. Look at verses 29-30. In what way is our dominion limited by the verses? According to Genesis, God’s original intention was for us and all animals to be vegetarian. There is to be no killing. Our dominion, which is supposed to correspond to God’s rule, is to be benevolent and peaceful. Now look at Isaiah 11:6-8. Here we see Isaiah’s poetic vision of what the world will be like when God’s will is finally done on earth. Now I don’t think all this means we must become vegetarians (although as we face the current ecological crises, becoming vegetarian is one of the best and most responsible ways we can decrease the pollution of our planet). This is a symbolic way of indicating a limitation to our dominion and God’s will that the earth be blessed with harmony and peace and not plagued by greed, violence and killing. This constitutes a “check and balance” against any dominion we may be tempted to exercise which is contrary to the will and nature of God who has blessed creation and called it very good.
Genesis (which does not even assign a full day for our creation but includes it on the day when the animals were created) reminds us of our place.
I want to close with four more observations regarding the creation of humankind, the image of God, and the dominion we are authorized to pursue. The first observation is that humans are created on the same day as animals. The writers of Genesis recognized that we have a kinship with the animal world—a kinship which the modern discovery of evolution powerfully reinforces. We too are a part of nature—a very special part perhaps, but a part nevertheless. Genesis (which does not even assign a full day for our creation but includes it on the day when the animals were created) reminds us of our place. Kings and queens we may be, but we strut about this planet at our own peril. If human history has proven anything, it has shown that far too often we are but one step away from being the most brutal and vile creatures on the face of the earth. Years ago when I was teaching and was asked if I believed in evolution, my response was, “My only problem with evolution is that if I were an ape I would be offended.” (That answer was not as facetious as it may seem.) We are closer to the animal world than we would like to believe. And at the very least, we, like them, depend on the bounty of this earth for our survival.
The second observation focuses on the ways in which Genesis 1 honors and respects our status as humans. Notice how many times the word “create” occurs in verse 27. This emphasis on God’s creation of humankind highlights our special identity. Likewise, notice that among all God’s creative acts in this chapter, God speaks directly only to human creatures. No other aspects of creation have speech directed toward them. But in verse 28, God speaks to humans and in the next verse twice addresses them directly as “you.” The writers are referring to the different, intimate relation we have with the Creator. We are made to communicate with God, to listen to God, and to respond to God in ways no other creature can.
We are the only creature/the only part of creation which discloses something about the deep reality of God. But we do so only when we mirror the ways of God in our world and toward one another.
And the recognition of this special relationship we have with God leads to the third observation. We are told in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 that we are not to make any graven image of God. We are forbidden to make any likeness of God by using the form of anything in creation. This commandment of course was to keep us from idolatry and to preserve the absolute freedom of God. But there is a way God is imaged in our world—not by us but by God’s own self. God is imaged in our humanness. When we are faithful and gracious, compassionate and merciful, loving and just, we image God. We are the only creature/the only part of creation which discloses something about the deep reality of God. But we do so only when we mirror the ways of God in our world and toward one another. That is another reason we are forbidden to make images of God. We are to be those images when we faithfully represent our Creator. As Brueggemann says, “God is not imaged in anything fixed but in the freedom of human persons to be faithful and gracious.”
Everything we have said today about the image of God corresponds to what we said earlier about God’s goal in creation—to bring into being an environment which allows for creatures who are capable of love, freedom, creativity, and caring responsibility. Those four qualities are the essence of being in the image of God.
The final observation comes from the thought of John Polkinghorne. This Anglican clergyman and quantum physicist, who taught at Cambridge in England for decades, reminds us that all humans are made in the image of God and as such are intrinsically valuable in God’s eyes. This includes the genius and the mentally challenged; the Olympic athlete and the bedridden; the Head of State and the homeless; the Pope and the pauper; the saint and the sinner. That children’s song (“Jesus Loves the Little Children”) reminds us adults who think too much about intelligence, status, power, and money that “they are all precious in His sight.” This aspect of “the image of God” will help us maintain or perhaps restore our own humanity. When you get to the core of what’s really important, it’s so simple. God loves us—each of us—and all of us. Now what part of that do we not understand?
Communion
“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy. . . Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.” (Philippians 2)
Apparently, the key mark of Jesus in the image/form of God is that he did not grasp after equality with God but became obedient. God is the one who does not grasp. And human persons in his image are those who do not grasp. Grasping power cannot create. Grasping power cannot enhance creation. As we shall see in Genesis 2-3 (the story of Adam and Eve), grasping power brings death. (Walter Brueggemann)
This Sacred Table with sacraments reminding us of the self-giving love of God in Christ demonstrates time and again that God rules through love—love that is unconditional, indiscriminate, self-giving, and everlasting. The One who revealed the Divine Self on Calvary is also the One who stooped to wash the dirty feet of proud men. What does it mean to be in the image of this kind of God?
