Before the universe was, there was nothing: a vast
dark infinity without time, beginning, light or sound. Except, in that place
known as heaven where God resided, One in Three, Father, Son and Holy Spirit in
perfect fellowship, surrounded by multitudes of angelic beings worshipping
their God day and night. Here there was the light and joy of God, the music of
the heavenly hosts and perfect peace.
But the heart of God was restless. And a restless
heart is not easily satisfied. God had the worship of the heavenly hosts but
they were created to worship. God had the perfect fellowship of the triune
Godhead but His heart was restless still. We cannot know what was in the mind of God except by what He has revealed to us in
His word and echoes of His creation.
We exist because of God’s restless heart. It is a
heart made for fellowship and worship. Why God would crave the fellowship of
others is hard to fathom but that is His heart, to give and to receive love.
The very fact that we exist is testimony to the loving heart of God who chose
to give us life. He did not need mankind but he chose to bless us with life so
that we could live in fellowship with Him. Without His love we would not be.
Every story has a beginning and this one does as
well. In fact, this beginning reveals the amazing heart of God for He chose to
not only bring creation into being but to create the master work of His
creation, mankind, in His image.
Everything in this story, everything important to you
goes back to these amazing and incomprehensible words:
“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind 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 (Genesis
1:26-27).”
These simple words contain within them the amazing
heart of God. In creating the universe and fashioning our planet, in setting
the stars in place with its billions of numbers, in carving out the seas and
forming the mountain heights, God showed his creativity.
Into that setting he brought the life of flora and
fauna that brings beauty to our days and food for our bodies. The animals of
the land, the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea reflect not only His
creativity but His sense of humor. What child is not delighted to go to the zoo
and marvel at the amazing faces that stare back at them and laugh at the antics
of chimpanzees or the impossibly long necks of giraffes!
This is no Darwinian saga but the creativity of our
amazing God. What do you think He was thinking when He created the kangaroo? Or
the peacock? Or playful dolphins and funny looking penguins? Or what about
dinosaurs? Anyone who thinks God does not have a sense of humor has not looked
carefully at His creation!
But the last of His creation was different in every
way. The words, “Let us make mankind in our likeness” or “image” puts a great
distance between all other creation and the creation of man and woman. Here was
not an expression of His humor but His heart. For here the creator endows His
created with nobility, a precious and unprecedented gift – something of Him,
something that reflects His majesty, something that no other creature has: His
Image! Not only did God personally form the first man but He breathed His
breath into him, “the breath of life, and the man became a living being
(Genesis 2:7).”
You and I and every human who has ever walked this
earth are image bearers of our
creator! Think about that. You are made in God’s image. You were deliberately
created by God in His image. In some way you
bear His likeness. He is the God of the universe and you are imaged after Him. Even after the fall when Adam and
Eve fell into sin remnants of that image remain.
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