Genesis 1:26(ESV)
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.”
The late Myles Munroe used to say, “If you don’t know the purpose of something, then abuse is inevitable.” This applies to mankind and why we were created. Our text today reveals that God’s intention was to create man in His own image. Now, images are meant to reveal a person, His features. And this is what we were therefore meant to do – to reveal the attributes of God. This is what it means, at the heart of it, to glorify God. That our lives are in such a way that we accurately represent Him. That when people look at us, they get a picture (does image ring a bell?) of what God is like.
Not only does God choose to create man in His own image, but He also grants them dominion over all created earthly things. In essence, God made man His vice-regent here on earth (A vice -regent is someone who acts in the place of a ruler). That is what man was meant to do – to exercise dominion in the place of God. Unfortunately, this was affected by sin, and therefore, man failed and continues to fail in His mandate to bear God’s image and exercise dominion. Nevertheless, Jesus came in order that He could restore all things. Let’s then, for those of us who have believed in Christ, get back to fulfilling our ultimate purpose, which the Westminster shorter catechism captures as follows:
“The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”
Reflections
1. Before today, what has been your understanding of man being created in God’s image?
2. In what ways can your life better reveal God?
