Created In The Image Of God Series

Let’s consider this boat. It’s a boat, right? It has sails, masts, rigging, lifeboats and a rudder. But, the rudder doesn’t move, there doesn’t appear to be a captain’s wheel, the sails are made of a fabric that wouldn’t catch any wind, and I don’t think the boat will float. It’s been patterned after a boat, but it’s not a boat. It looks like a boat, but I don’t think it will go anywhere.

The model of the eagle and the model of the boat look like real eagles and boats, but they don’t behave like a real eagle or boat. You and I don’t look like God, but on the other hand, we were created to behave like God. You and I have a spirit, and have been created in the Image of God. Being made in the Image of God does not mean that we ARE God, nor does it mean that we are exactly LIKE God. Being made in the Image of God means that the very essence of our being has been patterned after Him. What do we know about God that helps us to understand ourselves?

We learn in our text today that God is very creative. It was His creative nature that made the backdrop on which we live. The birds, stars, animals, trees, and fish all came about because of God’s creative nature. You and I, being made in the Image of God, are also creative. Maybe you’re musical, artistic, or poetic. Maybe you are creative in the area of cooking or landscaping, or maybe by making models like these. Our creativity is not something that we have on our own, but only because we have been made in the Image of God. Our talent is not something to boast about, as we recognize that it is a gift of God, flowing out of the very qualities and characteristics that He placed in humanity when He created us in His image.

God is sovereign. He has more power than you or I could imagine. His impressive power was put to work when He spoke creation into being. By making us in His image, He gave us power too. We have free will, self-sovereignty, and have been given dominion over creation. We are NOT God, but have been made in His image. He has complete sovereignty, and gives us self-sovereignty. We have the power to make choices in our lives. With this self-sovereignty, we have the power to choose good or evil. We can save lives, or we can destroy them. We can’t choose what another will do, but we can make choices that will drastically impact the life of another.

God is Love. Scripture continually refers to His “unfailing Love.” It is His love that caused Him to create, and it was His Love which caused Him to redeem mankind through the death of Jesus on the cross. We see God’s hand at work throughout history because of His love for His people. Being created in the Image of God means that we too are to be full of Love. We are to be motivated solely by our love for God and our love for others. Jesus tells us that the greatest commandments are to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself.”

God is Relational. Even the very Trinitarian nature of God; that is God revealed to us as three distinct persons, demonstrates His relational nature. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have always been in relationship with each other since before time began. You and I are created in the Image of God, and are created as relational beings. We are created to be in relationship with God and with each other. Our faith is to be lived out in community, both within the church, and in the community at large. Our paths are to be directed by an ongoing relationship with the Father, through the Son, empowered by the Spirit. Being relational means that we are focused on the needs of others, allowing our lives to interact with theirs in redemptive, transformational ways.