Day 4
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them…. Then God saw everything that He had made and indeed it was very good. (Genesis 1:26–27, 31)
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit worked together to create humankind. God said, “Let Us make man in Our image….” We were created in the likeness of God. Animals weren’t created in God’s image. Angels weren’t created in God’s image. But we are!
We are made in the likeness of God. We are made to call the same things “good”—laughter, friendship, kindness. We are made to hate the same evils—cheating, hunger, violence. God is the creator of life; He made the universe and all it contains. And so we too create; we build houses, weave tapestries, paint pictures, and plant gardens.
God made you and me in His image to enjoy the same life of fellowship the Trinity enjoys. We were created to live in relationship with God—in the Trinity’s shared enjoyment and delight, affection and adoration. We were fashioned by a God of love, in an act of love, to be recipients of love and to be streams of love flowing back to God and out to our fellow human beings. We were made for loving relationships with God, self, others, and creation.
In order to live life as God intends, He fashioned us to be of three parts; we are spirit, soul, and body. Our spirit is the resting place for God’s Spirit. Our soul defines our nature; it is our mind, will, and emotions that make up our unique self. Our body is the physical covering for the spirit and soul within.
When spirit, soul, and body are in agreement with God, the rulership He gave us to exercise on earth expresses His nature. God created humanity to “have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth.” He intends that we exercise the dominion He entrusted to us by living in agreement with Him—in His relational lovingkindness.
In God’s plan, our spirit becomes a resting place for His Spirit, and our mind, will, and emotions are transformed by His Spirit so that our body radiates the nature of God. In this way, the life and love of God is like a spring bubbling up within us, restoring our soul as it flows out of us as a refreshing stream.
After completing each day of creation, “God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25). But on the day He created Adam, “God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.”
What did God see that caused Him to call creation, after it was completed with humanity, not just “good,” but “very good?” He saw someone like Himself with whom He could have a relationship. Now He could share Himself with beings who had the capacity to understand Him—to resonate with Him. He could give Himself to someone who could appreciate Him and who could, of their own choice, love Him back. And those people could love others and care for creation by sharing His love. Now agape could expand itself; God could give away His self-giving love.
God loves you with the very same everlasting love He shares within Himself. You were made to know and enjoy the same relationships of total honesty, adoration and delight the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share. Your soul needs laughter, friendship, kindness. You were designed to be cherished and valued.
And God cherishes and values you! God calls you “very good.” He made you to thrive in relationship with Him. You were made for life in God’s love.
Ponder for a Moment
What does it mean to you personally that you were made in God’s image?
How does it make you feel to be called the “very good” of God’s creation?