Created in the image of God I: Identity

“Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26).   The Psalmist asks  “What is man that You care for Him” (Psalm 8:4, 5). It's an important modern question. Evolution claims impersonal undirected, random processes account for complexity and information in every living thing. It reduces mankind to the impersonal plus complexity (Schaeffer – 'He is there,  and He not silent'). Personhood is an illusion,  love is a biological trick to keep us reproducing, mankind has no meaning, no value, no purpose, and no destiny.  

Many finding themselves at at the top of their game,  have found it empty and meaningless. Solomon living for pleasure, had tested every delight  known to man (he had 700 wives and 300 concubines 1 Kings 11:3).  His conclusion was that everything under the sun (without God) is “Meaningless, meaningless,  utterly meaningless" (Ecclesiastes 1:2)! Paul writes that outside of salvation mankind is “without God and without hope in the world” (Ephesians 2:12).

Concerning personality and identity, knowing who we are is important.  We operate out of how we see ourselves.  Calling myself a looser, becomes self fulfilling prophecy. Concerning morality,  if you are just a random collection of cells, and there is no accountability, what does it really matter if I kill you? I am not saying an atheist cannot be moral, merely that there is no compelling  rational  for being so.

Over against all this,  rather than  mankind being the result of 'impersonal undirected, random process,” we see God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (the “us” of verse 26) conferring among themselves,  and deciding (a directed process) to create mankind in their Own image.  There is much to say about this.  But first and foremost God is love (1 John 4:16),  and we are made to love and be loved (Mark 12:30). God's love is not about the love of money,  or the lust the world calls love! God is also peace and joy.  He is longsuffering, kind, gentle, good, faithful,  slow to anger,  full of compassion, tender mercy and truth (Galatians 5:22, 23; Psalm 86:15).  And it is in this image that He created mankind, and He called it all very good (verse 31).

But something happened, and this image was marred in us. It's called the fall (Genesis 3). In Romans 3:23 we read “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”  But even though marred, we are nevertheless still bearers of God's image (Genesis 9:6). In our inherited marred state however, we are no longer fit for the perfection of paradise,  and without salvation we were,  and are cast  out (Genesis 3:23).  Left in that state, we would be without God and without hope in the world (Ephesians 2:12).  But God .....

Father, without You, life has no significance, we live, die and we are gone, and all our pursuits are ultimately meaningless,  like chasing after the wind (Ecclesiastes 1:14)!  But for God .....  My  coming into fullness of life Lord, started with Your unconditional love and acceptance in adopting me as Your beloved Child (John 10:10b; 1 John 3:1).  When  I repented and accepted the free gift of salvation believing in Your Name You qualified me to be an inheritor of the Kingdom. And You offer all this to as many as will receive you  (John 1:12; Colossians 1:12;). Thank You Lord that as we fully surrender and follow You, You progressively restore our identity as bearers of Your image from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18) in Jesus Name Amen