Reading Genesis 1:26-2:25
Today’s reflections will be a short one. God introduces man, into His creation, both on earth and heaven. 2 things jump at me:
Imago Dei – Created in the image of God.
Genesis 1:26-31 talks about how humanity is created in the image of God or in his likeness. This is the only thing that distinguishes us from all other created things. But this “only thing” has huge implications: (i) having material body with an immaterial soul or spirit, (ii) with a moral compass, (iii) freedom of choice, and (iv) fellowship with God.
This is not trivial at all. Being made in the image of God means that I need to reflect God’s nature and His love. God created humans perfect, yet (i)-(iv) does not just steer one towards godliness but the rejection of which can also steer one away from godliness, which we will get to in the next lesson.
But all these point to one thing, the creation of God, and especially man, is perfect. This concept of being made in the likeness of God is crucial in understanding why the world is in the state it is, what options we have and what it was intended to be. We will come back to this “likeness” again when I discuss the next point.
Day that never ends – Made holy.
I have given a sermon about the implication of this day. But allow me to summarise (and some day post a concise summary of that sermon). The seventh day is the only day that is ‘holy’. Furthermore, the seventh day is the only “day” where “evening” and “morning” is not mentioned. This indicates and suggests that the seventh day was meant to last for eternity.
When God created man, verse 15 tells of how God placed man ‘in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.’ Just as how God worked for 6 days and rested on the seventh, God created us to work. Being created in the image of God means we get to experience the same sort of “creating” that God did. Work is not slogging nor is it toil, but a means for us to exemplify and reflect our likeness of God.
God had placed Adam in Eden where he can best reflect his likeness of God. By working, just like God did; by resting, just like God did; by having choice, just like God did. Eden was basically heaven on earth. Everything that God had given to Adam in Eden is the full experience of heaven itself. Whatever God could do from heaven, Adam could do in the flesh in the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 1-2 paints a picture of perfection, what it was like and what it was always meant to be; that seventh day should not have ended. How did it all turn from perfection to the world we know today? That’s the topic for the next lesson.
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