Over the next two weeks we are gonna be making scriptural fly by of the entire Bible by looking at 10 passages that really lay out a picture of the Bible as God's love letter to humanity. Hope you enjoy it!
1:1 - In the first line of the Bible...in the first few words...we get a glimpse into the nature and character of God. He creates. He is the Creator. God is missional...He wants to give Himself away. He forms an entire universe...an entire ecosystem on earth...an entire animal kingdom...the human race...so that He can share His love...so that He can share His creativity...so that He can invite us to join in creating and loving with Him. Do you embody these characteristics as someone created in His image?
1:26 - Very famous verse. God says, "Let US make man in OUR image." This language is clearly plural in the Hebrew scriptures and it is the first foundational scripture that leads Christians to believing in the triune (three-part) nature of God. There is a plurality to God that is not clearly explained here...but that is quite real in its existence. God exists in the community of Himself with Father, Son and Spirit...they can create together because they are three persons of one holy entity. This is important for us to understand as Christians, because Jesus was here. From the very beginning...he created the heavens and the earth as part of the God-hood and driven by love he left that glory behind to come down to earth to save us!
The second important part of this passage is the fact that all men and women are created in the image of God. You and me...we are image bearers for the Gd of everything! Do you let that determine the value which you give yourself? Do you let that truth guide how you are going to interact and love other people? All people should be treated with dignity and respect as God's image bearers...do not forget that.
1:27 - Another important note. You will notice that God talks freely about making both male and female in His image. There is no delineation here about whether one of the sexes is better than the other...in fact they are both held up as "good" with regard to the way that they reflect the image of God in their maleness and femaleness. There are aspects of God's character that are reflected by men and aspects of God's character that are reflected by women, so both are equally vital in presenting the beauty of God to the world. It is a shame that women have so often been relegated to second class in the cultures of the world, when clearly God's original intention was for men and women to work together beautifully to reflect godliness. Though we live in a fallen world, Christians should always fight to live out the truth of the world as it should be.
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