Created in the Image of God

We dealt last week with creation generally. Now the catechism deals with the creation of man specifically.

Q. 10. How did God create man?
A. God created man male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness and holiness, with dominion over the creatures.

There are four basic propositions in this answer. First, man (that is, mankind or humanity) was created male and female. For most of human history this fact was obvious, but in our culture, this truth has come under attack. Our culture wants to dissolve gender differences, making men and women interchangeable, but the very nature of God’s creation makes this a futile effort.

In Genesis 2, we see Adam in a sad state. The first thing that God calls “not good” is Adam’s loneliness, so God sets out to make a “helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18). To call Eve a “helper” is not to diminish her, but in fact, to elevate her. In the Bible, nearly every other instance of the word help or helper is used in reference to God. Whenever man is insufficient for something, God provides help. In creation, Adam is insufficient for the task set out before him, so God sends help in the form of Eve. Eve fills up something lacking in Adam. She is also fit for him in a way that the moon is fit for the sun, the sea for the sky, and the land for the sea. Throughout the creation, God makes pairs, and man is no exception. Man and woman need each other to carry out God’s commission. This is true in marriage, but it’s also true in the church and in society generally. No sphere of human life, family or church or society, functions without men and women working in tandem.

Of course, this is a distinction in role, not value. As Matthew Henry notes that Eve was “not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.” In fact, if anything, woman is accounted more precious than man. Adam was created out the dust as the glory of God, but woman was created as the glory of man (1 Corinthians 11:7). She is the glory of the glory, the dust double refined.

The curse disrupts this pattern. Eve is told:

“Your desire shall be for your husband, but he shall rule over.” (Genesis 3:16)

The curse pits men and women against each other. Instead of coming together side-by-side, woman seeks to rule over man and man seeks to crush woman. Instead of working with another for greater glory, the curse degrades both men and women, blurring the distinction. As Christians, we are called to something higher. We are called to love and respect one another as in original creation. This means men ought to be men and women, women. Men are called to cherish women like the glory they are, and women are called to be a help to men because men are incomplete without women’s help!

Second, man is created after the image of God. The word for image is most commonly used in the Old Testament to refer to idols. These idols are intended to be representative of pagan gods. But the true God is not worshipped by these false images. Instead, he creates his own image to represent him; that image is mankind. (This, by the way, is one of the reasons both the early church and the Reformed churches oppose the making of images to represent God.)

Third, since man is created in God’s image, he shares in some of God’s attributes. Namely, he shares in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. Historically, the image of God has been understood as our rationality and moral responsibility. Animals don’t think like we do. Humans can think in abstractions and produce things. That’s why you’ll never find animals writing books or building houses beyond the rudimentary. God as creator has endowed man with the ability to create after him. Animals also are not capable of sin. They don’t have moral responsibility. Humans do, and we are called to righteousness and holiness.

Finally, God created man in his image, sharing in his attributes, for a purpose: to have dominion. Throughout history, God has worked through mediators. Of course, at times, he intervenes directly, but he primarily calls men and women to rule over the world for him. Man is the vice-regent of God. The pinnacle of this is found in Christ, the God-man who is crowned the true king over all creation. That’s why Jesus leaves his Church with the Great Commission:

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

Since Christ has come, what does it mean to have dominion over the world, to reign with him (2 Tim 2:12)? It means we call all creatures into subjection, proclaiming the gospel to all who will hear. This is what the Church is for.

Updates

This weekend, I’ll be in San Antonio for our Gulf South Presbytery meeting. Please be in prayer as we consider how best to carry out God’s mission through home and foreign missions, and be sure to give a good welcome to Pastor Ron Pierce as he fills our pulpit this Lord’s Day!

Your friend in Christ,
Reid