For over a year now, there's been a passage in the Bible that has been constantly in the back of my mind. I have regularly found myself going back to read the passage of scripture that these verses are contained in.
The passage is easy to find, it's in the first chapter of the first book of the Bible, and the verses are 26 and 27:
26 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[b] the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. NKJV
God made mankind in His own image. What's the significance of this?
You are the pinnacle of God's creation. You were created to rule over the earth, to be an ambassador of God to the planet, to display Him and model what He is like. Only after mankind was created;
31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. NKJV
God Himself said that mankind was very good. He didn't say this about any of the other parts of creation. The sun, the trees, whales, elephants, lions, eagles, Saturn, the Milky Way, none of these were deemed by God to be as good as His creation of man. How could they? They weren't created to contain the nature of God inside them.
What does it mean that man was created in God's image? I believe this means that man was created to exist in a similar relationship to the one that God exists in.
When Adam was first created, he had a fantastic relationship with God. He opened his eyes for the first time to look directly into the face of his Creator. He was involved in the creation process- God allowed man to name all the animals and creatures. When Adam spoke, a lion became a lion and a lamb was named a lamb. (Ch2 v 19,20)
Adam got to walk in the garden of Eden with God in the evenings. What an amazing time it must have been!
Then God makes a statement:
18 And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” NKJV
God saw that Adam was alone. There was something missing from Adam's relationship.
How or why could this be? Adam had a great relationship with God so surely he couldn't have been alone?
Adam was made in God's image. This is why God saw that he was alone. Adam was existing in a Father-Son relationship, yet he was created to be like God.
So God saw what was missing and created a helper for Adam. Eve was created and Adam now existed in a full, trinity relationship with God.
The word for Eve is "Helper"(an equal, a companion), just like the word Jesus used when He said He was going to send a Helper to the disciples.
When Eve arrived, Adam was able to exist in a Father, Son and Helper relationship, similar to the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In Ecclesiastes 4v12, it says:
12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.NIV
Man was created to be in God's image, so when Eve arrived, it allowed Adam to fulfill what God had proclaimed over him.
God saw a need Adam had, one that Adam knew nothing about, and gave him more. God is in the business of upgrades, of giving more than we ask for or even imagine.
What does this mean for us? We know from Genesis 3 that the relationship went sour- Adam and Eve wanted what they weren't supposed to have, and that Adam and Eve rejected what God had for them, yet there is fantastic news. We are in a better position than Adam and Eve were before they sinned. Adam and Eve existed in a world without sin, everything was innocent. They got to see God and walk with Him, fellowship with Him and spend time with Him.
However, they never got to experience all that God had for them. They never saw God's redemption power, they never got to witness and perform miracles. They never saw illness healed or people saved. They never knew death defeated, they never got to experience all the good stuff that God has for us right now.
When Adam and Eve sinned, God's plans for the earth took off. It's almost like He said "Because the enemy has tried to ruin my work, I'm going to give even more to my people. I'm going to upgrade their relationship with me, I'm going to bless them in ways they never would have experienced, I'm going to show them how good I am."
God is in the business of upgrades. He is the only one who can give you everything and still have everything to give you. He has so much more for you. Ask Him today to bring you into a place of upgrade. Ask Him to give you the gifts He is desiring to give to you. Ask Him to give you the relationship that He knows you can have with Him. You are made in God's image, everything that is within Him is available for you.
Adam was probably quite satisfied with the relationship he had with God before Eve was created, yet God wanted to give him more. That's God's nature. He wants you to have more than you ask for, He is incredibly generous. Don't settle for the relationship you have with God, He has so much more to give you than you will ever know!
And when you've done that, ask Him for an upgrade!
Roger C.
