Day 006: How Are We Designed?
Yesterday we introduced an illustration using circles to represent who we are as humans created in the image of God. Today we are going to introduce a few more key ideas that we will develop as we go along. What does it mean that we were created in the “Image” and “Likeness” of the Lord God?
In the passages below, we hear about the creation of the first man and woman—Adam and Eve. It is important for you to know that these first humans are the “prototypes” or the models for what we all are as human beings. God designed them to pass on the “Divine Design” to all of their children.
Genesis 1:26–27
Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, … 1:27 God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them. {NET}
Genesis 2:7, 21-24
2:7 The LORD God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (soul).…
2:21 … the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was asleep, he took part of the man’s side and closed up the place with flesh. 2:22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
2:23 Then the man said,
“This one at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;
this one will be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.”{NET}
Today we introduce some “WordWork” for you. The following questions are based on the Scriptures above. See how you would answer these questions based on the passages from the Bible. They will be the basis for our following discussion.
WORKWORK:
In whose image and likeness were we designed according to Genesis 1:26?
From what did God form the first man? What materials did He use?
What did God breathe into the man’s nostrils?
What do you think this means?
How does the Lord God make the woman?
What do you think the significance of this is?
How does the man respond to seeing the woman?
We were created in God’s Image and so We have a Physical Body
In Hebrew (the language that the Old Testament was written in), the word “image” is used to refer to statues, models or replicas. In the Old Testament, this term in often used in reference to idols which are man-made, physical representations of unseen, false gods. Generally speaking, this term refers to a visible representation of something or someone. The Bible reveals that God in His true essence is Spirt and therefore invisible (see 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:27). We were designed to be the visible image of the invisible God in creation.
In Genesis 2:7 we see how God fashioned Adam from the “soil” or “dust” of the ground. The Lord-God takes physical matter to shape our physical bodies. When God designs and creates the first man, He gives him an appropriate physical body so that he can communicate God’s likeness to a physical creation. Adam’s physical body suits the purposes for which God created Adam.
We Were Created In God’s Likeness and so We Are Also Spiritual
The term translated as “likeness” in Genesis 1:26 is a word which means “to be like” or “to resemble”—exactly what you would think. The sense here seems to be that not only would humanity give “form” to the invisible God, but that we would also be like Him sharing the pattern of His personality: we have thoughts, desires, and emotions, and all the rest because God does.
God breathes the breath of life into the first man. In the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament) the word for “breath” is used in close association with the ideas of “wind,” or “spirit.” God’s “breath” is often associated with His Spirit. Job says, “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (33:4). In the Greek Scriptures of The New Testament, God is revealed as the source of all life who gives “life and breath” to all living things (Acts 17:25).
Here, in the beginning, we see that God makes Adam come alive by breathing His life into him. It is this “breath of life” that “empowers” and “enables” Adam to be the likeness of God in creation. Adam’s inner spiritual self, patterned after God’s own likeness, would control his physical body. We will discuss this in detail tomorrow. Turn back to circles that we discussed yesterday and see if you can link these ideas together with that illustration.
Our Physical and Spiritual components are united: The Soul
In Genesis 2:7, we see that Adam becomes a “living being” or literally in Hebrew, “a living soul.” The main point to see is that you cannot separate what is physical in us from what is spiritual; we were meant to function in both realms. Your physical body is the vehicle for your spiritual self. Without your material, physical body, no one could know what is going on “inside” you—in your depths! In a very real sense, your soul is the whole you.
What about Eve?
Eve was created from Adam to show that she was not inferior to Adam, but was of the “same stuff” as Adam. Even though women and men have different physical designs (and even spiritual designs), the basic “framework” is still the same. God created Adam first and then he created Eve from a piece of flesh that He removed from Adam’s side (Genesis 2:21-22). It is clear from Genesis 1:26 that Eve was not an “afterthought” on God’s part, but an essential part of His design for humanity. The Divine Image is expressed in the unique relationship of male and female in humanity. Therefore, in this first study we focus on the parts that we all share as humans, not in what makes us unique.
Can you relate what we have discussed today with our diagrams from yesterday? Take a few moments to think about and bring all of these ideas together in your thoughts.
*You can find a complete list of all the MilktoMeat readings here.
