Identity: His Image and Likeness

Identity: His Image and Likeness

Identity: His Image and Likeness

Genesis 1:26-27 gives us the first mention of our Identity and our call upon the earth.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

God created man in His image (Strong’s H6754). The word is Tsalem – it means a phantom, illusion, a representative figure (i.e. an idol).

Man was made after God’s likeness (Strong’s H1823). The word is Demuwth – it means a likeness, a similitude. It denotes not quite clear as the original like a photocopy. It’s from the root H1819 which means to become like. 

Our Identity is as a child of God. Children are not pure copies of the parents, but a less clear copy of them. Not all traits are passed down. We are not the original but we are a mere photocopy of God. A shadow or a phantom of the source code. We were laboriously fashioned and created and had His very essence and life bestowed upon us so that we might be as close to Him as possible without actually being Him. 

An interesting side note that an idol is one of the meanings of these words. Maybe a reason idol worship was forbidden. What are the biggest idols we as humans ‘idolize’? Other humans, ourselves. We give our worship to other people and ourselves so much. Our society is obsessed with selfies and looks like never before, especially now that everyone has a miniature movie studio in their phones. 

Identity, Command, and Covenant

Verses 28 and 29 show us a command and a covenant God makes with us immediately after we are given our identity.  

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

The word replenish in verse 28 did not mean back in the 1500’s what it means today. We think of it as to fill again. However, when it was translated into English, replenish at the time meant to supply fully. Verse 28 is the command! To replenish (supply all that is needed), to subdue (bring to obedience), and to take dominion (bring into order). We were commanded to bring order and obedience to the earth that God had given to us. To steward it and provide it with all it needed. 

Identity Reveals Covenant

In the few chapters I’ve read in Genesis so far, everywhere I found a statement of Identity, I also found a command and a covenant to go with it. God reveals to us who we are and were created to be and then He tells us what we are to do with it and the covenant He makes with us as we seek to do His will.

Enjoy this post.