God’s Good Design in Humanity

We’re in week three of a series we’re calling “God’s Good Design,” looking at God’s good design for creation, humanity, sexuality, work, rest, marriage—all in the first two chapters of the Bible. Knowing we’re living in a day where these foundations are being radically redefined in ways that are contrary to God’s good design for us, and as a result, in ways that are not good for us.

I love the way Mike put it the first week. He said, “When oceans transgress their designed boundaries, we call that a disaster. And when we transgress God’s good design for our lives, it’s tragic.” And “tragic” is the right word, particularly as we approach this topic of humanity today.

The Fundamental Question

So here’s the fundamental question we’re going to answer today: “What does it mean to be human?” And how we answer that question can lead to tremendous good in the world or horrendous evil. And think of all the good in history that’s been done on behalf of the poor and the oppressed, the unborn, the enslaved, the abused, the disabled; and when people have believed that all humans have dignity and worth.

This last week at our church family meeting, we shared about a partnership we’ve started with an Afghan House church network. We’re helping spread the gospel to literally hundreds of thousands of Afghans. And I was talking last week with one of the Afghan leaders of that work who told me about how when women in Afghanistan hear that God values them equally as much as he values men, it’s shocking to them, turns their whole worldview upside down and gives them dignity that they never had. And many, particularly women, are coming to faith in Jesus.

Tragic Consequences of Going Against God’s Design 

In Afghanistan, in any culture, in any country, in any relationship where a woman or man is treated as inferior, then we are going directly against the good design of God, and those who believe that will work for the equal dignity of women and men. But that’s just it. So much evil occurs and continues when people don’t promote or believe the truth that all humans are equally made in God’s image. We know this from history. Listen to this. Adolf Hitler, in his book Mein Kampf in 1927 wrote that the stronger members of society are images of the Lord, while the weaker members are deformities of that image that need to be cleansed from society—which led, we know, to filling gas chambers with people who were deemed physically or intellectually disabled; only to be followed by millions of men and women who were gypsy or Jewish.

But we don’t have to cross an ocean to see this danger here in our history. Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. argued that Native Americans were not as much in God’s image as the so-called white man. So it was appropriate, he said, for the red man to be rubbed out. Similar arguments have been made to demean Asian-Americans, and really it is at the root of all ethnic prejudice and pride. We know millions of Africans were enslaved by professing Christians and church leaders who believed Africans were less human than them. And it didn’t stop with the Civil War.

In 1900 in a book on the image of God published by the American Book and Bible House, Charles Carroll wrote, “If the white was created in the image of God, then the Negro was made after some other model.” Civil arguments have been made in our history to demean women because of their gender. Or when it comes to disability, here in the state where I’m standing, the Virginia Sterilization Act of 1924 was passed and remained in effect until 1979, during which time thousands of women were sterilized because they were deemed mentally defective. 

And Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. famously said, in a majority ruling of a Supreme Court case in 1927, 3 generations of imbeciles are enough. Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, said, “Every feeble-minded girl or woman of the hereditary type, especially of the moron class, should be segregated during the reproductive period. Otherwise she’s almost certain to bear children who in turn are just as certain to breed other defectives.” And just in case all this seems like a bygone era, just listen to conversations today about eugenics, arranging human reproduction, genomics, writing human genetic code; these conversations that are happening around the world right now.

Josiah Zaner is a biohacker known for his self-experimentation with genetic material. He declared not long ago, “We did it. We genetically engineered an embryo. Our humanity has just been changed forever. I view it as one of the most groundbreaking things that’s been done in science in all of human history. We didn’t get to decide what genes we have. Right now, we do.”

Walter Isaacson wrote a book on gene editing and those who are leading the way in this field. He put it this way from his evolutionary perspective: “After more than 3 billion years of evolution of life on this planet, one species (us) has developed the talent and temerity to grab control of its own genetic future. There is a sense that we have crossed the threshold into a whole new age, perhaps a brave new world. Like when Adam and Eve bit into the apple.” He wrote, “Figuring out if and when to edit our genes will be one of the most consequential questions of the 21st century.” And this is all on top of discussions about Artificial Intelligence and the lines between man and machine. Stephen Hawking, who I quoted from last week, once said, “The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race. It would take off on its own and redesign itself at an ever-increasing rate. Humans who were limited by slow biological evolution couldn’t compete and would be superseded.”

Now, just to pause there for a moment, it took God about one second in Genesis chapter 11 to confound the plans of man, so we have no reason to be worried or afraid. But have I convinced you it’s important to have the right answer to this question? What does it mean to be human? And today I want to show you the answer to that question straight from the mouth of the one who makes humans. And we’re going to cover a ton of Scripture, because I want you to see what God says about you and me and every other human being on the planet. So get ready to take some notes, turn in your Bibles, and it’s going to get pretty dense at points, but hang with me. I promise you it’ll be worth.

Made in the Image of God

So let me start by setting the stage for what we’re about to read. In Genesis 1, selem is a Hebrew word. So we’re jumping right into the Hebrew from the beginning. That’s often translated “image” or ‘idol.” So if you were living in Old Testament times when you saw this word, you’d likely have one of two pictures in your mind. On one hand, you might picture an image that a king would set up to represent himself, and the king would require people to give homage to it. That’s what happens in Daniel 3. In Babylon, king Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold whose height was 60 cubits and its breath 6 cubits. And he tells everybody in the kingdom to bow down to it as a picture of bowing down to him.

And then the other picture that might come to your mind when you see selem is a temple that’s dedicated to a god. And in that temple there would be an image, or images, of that god. 2 Kings 11:18 talks about how all the people of the land went to the house of Baal, this false god, and tore it down—“his altars and his images they broke in pieces.” But here’s where God’s people were unique, because they didn’t believe their king was a god, and they were commanded not to make images—any images of any kind of god, including the one true God.

And that background makes what we’re about to read stunning, because Genesis 1:26, after everything else in the universe has been created—sun, moon, stars, skies, land, water, fish, birds, animals, everything—then God said, “Let us make man in our [what?] … image”—and that’s the word that we just talked about, selem—”after our “likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 

So God created man in his own what? “Image.” “In the image of God, he created a male and female, he created them … [it says it] three times. We see this Hebrew word; God, in his word, is saying that humans—that’s what “man” is a reference to humankind, or people—are images; they’re representations of him. Almost like this world is a temple and the images or idols in this world that represent God are human beings and not just some humans, like the elite or a particular ethnicity or gender. No, this is stunning. God is saying all humankind, without exception, including male and female, regardless of ethnicity, disability, anything, all humans are created in the ‘image of God’ or the ‘likeness of God,” which is a parallel concept here. 

And then read what happens next. “And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” And God said, “Behold, I’ve given you every plant yielding seed that’s on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the heavens and everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food. And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

Oh, there’s so much here! And like I said, it’s stunning. God has just described the crown jewel of all creation. And do you realize what it is? It’s us! Amen! It’s you and me, all of us without exception, unlike anything else in all creation. You and I, people, are images of the Creator.

What This Means for You and Me

Mark it down: Humanity’s defining characteristic is that we are all equally made in the image of God himself. This is who we are. Now, some might say, “Don’t you mean this is who humans were before sin came into the world in Genesis 3? And I don’t mean that, because the Bible doesn’t say that. You look in Genesis 5:1–3 and Genesis 9:6, after sin has come into the world, and the Bible still says that people are made in the image of God; which means this truth applies all the way to you and me. Today, God’s image in us has not been lost or destroyed or broken. You and I, right where you’re sitting, right now, you are in the image of God. Which then begs the question: What does that mean about me? I want to show you God’s answer to that question in two ways, both of which answer what it means to be human according to the Bible.

1. You Are Designed for Close Relationship with God

To be human, to be made in the image of God, means that you are designed for close relationship with God. Amen. Just see the close connection here between humans and God in Genesis 1–2, right before what we just read in Genesis 1:26. You see all these other creatures that were created according to their kinds: “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds. And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.” 

But then in the very next verse with humans, the language is totally different. There’s no other kind like them. They’re made in the likeness of God. And God didn’t just use the more impersonal “let there be” or “let the earth bring forth this or that.” Instead, God says, very personally, let “us” make—a reference, by the way, to the Trinitarian nature of God—let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And then, check this out, Genesis 2:6 describing how God created man. We read, then, “The Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature” (Genesis 2:7).

How close, intimate is that! God breathing life; God sharing breath with man. And then the first thing God does after he makes man and woman is he blesses them and he gives them all these things. We see that word “give” twice. I give you all these things, and then God, looking at humanity, says, “I saw everything that I made and behold, up until now, God saw what he made and it was good. God saw what he made, and it was good. But this day [when he created man], God saw what he made and it was … what? … “very good.” 

That’s really, really, really good—see it. God made you and me for close, unique, special relationship with him, unlike anything else in all creation. Just let this soak in: The God who spoke the world into being—the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal, infinitely holy, just, righteous, loving, sovereign Creator and Sustainer of everything—has personally made you for close relationship with him. You’ve been made for intimate relationship with God! Yes! That’s awesome! Yes! And I do not use that word lightly. This is breathtaking; what we’re made for.

2. You Are Designed as a Royal Representative of God

And then second. So to be human, to be made in the image of God, means that you are designed—watch this—as a royal representative of God! Amen! Remember, this is what it means to be an image: Images represented kings or gods. And what the Bible is saying is that you and I have the responsibility and privilege of representing God in the world. And I say “responsibility” because, to be clear, we are not God. We’re creatures. He’s the Creator. We’re dependent on God, and we’re accountable to God to carry out a royal commission. That is also breathtaking.

You and I represent the King of the world to all the world. It’s what we do as people made in God’s image, which is what God means when he says, “I give you dominion.” The word means royal rule. I give you royal rule to represent me, to reflect my goodness and my justice and my benevolent rule over creation. I’ve made you to do this—now make the connection here—to represent me in close relationship with me, which makes sense. You can’t rule creation as a representative of God apart from close relationship with God. This is where the way Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 is written is amazing.

Dwelling with God

If you were here last week, we talked about how Moses wrote this creation account for God’s people when they were journeying from slavery in Egypt through a wilderness to the Promised Land. And we saw last week the parallels between the Promised Land and the Garden of Eden as God was intentionally saying to his people, through the way this story is written, “I’m bringing you back to my good design for you to dwell with me.” 

And that word “dwell” is a key word in this whole story. So when Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 are driven out of Eden, the Bible tells us in Genesis 3:24 that God drove out the man, and at the east of the Garden of Eden, he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. 

Now look at this word “placed.” It’s the Hebrew word shakhan, which means “to dwell.” So the picture is God causes these cherubim, or angels, to dwell at the spot to keep Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, from the tree of life. But then what’s interesting is when you get to Exodus, the next book in the Bible, as we read about these wanderings in the wilderness, God uses this same word to describe how he’s going to dwell among his people in what’s called the tabernacle. This is really important. 

So the tabernacle was like a portable temple that signified God’s presence in the middle of his people, and after God rescues them from slavery in Egypt and gives them his law, the 10 Commandments, God says in Exodus 25:8, “Let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell in their midst.” Same word, shakhan, that we saw in Genesis 3:24 at the entrance to Eden. And that’s what leads into God giving specific instructions: “I’m going to show you the pattern for the tabernacle, all its furniture, so you’ll make it exactly how I said to make it.” And then we have all these specifications about the tabernacle, this place where God will dwell among his people. And what’s interesting is when you look at how the tabernacle is described, it looks a lot like Eden, and I wish I had time to turn all these places with you. I don’t. So I’ll just give you a list of parallels between Eden and the tabernacle and you can go back and look later if you like. 

So first, in Genesis 1, seven times we read “And God said.” We see seven specific creative acts, and after the seventh time we read about God resting on the Sabbath. Well, in the construction of the tabernacle, you look from Exodus 25–31 exactly seven times we read, “The Lord said.” And after the seventh time, we read that the Lord talks about the Sabbath. Then in Genesis 3:8, we read about how God was walking in the garden of Eden. And in Leviticus 26:11–12, specifically verse 12, we see the exact same language describing how God is walking with his people in the tabernacle. And then in Genesis 2:10–12, Eden is described as a place filled with gold, bdellium, and onyx, all of which are represented in the tabernacle. 

And bdellium is really interesting because you might say, well, that’s just kind of a coincidence. But bdellium is only mentioned one other time after Genesis 2, and it’s referring in the book of Exodus—Exodus 16:33—to the manna that God provided in the wilderness. Numbers 11:7. Those two verses together made clear there was some of that manna that was to be included in the middle of the tabernacle. Then Eden had the tree of life at the center of it, and the tabernacle had a lampstand in it. Exodus 25:31–40, that’s described, depicted, like a tree complete with blossoms and branches and flowers. And then, so I’ll show you this one, remember the cherubim, those angels that were flanking the entrance to the Garden of Eden, keeping Adam and Eve from the tree of life. Well, in the center of the tabernacle you have what’s called the mercy seat, which symbolizes God sitting among his people. And look what’s flanking both sides of the mercy seat. 

Exodus 25:18. You shall make two cherubim of gold, of hammered work shall you make them on the two ends of the mercy seat … make one cherub on the one end and one cherub of on the other end. So in both places you have cherubim guarding the way to the presence of God. And then one last parallel: just like we saw last week, the entrance to Eden was on the eastern side … Genesis 3:24 … and you’ll never guess where the entrance is to the tabernacle also—on the east.

The point is is that when God was giving very specific instructions for the construction of the tabernacle, which we sometimes wonder “Why this, why that?” God was very intentionally giving his people a picture that paralleled Eden in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2, the place that he originally designed for humanity to dwell with him. 

Priests and the Need for Atonement

Now here’s where humanity comes in—what it means to be made in the image of God. So check this out: I promise, hang with me, this is going to be worth it. Look at Genesis 2:15. In this creation account, we read, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and to keep it.” Now we’re going to talk more about work in the coming weeks, but I want to show you today this combination of “work and keep”— these two Hebrew words that Moses uses here, he only uses in what he writes to refer to one other thing, and that one other thing that he uses these two words to describe is priests who were working in the tabernacle.

I’ll show you an example … Numbers 18:7: ” …you and your son shall guard your priesthood for all that concerns the altar and that is within the veil; and you shall serve.” The word here for “guard” is the same word that’s translated “keep” in Genesis 2:15, and the word that’s “work” or “serve” here is the same word that’s translated “work” in Genesis 2:15. 

What is happening here is, Moses, in describing the priest and the tabernacle, is drawing a parallel between the priests and Adam in the Garden of Eden. And you’ll never guess what the priest would wear. They’d wear gold and onyx, just like we see in Eden in Genesis 2. God is telling us in his word that Adam, this human made in the image of God, was like a priest in a tabernacle, or a temple; and just like priests dwelled with God in the tabernacle, Adam, this human, was made to dwell with God in Eden. But then what happens? Adam and Eve sin, right? They turn away from God and his presence. They decide they know better what is best for their lives than God does—the one who made them. And as a result, they lose their innocence. They realize their nakedness. They experience guilt and shame before God, before each other; guilt and shame like we all experience and struggle with as humans in this world. 

And God provides a sacrifice to create a covering for them. Genesis 3:21 says, “The Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin and clothed them.” So that word “garments” right there, picture it here in Eden. They now needed clothes associated with the sacrifice to cover over them. So watch this now: we’re getting really close to how all this applies to you and me. Hang with me. You fast forward to the tabernacle: every year on the Day of Atonement, which means the day of covering for the people’s sins, the high priest would put on particular clothes. Leviticus 16:4 says, “He shall put on the holy linen coat.” And that word right there is the same exact word that was used in Genesis 3:21 to describe Adam and Eve’s garments. Here “He shall put on this holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body.” 

He shall tie the linen sash around his waist and wear the linen turban. These are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and put them on.”

So, get this picture of covering, and then you see it four different times. Linen, linen, linen, linen. Just remember that for later. Why is linen emphasized so much like that? So the picture is, the priest going into the tabernacle, the most holy place, where the mercy seat is flanked by these two cherubim, these angels. He offers a sacrifice for the people’s sins, and then afterwards he takes off those linen garments, leaves them there, and changes them into clothes—to other clothes to signify that the offering is complete. Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting, shall take off those linen garments that he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there. 

And the priest would do this once every year—year after year after year—as a picture of the need for humans to have their sins covered, or atoned for, in order to be able to dwell with God. And it was a continual annual reminder to all humanity that we are all separated by our sin from a holy God, the God in whose image we were made. And this is the human story. It’s not just the Old Testament of the Bible. This is all of our stories— you and I. 

So now bring it into your lap. You and I were made for close relationship with God. I’ll just make it specific to you, just to let this in. You were made for close relationship with God. You are made to be a royal representative of God in this world. But you, just like me and every other human, you have turned from God. You have said you know better what is best for your life than the God who made you. 

You have sin in your heart that keeps you from experiencing all that you are made for, and you and I feel this every day in this fallen world as sinners in a world of sinners. This is the human story. But it is not the end of the human story, amen.

Fulfillment in Jesus in John’s Gospel

You turn the pages of the Bible after just spiraling sin throughout the Old Testament, a picture of what looks like the hopelessness of humanity, until … check out how the book of John opens in the New Testament” “In the [what?] …  beginning.” That’s the same language as Genesis 1:1. John is pointing us back to creation. He says, “In the beginning was the Word.”  “In the beginning, God said … God said … God said.” The Word of God. “And the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Hey now, wait a second. The Word is a person. 

The revelation of God is not just words on the page. It’s a person. “He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” Wait a minute … who’s this talking about? And the more we read on, we start to realize John is introducing us to Jesus as the Word, the revelation of God, and it all becomes clear when we get to verse 14 and John writes, “And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” What? Do you know what this word “dwelt” means? It’s the same word that is translated “tabernacle” in the Old Testament. You realize what this is saying? Jesus is the tabernacle. He’s the dwelling place of God in the world. God has come to us such that, when you see Jesus, you see the glory of the Father face to face. 

This is revolutionary. Jesus is not just a prophet; he’s not just a great human teacher. He is the image of the invisible God. He’s not made in the image of God. He is the image of God. He’s the epitome of humanity. God in the flesh. Hebrews 1:3, “He is the radiance of the glory of God. He’s the exact imprint of his nature. He’s the one who upholds the universe by the word of his power.” He is Immanuel, God with us. 

So now just come back to the book of John here, which just so happens to be our church’s Bible reading right now. And you’re not going to be able to write all these down, so just sit back and just soak in all the ways. John points us back to this whole picture. John tells us that Jesus has come to offer his life as a sacrifice of our sins. Listen to the language. “Behold the Lamb of God” —that’s Exodus language—”who takes away the sin of the world.” God’s people delivered out of slavery in Egypt. Jesus came to deliver us out of slavery to sin and death. 

Then in John 2, Jesus is the temple. Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I’ll raise it up.” The Jews said, “It was taken forty-six years to build the temple, and will you raise it up in three days? But he was speaking about the temple of his body.” Jesus says, “I am the place where you encounter the glory of God, not just this building. You’re going to kill me, and I’m going to be raised up in three days.” That leads to John 4. Remember the river flowing from Eden? Well, Jesus is, oh, sorry, I skipped John 3:3 where Jesus tells Nicodemus, “Anyone who is born again can see the kingdom of God.” In other words, you were made in the image of God. You need to be remade from the inside out to experience the life that you’re designed to live. 

Which then leads to John 4, the river flowing from Eden. Jesus is a spring of water who wells up to eternal life. John 7: “Whoever is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” Or John 6: think about the manna in the tabernacle. After Jesus feeds the 5,000, people are saying, “God gave his people manna in the wilderness. What are you going to give us?” Jesus says, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger. Whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” John 8, thinking about the lampstand in the tabernacle, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world” who causes people to see. John 9: “I was blind, but now I see.” John 10: He is the door to dwelling with God. 

Then you think about the tree of life: John 11:25. Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies yet shall he live. Everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” John 14:2: “In my Father’s house are many rooms.” The word means “dwelling places.” It’s the same word that revelation uses to describe heaven—”in my Father’s house are many dwelling places for you, and I am the way there …  I am the truth … I am the life.”

“I am the vine.” John 15. John chapter 16: to all who are burdened by sin in this sin-sick world, “In this world (and your fallen humanity), you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome this world.” John 17: Jesus is the high priest who intercedes for us. And then, check this out, John 18: we come to …  guess what? “When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with the disciples across the brook Kidron where there was a garden.” Well, that’s interesting! He and the disciples entered this Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus, the image of God in the flesh, faces a choice. Back in the Garden in Genesis, there was a man made in the image of God who failed and said, “Not your will but mine be done.” Here in the Garden we have the sinless man, who is the image of God, who says, “Not my will but yours be done.” And then he’s arrested In John 19:6. Listen to what Pilate says … Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns, the purple robe. Pilate said to him, “Behold the man!” Do you see this? Pilate literally says, “Behold the human.” Pilate has no idea the significance of what he’s saying. 

Behold what humanity is designed to be—close relationship with the Father. And what’s the next thing Pilate says in verse 14: “Behold your king.”—royal representative of the King, which leads to Jesus’s crucifixion there on the cross. He cries out, “It is finished.” The work is done. And once the Creator on the cross finishes his work of redeeming his creation, what do we read about in the very next verse? Sabbath. None of this is coincidence. It all fits together. There is no book like this book, written by all these authors in different languages at different times over centuries that all tell one overarching story that points us to Jesus. 

And check this out: it gets even better. So Jesus is buried. We saw this last week, but I want you to pay attention to something new this week when they go to the tomb. So Peter and John run there. “Peter went out with the other disciple”—that’s how John refers to himself—”and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. (That’s kind of funny that John points out for all history that Peter was slow and he was fast. Like is this not like sibling rivalry, like, I beat you? Just want to write it down for everybody to talk about for history.) So, anyway, they get there stooping to look in. John saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came following him and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there and the face cloth which had been on, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Well, that’s interesting. Three times there’s a focus on what kind of cloths? Linen cloths. It’s like John’s trying to tell us something, and he specifically tells us they’re folded up. 

It would’ve been sufficient to tell us Jesus died and rose again. John’s telling us Jesus died, rose again, and he made his bed. Why is he telling us this? Well, I’m glad you asked. Look, a couple verses later, we read, “Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.” Get the picture. You got two angels flanking this scene, with linen cloths nicely folded up and left between them. Does that sound familiar? Remember when the priest on the Day of Atonement would put on linen cloths, would go into the center of the tabernacle, where the mercy seat was, with two angels—one on each side—and the priest would offer the sacrifice. And then he would leave those cloths there, change into something else. 

Are you seeing this? Jesus, the complete human, the perfect priest, has gone into the Most Holy Place. He has offered, not the blood of another sacrifice, He has offered his own blood once and for all for sinners. He has said, “It is finished,” and he has walked out leaving those sacrificial clothes behind neatly, folded up forever, because there is no need for sacrifice anymore. He has paid the price for sinners to have their sin totally covered by his blood. And then he speaks to Mary. And what is Jesus? This man who is the image of God? What’s the first word that he speaks after rising from the dead? In the book of John, he says, “Woman,” which takes us all the way back to Genesis 2, where Adam looked and even said “woman,” and they began working together in God’s presence. So here Jesus commissions Mary to join him in spreading the good news that he’s risen from the dead. 

Then Jesus gets together with his disciples. Watch this. Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I’m sending you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit.” That’s Genesis 2. God in the flesh is now breathing new life by his Spirit into a new humanity. Are you serious? The Holy Spirit of God, the holy presence of God, is going to dwell inside all who trust in Jesus … for what purpose? For this purpose: 2 Corinthians 3:17, “ … the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

To all who believe in Jesus, you have the Holy Spirit in you, and you are free from the penalty of sin in your life. You are free from the power of sin in your life. You are free to be transformed into the image of Jesus from one degree of glory to another. This is the Christian life, becoming more and more and more like Jesus every single day. Romans 8:28—God is working everything together in your life for good. What’s that good? So you’ll be healthy and wealthy and have all you want in this world, and everything works out the way you want? No, “we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good.” What is that? “For those who are called according to his purpose…” What’s his purpose? “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.”

That’s our purpose. To look more like Jesus, God’s working all things together in our lives so that we will be more conformed to the image of Jesus, knowing that being conformed into his image is the highest good of humanity. Was it Elizabeth Elliot who said, “God will not protect you from anything in your life that keeps you from becoming more like Jesus”? This is a high calling, that everything in your life, even things you don’t understand, are working together toward. So Colossians 3:9–10: “Let’s put off the old self with its practices. Let’s put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” This is the purpose of your life—to be conformed into the image of your Creator. So let that soak in.

Takeaways today … man or woman, every man or woman, made in the image of God— that’s all of you—you have sacred dignity. So worship God with humility, amen. You let that soak in, right where you’re sitting, right now. You have sacred, holy dignity unlike anything else in all creation. You are made in the image of God. Amen. So yes, look at the Grand Canyon to see God’s glory; look at the sunrise over the mountains; look at the sunset over the horizon and see God’s glory. Look at the billions of stars in the sky … at stellar galaxies … and see God’s glory. 

But do you really want to see God’s glory? Look in the mirror. Yes. Amen. Yes. Look in the mirror. When you look at your reflection, do not believe the lie from the adversary who’s telling you you’re not enough this or you’re not enough. The truth is, you are God’s prized creation. He doesn’t make mistakes. So do not believe the messages of this world that you have to do certain things in order to earn dignity. Because, good news, true dignity is received from God, not achieved by you. So worship your Creator as the one you’re created for. Your heart is made for God. In the words of Augustine, “You have made us for yourself, oh Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you.” And it’s not just you. Everyone has sacred dignity. So love others with honor. Love every other person made in the image of God with honor. 

This includes your friends, and this includes your enemies. This includes the people in your camp, and this includes the people not in your camp. This includes every single person on social media, without exception—honor them. This includes every leader in the government, without exception. Honor them. 1 Peter 2:17: “Honor everyone,” even the emperor who’s looking to kill you. Honor them. They’re made in the image of God. This includes the poor, the oppressed, the needy, the disabled, the broken, the hurting from the womb to the tomb. Every human being in every tribe, language, people, and nation. We are royal representatives of God in this world, which means we do justice, we love mercy, and we walk humbly with God, loving others with the dignity God has told us they possess. And not just dignity. Let this soak in: you have an eternal destiny, so behold and become more like Jesus. 

Your destiny is to be conformed into the image of Jesus … 2 Corinthians 3 … So behold him every day in his Word. Fix your eyes on him. Walk with him in the world, and make it your aim by the power of his Spirit in you to look more like Jesus tomorrow than you do today; ore like Jesus next week than you do today. This is what you’re made for.

1John 3:2–3: “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” We know one day these bodies in this world are going to stop working, but praise God, that won’t be the end. 1 Corinthians 15:49: “Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.”

All who know and trust in Jesus as Lord will have a new resurrected body, just as Jesus does. And check this out: Revelation 5:9, the song of heaven to Jesus: “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood, you ransomed (you redeemed) people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation”—from all across humanity—”and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” Talk about destiny. Your destiny is a kingdom. And priests, we, yes, we love countries here, but we’re living for another country where we have a kingdom; where we are priests to our God, and we will reign forever on the earth. 

Oh, heaven is not sitting on clouds in endless choir practice. It is a physical place where we are going to fully experience what we’re made for in a new heaven and a new earth. 

Close relationship with God; royal representation of God in a world with no more sin, no more sorrow, no more sadness, and no more death. Which leads to the last implication. It’s not just us. Everyone has an eternal destiny. So make disciples of Jesus among all the nations—every single person in this city, every single person in the world, was made for close relationship with God. And the only way they can experience that is through Jesus and his love for them. So let’s give our lives, let’s lay down our lives, leading people to life in him—in our city, leading people to life in him, and around the world. This is what we’re in this world to do as humans made in the image of our God. 

Will you pray with me? Will you bow your heads with me? That was so much. And I just want to give you a moment, a quiet moment, just to let it soak in. Hear God saying to you, “This is who you are.” And if you’re a follower of Jesus, if you know Jesus is the Savior and Lord of your life, been forgiven of your sin, been freed from its power and penalty in your life, then just pray, “God, make me more like Jesus.” And pray in specific ways: “God refine me in this way, that way; God show me the areas of my life that don’t look like Jesus; confess that I want to turn from that; or, God, in these circumstances I’m walking through, make me more like Jesus through them. I don’t understand what’s going on, but I pray you’d make me more like Jesus through them. 

And if you have never put your trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life, let this be the moment. What are you waiting for? God loves you. He’s made a way for you to experience close relationship with him through Jesus. His death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead for you—I want to invite you just to say to him right now, “God, yes, I want to be restored to close relationship with you, to the reason for which I was made. I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sin. I believe today Jesus rose from the dead for me to have life. And I want life in you. I turn from my sin and myself, and I trust in you as my Savior and Lord.”

Observation: What does this passage say?

1) Read Genesis 1:26–31 aloud as a group. Let group members share observations. Try not to move into interpretation of the passage or application of what you read quite yet. Simply share what you observe.

• What words jump out at you in verses 26 and 27?
• What does God give us in verses 28 and 29?
• What equality does God set up in verse 30 and how does He characterize the world in verse 31?
• How would you summarize Genesis 1:26–31?

Interpretation: What does the passage mean?

1) Read Daniel 3:1, 2 Kings 11:18

• How does the image (Hebrew: tselem) of God in the Daniel 3 and 2 Kings 11 passages differ from the image God uses in Genesis 1:26–27?
• What does it mean that all humankind (both male and female) is created in the image of God? 
• What does it mean that YOU are created in the image of God?

2) Read Genesis 5:1–3, Genesis 9:6, and Genesis 2:6

• Why is it significant that the image of God still remains in man in Genesis 5 and 9 AFTER sin entered the world?
• How is the way that God formed man in Genesis 2 more personal than the rest of creation?
• What does the way that God created humankind suggest about how God feels about us and about the relationship He plans to have with us?
• What does it mean that God gives humankind dominion over other creatures in Genesis 1:26–28?
• In Exodus Chapters 25-31 God describes how to build the tabernacle. How is the tabernacle like the Garden of Eden regarding where God would dwell with humankind?

3) Read John 1:1–15, 2 Corinthians 3:17–18, Romans 8:28–30, and 1 Peter 2:9

• What is significant about the fact that Jesus IS the image of God in John’s gospel?
• What does it say about us that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us?”
• What role does Paul describe for the Holy Spirit in 2 Corinthians 3:17–18?
• How is our transformation described in Romans 8:28–30?
• What role does Peter assign us in 1 Peter 2:9 and why is it significant?

Application: How can we apply this passage to our lives?

1) You have sacred dignity so worship God with humility.

• How are you living as an image-bearer of God?
• How can being God’s prized creation drive your daily life?
• How does your worship change when you recognize who God says you are?
• How can your Church Group help you to be who God created you to be?

2) Everyone has sacred dignity, so love others with honor.

• How is your life characterized by love of all image-bearers – believers and nonbelievers?
• How well does your love show to people with whom you might disagree?
• How well do you “honor everyone,” and how might you improve?
• How can your Church Group help you to be a royal representative of Jesus in this world?

3) You have eternal destiny, so behold and become more like Jesus.

• How is your transformation into the image of Jesus going?
• What specifically are you doing to draw closer to Jesus so the Holy Spirit can work in you?
• When you are in the world, how can others see God’s image in you?
• How can your Church Group pray for your transformation into Jesus’ image?

4) Everyone has eternal destiny, so make disciples of Jesus among all the nations.

• What are you doing for those who don’t know that they are image-bearers?
• How can you share with others that God wants to be in close relationship with them?
• With whom can you share the gospel this week?
• How can your Church Group bring the gospel to others?

SCRIPTURE READING – Genesis 1:26-31 (ESV)

26 Then 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 birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all 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. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. 

REFLECTION QUESTION

• Where have you personally seen people treated differently because of their natural origin, accent, skin tone, disability, or some other attribute that made them different?

SERMON RECAP

Humanity’s defining characteristic is that we are all equally made in the image of God. To be human (made in the image of God) means that you are designed…

1. For close relationship with God.
2. As a royal representative of God.

God’s design has important implications for humankind:

• You have sacred dignity, so worship God with humility.
• Everyone has sacred dignity, so love others with honor.
• You have eternal destiny, so behold and become more like Jesus.
• Everyone has eternal destiny, so make disciples of Jesus among all the nations.