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Is the universe “good”? Genesis 1 certainly proclaims it so. Other ancient myths see creation as a violent battle between he forces of cretinoid the forces of destruction. The Bible proclaims that the forces of creation will ultimately win. It os a real step of faith, even though so much of creation is seen as beautiful. The real point for me is that it gives me a guide to action. I am to act in order to work for creation and not destruction. By doing that, I really do believe that I am closer to the heart off God.
And what does it mean for us to be made in God’s image (Note: both men and women in Genesis1). Fo rme it means that w are spiritual beings, at least potentially, and not just physical and psychological. That we have a “hot line” to God within our nature, which we can access f only we can get quiet enough.
‘In’ the image of God conveys idea of metal cast in mould. ‘Be’ could translate as ‘as’. Human beings (that’s male and female) represent God like the Queen’s head on a coin (see Jesus’s response to question abut taxes). This works with the Pentateuch drawing on ancient near east models of covenants, suzerains and vassals and right into modern times. Murder or defacing the image of the king, dictator, party chairman, etc is equivalent to rebellion against the king, dictator, etc. Human beings as God’s stewards of creation should be respected pretty much as if they were God rather like the governor of a province in the old British empire functioned as the London-based king, queen, or Empress of India, etc.
Therefore, ‘image’ is not about being spiritual (whatever that might mean). It’s a function we have from original design intention whether we like it or not – just as the head on a coin or the statues and photographs all over a dictatorship are images but what they are made of doesn’t matter. How well we as individuals and, perhaps more importantly, corporately fulfil that function is what is important and may have a bearing on our long term and eternal fate.
I think Deuteronomy 4:5-8 and Micah 6:8 give us some idea about how being the representation of the triune relational God is supposed to work out in a fallen world.
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