Creation

The Beginning

So far, we’ve said that the Bible is like a script for Jesus followers. Right now we’re going to dig in to the first act, which we’ll call “creation.” Let’s see what we can learn from it.

Here’s how the Bible describes our origins. Genesis 1:26-28 says:

Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

So God created human beings in his own image.
    In the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

The first thing we notice about how God made us is this: God created us as royalty.  The text says that we will “reign.”  In other words, we were not made to be slaves.  

The second thing the passage tells us is that God gave us responsibility.  He told us to be fruitful and multiply, and to reign over the earth.

As we read on in scripture, we quickly realize that this responsibility is even more than watching over fish, birds, and trees.  We are called to represent God to the world.  Our job is to extend His reign throughout all of creation!

Third, God invites us into relationship with him.  We are God’s image-bearers.  That means that we are created to be in constant relationship with God.  Author Mike Breen puts it like this:

“The word translated as “image” also means “imprint.”  When God created us, he pressed the imprint of his presence upon us.”  (Creation and Covenant, p. 5)

As we move farther along in the Bible, the word used for this relationship is the word “covenant.”  A covenant is a binding promise between two people.  It literally means “to become one.”  And God enters into a covenant with His people, because his desire is to be in a binding relationship with them.  God is all about relationships!

In fact, God is so into relationship that it is a part of his nature.  Many of us have heard the word “Trinity” before.  It’s the understanding that God exists as one God in three persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

This is a mind-bender, and sometimes we are tempted to just shrug it off as something that only college professors talk about.  But here we can see just how important this aspect of God is.  Trinity means that even before the world began, God eternally existed in relationship.  When he made us, he invited us into that relationship.  This is central to who God is, and it is crucial for understanding our identity.  We were made for relationship with God and with each other.

So at creation, we learn that God created us as royalty, gave us responsibility, and invites us into relationship.  This is why we were made.  

These three truths are huge—big enough to change our lives.  But here’s something even more amazing: that’s only the beginning.

God created us as royalty, gave us responsibility, and invites us into relationship.  What lies about your own worth threaten to draw you away from living out those truths?

What does the fact that God exists in relationship (as seen in the Trinity) suggest about who God is and how we should live our lives?

Is there a place in your life where you could represent God better?

If the Bible is our script, what do you most need to learn from this first act?