Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-27
One of our fondest family memories from when our kids were young is a trip we took to Whiteshell Provincial Park near Winnipeg, Manitoba. We had actually made the trip north from Marshall, Minnesota so Debb could get Lasik surgery. Finances not only dictated our decision to have this procedure done in Canada, but also dictated our decision to bypass a hotel and stay in a cabin on a lake outside of Winnipeg. An added bonus was that it gave the kids some beach time. As Debb and I sat further up on shore, we noticed the kids were playing at dunking each other in the lake. We couldn’t figure out what they were doing so we asked and they answered, “We’re baptizing each other.” So, I guess that’s the answer to the question of what pastor’s kids do for fun. They hold mini baptismal services at the lake. We are imaging creatures. Every parent knows this. Whether it’s a child “imaging” a parent in a “pretend” kitchen or putting on a tool belt so they can be little “workers,” kids naturally reflect or image their parents. As they grow older, kids begin to increasingly image their peers in the clothes they wear or music they listen to. But it isn’t just kids…adults image one another in similar ways in clothing, cars, even the way we speak. We are imaging creatures. To image others is actually part of our DNA, part of what it means to be human, as those created in the image of God. It’s right there in Genesis 1, “in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” The problem is that by Genesis 3, instead of imaging their Creator, Adam and Eve had already chosen to image, instead, created things…the serpent. Here we see the birthplace of idolatry, as described in Romans 1:23, we “exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.” It was their decision to image a reptile and, maybe more significantly, their own selfish desires, that got them removed from the Garden and from constant fellowship with their God. Yet, our purpose as image bearers was never lost, even if it was marred by sin. God continued to call us back to our creation purpose of imaging our Creator, as we see in Enoch who “walked with God,” and Noah who reflected God’s righteousness and “walked with God,” or Moses to whom God revealed both His person and His will on Sinai. But what were the people doing down below? They were fashioning a golden calf, imaging other creatures instead of the God who had redeemed them. In spite of the fact that God’s people became stiff-necked, like the calf they worshiped, and unable to see or hear, like the idols they carved, God did not give up on His people, but sent His one and only Son, the very image and glory of the Father. Yet the Son was made in the likeness of sinful man (Rom. 8:3) so that He might redeem us and enable us to, once again, fulfill the purpose for which we were made—to be image bearers of our God. This is no easy task, even for the redeemed of God, for we live in a world of competing images. G.K. Beale, in his book We Become What We Worship, has done an excellent job of exposing the struggle we face as those called to be image bearers of God. He asks the question, "What do you and I reflect? One presupposition of this book is that God has made humans to reflect him, but if they do not commit themselves to him, they will not reflect him but something else in creation. At the core of our beings, we are imaging creatures. It is not possible to be neutral on this issue: we either reflect the Creator or something in creation." So, we ask the question again, “Who or what do you and I reflect?” Like Dylan said, “your gonna have to serve somebody.” So, who do we serve? What do we image? Another significant question we might consider is this: “How do we affect who or what we image?” Assuming, as those who are redeemed by Jesus, that we desire to increasingly image and reflect Him in our lives, how does this happen? Jesus actually provides us with a model. How did Jesus make disciples? He walked with them. Like Enoch and Moses walked with God, the disciples walked with Jesus. Is this not the same invitation that Jesus gave to us all? “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Here is where imaging begins, in the presence of our God. Our world is constantly seeking to remake us in its image…in the media we absorb, the people we spend time with, the things to which we devote our time, energy and money. If we would increasingly image our Savior, we must walk with Him, spend time with His people, and devote ourselves to the things that matter to Him. We become what we worship. May we choose wisely who, or what, we image in this world.
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Years ago, Debbie and I loved A Terrible Beauty Irish Pub in Renton. It wasn’t because we’re Irish (though, to some extent, we both are), nor was it because we love beer (the only kind I really like is root beer), but because of their great food! Actually, the initial draw was a BOGO coupon (shocking, I know!). But it was their Reuben—thick with Corned Beef—that kept us coming back. Sadly, the place closed down years ago. Probably too many people using coupons! But the phrase terrible beauty was brought to mind this morning as I was doing my devotions, not because of corned beef, but because of the juxtaposition of that which strikes terror and that which is beautiful found in Psalm 29. After a challenge for God’s people to ascribe glory to Yahweh, the psalm goes on to describe the voice of God using the terminology of a massive storm, one that “thunders” and “breaks the cedars” and “strikes with flashes of lightning.” The psalm concludes… The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!” The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever. The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.” What powerful imagery is found in this psalm—with equally powerful truth. A storm can be beautiful to witness from a safe distance because of its powerful effects, but it can be terrible if you find yourself the object of its destructive power. By using the storm as a metaphor for God’s power, the psalmist paints an unbelievably evocative portrait of God. For those who do not believe in God—who reject His Word, His love, His life—God should strike terror in their hearts. For to those who reject their Maker, His arrival is cause for grief, just as the arrival of a parent for a disobedient child is cause for grief. But for those who trust in God—who embrace His Word, His love, His life—God’s presence inspires peace in our hearts. For to those who embrace their Maker, His arrival is cause for rejoicing, just as the arrival of a parent for an obedient child is cause for joy. Our culture, and even too many in the Christian sub-culture, have sought to portray God as one who is only beautiful, whose presence only means peace, regardless of whether His will, His Word and His person have been rejected. But this portrayal of God simply does not cohere with God’s Word. This is exactly what we see when God reveals Himself to Moses in Exodus 34:6-7: And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.” Our God is gracious and compassionate, yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished. But even this statement, “He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers,” does not speak of arbitrary judgment against the innocent, for God makes clear in Deuteronomy 24:16 that a child must not be punished for the sin of a parent. What is Exodus 34:7 saying? That there are corporate ramifications for our sins. As recorded in Hard Sayings of the Bible: This notion is difficult for Westerners to appreciate, since we place such a high premium on the individual. But Scripture warns us that there is such a thing as corporate responsibility. None of us functions in complete isolation from the society and neighborhood to which we are attached. Want proof? Just ask the mother of the child killed by senseless gun violence in a culture that rejects the sanctity of human life. We are all susceptible to victimization in an increasingly God-rejecting culture.
Having said this, the focus in Exodus 34 is clearly on the love of God demonstrated to thousands. And even though one might be under condemnation for sin, what we find in Scripture is a God who longs to relent in judgment, as revealed in Jonah. The Ninevites, by repenting of their sin, stayed God’s hand of judgment. In the same way, all who look to God in faith, no matter our pedigree, cultural upbringing or personal failings, experience grace and forgiveness from the One who abounds in love and faithfulness. It’s true! God’s power and justice means terror for those who reject Him, both from temporary, earthly consequences for sin and eternal separation from our Maker in Hell. But for us who look with faith on Him, receiving forgiveness in Jesus’ sin-conquering death, we find that “Yahweh blesses His people with peace.” In 2022, may we be those who share this peace with others, trust in this peace ourselves, and respond to this peace with “Glory!” |
Dan GannonDan has ministered at Renton Bible Church, with his wife Debbie, since 2003. Archives
June 2022
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