Genesis is the book of beginnings, the beginning of the universe, of humanity, of sin and it’s catastrophic effects, and of God’s plan to restore the blessing to the world through His Son, Jesus Christ.
In the first two chapters, God blessed three specific things. Animal life, human life, and Sabbath day. These three blessings highlight God’s plan. Humankind was made in God’s image to enjoy sovereign dominion over the creatures of the earth and to participate in God’s Sabbath rest.
“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 creepeth upon the earth.”
Genesis 1:26
In chapter 1 verses 26, man was created in both the image and likeness of God. An image is a representation or replica of one person or thing by another. An image may be similar but not necessarily identical to its original. “Likeness” is used as a gauge of comparison, or analogy. When man fell, he retained an impaired image of God. Regaining a likeness of God is one of the accomplishments of salvation. Our spiritual likeness is restored in justification. Our character likeness is being continuously developed in the process of sanctification. We will be like Christ physically when we are glorified at His second coming. We need to remember that God’s purpose in our lives today is to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ.
“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
Romans 8:29
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