The Great Identity Problem- Part 2
Identity is a basic reality of human existence. From the very creation of humans on, humanity has been given an identity. If we are going to endeavor to solve The Great Identity Problem then we must begin at the very beginning, in Genesis 1.
In Genesis 1:1, God begins creation. We read, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Everything that happens in Genesis 1 takes place with this in mind. God is CREATOR of all, who has made the heavens and the earth. Throughout Genesis 1 God creates different things, ranging from dry land to fish!
The sixth day is a day that is unlike any other. The sixth day is covered in Genesis 1:24-31. In verses 24-25 we read, “Then God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that crawl, and the wildlife of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. So God made the wildlife of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that crawl on the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.” God makes animals of all kinds. There is something that I want us to notice here. God makes everything according to its kind. This means that cows are made like cows, that chickens are made like chickens, that platypi are made like platypi, that Gaur’s are made like Gaur’s. God creates order and God makes these things according to their kinds.
Keep that idea of order in mind as we look at verse 26. “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” In verse 26, God makes mankind. God states that man will be made in the image of God. This idea- the idea of Imago Dei- has had many books written on it. There is good reason for that! Imago Dei is fundamentally crucial to understanding identity!
See, there is something completely different about the creation of humanity than any other thing that God created. God creates man, “in our image, according to our likeness.” Nothing else is created in the image of God, or in the likeness of God!
But what is meant by that? This is not talking about having 10 fingers and 10 toes, this has to do with having a spiritual soul. God gave mankind a soul.
So God makes mankind with a soul and in the Image of God. As we start our examination of being made in the Image of God, it is extremely important that we understand that. God has made mankind in God’s image and God made everything according to its kind. Next week, we will continue looking at Genesis 1 and we will see what God says about the creation of mankind!
Pastor Daniel