Image of God
Most of us have grown up being told God loves us. Since I was a little kid, my mom and dad made sure I knew there was a loving God who cared about me as a person. But why does He love us?
Have you ever made something that was perfect? I haven’t, but I did draw a candlestick once that I thought was near perfect. It took hours of work and when I finished, I loved that drawing! It is framed and still hanging in my room at home. Now think about when God created us. He didn’t make any mistakes. He didn’t mess up. He made us perfect. Not only perfect, but in His image. This doesn’t simply mean that we look like God, although that is true. We were made to rule the world. God told Adam and Eve to “subdue [the world]; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”[1] God is a ruler, and He created us to rule this world. God also created us to have children: “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth.”[2] Lastly, God created us as relational beings. God refers to Himself in Gen 3:22 as plural, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us.”[3] This helps in confirming the Trinity and the close relationship they share. We were not made to be alone, so God created Eve: “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.”[4]
We are made perfect by God in so many ways. No wonder He loves us so much!
[1] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ge 1:28). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[2] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ge 1:28). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[3] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ge 3:22). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[4] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ge 2:21–22). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Jade Covel is a junior studying religion.