Have you ever heard someone say it takes both man and woman together to reflect the complete image of God? A quick word study on my Bible app reveals the two nouns God uses in Genesis 1:26, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, …” have interchangeable meanings, but interestingly the word image is a male noun and likeness is a female noun.
God is the Master Artist and seeing these tiny word differences illustrates His artistry. He also “made” man but He “fashioned” woman. In Genesis chapter one, God had been creating a vast array of wonders for days ... an earth-sized museum filled with creatures, flora, and fauna that humankind is still discovering today. But His masterpiece, the crowning glory of His creation was the making of man and the fashioning of woman, two creatures like Himself, both of which reflected God in different ways. Nothing prior to Adam and Eve was made in His image or likeness.
As sculptors and painters use models as inspiration for their works of art, God used Himself as the model for humanity.
Today’s devotional is focused on the sacred in us, the spark of the divine, irreparably damaged by sin. But not beyond Jesus’ ability to restore. Out of all God’s creation—from stars and galaxies to micro-wonders in single-cell organisms—none have the capacity to imagine, worship, marvel, imitate, lead, or rule, to name just a few capacities. No animal or tree can speak as does God, reason as does He, or create as does our God Almighty. Only humans can imitate Him.
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