Spiritual Treasures of Genesis: What it means to be created in His image (part 1/3)

For all you artists out there, I don’t know why some religious elements have rallied against creativity. The first act that God is presented as doing is itself an artistic work of creativity on an infinitely large canvas – the entire scope of existence. Moreover, His canvas isn’t static, but its alive and very, very dynamic and multi-dimensional (not like a 2D/3D painting). God’s first act was to Create. Hence, the reason why He is called ‘Creator’.

Photo by Zac Durant on Unsplash

And in Genesis 1 this is what we see… we see God the Creator, joyfully, with delight, and gladness filling up the heavens and earth, literally landscaping the universe and commanding the land and waters to burst forth with life of all sorts. And finally we get to the creation of ADAM… or Man (using this term to represent humans, both male and female).

1) The first clue – Man is the Image of God

The very first Attribute of Man – the Adam – is he is created in the Image of God.

In other words, we are made in the Image of the Creative God, of the Creator. If the first attribute of Man is that He is the image of God, well then what is the first attribute of God we see or the first thing we see about what God is?

The first thing we see about God is that He is the One joyfully filling up (“bara” in Hebrew which is translated “created” in Gen 1:) the heavens and earth, He is the Spirit containing chaos and bringing it to order (Gen 1:2) and He is calling into existence Light dispelling Darkness with a word (Hebrew – “yahey Or” meaning “let-their-be Light” and the Word as you know from John 1, is Jesus! Somehow Elomhim – the Spirit – the Son - He is One… somehow – I really do not pretend to grasp this but this “Trinity” is evident even in the first chapter of the Bible!

So on the one hand, if we are created in the Image of the One who is the Creator and the very first – which means this is a defining characteristic – of God is that He creates. And on the other hand, the other Attribute we see at the same is the Triune nature of the Timeless Creator.

So what’s the bottom line? (This is where it gets really interesting, btw)

It means we too can create and bring forth and call into being and just like God, by His Spirit of His Son in us, we can speak change things. This is not our strength or character, but simply this is what the fully redeemed in Christ expression of man can hold. .

Is there something powerful about simply saying the Scriptures aloud? Can saying something as simple as “I love you” change things? Or does speaking healing in Jesus’ name release a healing force? What about praying aloud in the Spirit?

Yes, and a thousand yes’. Our words can fill voids and bring restoration, wisdom and peace. Because we have the breath of God, His Spirit in us as those born again of the Father, even forces of darkness can obeys the utterance of Yeshua from out mouths. But don’t be fooled into hocus pocus, superficial uses of this Power. Many are and use it in vain trying to conjure material possessions thinking that God’s kingdom is a matter of things money can buy.

May the Spirit Himself guide us into the discipline of this Divine Creativity that we are all stamped with. Amen. Enjoy the Creative Adventure!

And stay tuned for more to come on all these subjects.