Latest / Reformed Thinking / God-Made, Christ-Ruled: The Royal Image and Vocation (Genesis 1:26–31)

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God-Made, Christ-Ruled: The Royal Image and Vocation (Genesis 1:26–31) · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to reformed thinking. This is the space where we
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really try to drill down into the sources behind key
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doctrines. And today we're tackling a huge
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1A really critical deep dive. We're looking at Genesis chapter
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1, specifically verses 26 through 31.
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Yeah, this, this short passage is basically the original design
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brief for humanity, isn't it? That's a great way to put it.
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If you've ever asked who am I? Why am I even here?
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What am I supposed to be doing? Wow.
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Genesis 1.26 aims to answer precisely those questions.
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We're looking at the Charter for Humanity, the Imago Day, the
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image of God and the the Royal mandate that comes right
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alongside. It and as always here, we're
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viewing this through the lens of Reformed theology, thinking
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about how confessions like, say, the Westminster Confession of
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Faith unpack this, specifically chapter 4, paragraph 2.
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Right. So our goal, our mission for you
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listening, is to get some real clarity on the maybe 3
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interconnected dimensions of human existence laid out right.
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Our being, our doing, and our relationships.
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Exactly. And we want to show how this
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original design, this perfect setup, it doesn't just look
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backward, it actually points forward.
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It leads well inevitably, to Christ.
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OK, so First things first, we need to talk about the context,
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how we read Genesis 1, the genre, because that really
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shapes everything else, doesn't it?
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Absolutely crucial. You know we can't read it like a
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modern science textbook that needs updating every few years.
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Right, expecting some kind of scientific concordism.
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No, but nor can we just dismiss it as, you know, pure myth with
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no historical anchor. Our sources are pretty clear on
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calling the genre theological history.
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Theological history. OK, what does that term ask of
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us as readers? Well, it asks us to see it as a
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narrative reporting real divine actions.
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God did speak. The world did come into being,
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but it's told using a very elevated style.
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There's deliberate literary craftsmanship involved.
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So the how of the telling serves the why, the theological point.
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Precisely. It's God giving us the divine
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interpretation of his own acts. It's not a lab report, it's the
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majestic account of the sovereign.
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Creators work using language fitting for that majesty.
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Kind of liturgical almost. And you really see that majesty
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in the structure of the creation week itself.
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It's not random, it's incredibly ordered.
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Oh, definitely. The structure itself screams
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God's sovereign wisdom in order. If you look at days one through
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6, you see these patterns. Scholars talk about measured
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repetitions. And that symmetry days one to
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three setting up the realms and four to six filling them.
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Exactly. Day one you get light and
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darkness, the basic structure of time.
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Day 2, the sky and the waters, the spatial structure.
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Day three, dry land appears, vegetation springs up the basis
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for life support. That's the forming.
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OK, the environments are created.
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Then comes the filling. Day 4 populates the Light
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Darkness realm with the Sun, Moon, stars, the rulers of time.
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5 Fills the sky and waters. With birds and fish creatures
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suited for those realms. And all of this careful building
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creates anticipation, doesn't it?
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Everything seems to be moving towards something specific.
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It's a deliberate crescendo, a build up.
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And the 6th day, well, that's the climax, the peak.
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And the pacing changes here too, right?
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It does the narrative, which has been moving quite briskly, let
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there be and it was. So it's suddenly kind of slows
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down, it lingers. Because now we get to humanity.
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Humanity, yeah, introduced as the capstone.
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We're not just the last thing made, we're the point.
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The creature for whom this whole ordered world, the land, the
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seas, the plants, the animals, has been prepared.
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The ones to whom this ordered world is then entrusted.
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That's the key entrusted hashtag.
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Hashtag 1.2. The unique plural deliberation.
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So the narrative slows and then we hit verse 26 and the language
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shifts dramatically. Then, Gaines said.
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Let us make man in our image after for our likeness, that
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plural. Let us make it just jumps out.
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It really does. It's completely different from
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the commands before it. It signals a unique divine
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deliberation, a deep intentionality that wasn't quite
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there for, say, the sun or the animals.
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It's like we're hearing a consultation within the Godhead.
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That's how it reads the Hebrew verb niche.
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It's a first person plural volatile.
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It invites us, the readers, to sort of overhear this intra
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divine council. Now historically people have
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stumbled over this plural who is thus some suggested God speaking
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to angels. Or maybe it's a royal we like a
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king uses. Yeah, those theories have been
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floated, but speaking to angels doesn't quite fit.
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God doesn't share his creative power with creatures like that.
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And the royal plural of majesty? Well, that grammatical argument
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doesn't really hold up for Hebrew verbs.
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Plus, the very next verse switches back to the singular
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right. Exactly.
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Verse 27 says so. God created man in his own
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image. The action is singular.
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God alone creates. So the plurality isn't in the
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doing, but in the deciding. In the concisely, and this is
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where reading it within the whole Bible, the full Canon
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becomes important. That plural deliberation makes
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perfect sense when we understand the later, fuller revelation of,
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well, the Trinity plurality of Persons within the one God.
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Right. You see hints even here in
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Genesis 1, maybe with the Spirit hovering in verse 2.
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Hints. Yes, and embrations.
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And then it becomes clearer in the New Testament.
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John one in the beginning was the Word.
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All things were made through him.
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Hebrews one the Son upholding the universe.
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So let us make Embrace isn't just grammatical weirdness.
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It's an early glimpse into the Triune God deliberating marking
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humanity's creation as exceptionally significant.
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A creation rooted in divine counsel.
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And then there's the sequence within verse 26 itself.
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It's critical for understanding why we're here.
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God states the identity in our image after our likeness and
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immediately states the purpose. Yes, before humanity is even
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formed, the text says. And let them have dominion.
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That placement is everything. It's a huge rhetorical move.
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It tells us that vocation, the job, the purpose, having
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dominion isn't an afterthought. It's not something Adam just
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picked up later. It's the telos, the very reason
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for being made in the image. So God is saying I'm making
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these image bearers so that they can rule.
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Exactly. Identity and office being and
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doing. They are fused right from the
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start in the design brief. Humans are created as God's vice
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regions. That flips the script on how we
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often think about purpose. It's not something we find after
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figuring out who we are. It's part of who we are.
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OK, let's get into this integrated identity then.
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The Imago Dei. The text uses 2 Hebrew words.
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Here Selim usually translated image and demote likeness.
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Are these two different things? Our sources are pretty clear.
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They're not fundamentally different things, but rather two
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ways of saying something very similar.
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They're mutually interpreting, paired together for emphasis,
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maybe to capture the fullness of the idea.
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So like two sides of the same coin?
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Kind of. They work together to define
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humanity comprehensively. It's about our intrinsic nature,
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yes, but also our royal function and even our communal
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relationships. It's all wrapped up in these
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terms. So what's the combined message
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of image and likeness? What do they tell us about
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ourselves? They convey A2 fold reality,
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first correspondence. We're genuinely like God in
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certain ways. We have capacities, rational,
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moral, spiritual, that reflect His nature, albeit in a
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creaturely finite way. We mirror him.
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Yes, but second, and just as crucial, is representation.
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We stand for God. We act as his representatives,
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His vice Regents, commissioned to extend his good rule into the
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created world. That idea of representation, I
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think it clicks better when we understand the background, the
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ancient Near Eastern context. Oh, absolutely essential, that
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word. Salem or Alma in a Canyon.
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It wasn't just a general word for picture, it was political
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language. How so?
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It often referred to a royal statue.
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A king would set up his selim, his image in a conquered
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territory or an important provincial city.
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To show who's boss. Exactly.
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It symbolized the King's presence, his authority, his
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rule. Even if he wasn't physically
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there. Seeing the statue meant you were
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under the King's jurisdiction. His laws applied.
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It was a visible claim of sovereignty.
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OK, so when Genesis says humans are made in God's Selim.
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It's making a radical polemical statement.
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God doesn't need idols of stone or metal.
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His images, his statues, are alive.
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They're human beings. Wow, so we are the living
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statues. We are The Walking, talking,
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breathing, working representatives of the invisible
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King. We mediate His presence and His
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rule just by being who He made us to be, living where He placed
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us. That changes everything about
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human status. We're not just another creature.
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We're official delegates, appointed representatives.
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It gives every single human an inherent office and inherent
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dignity. Were made to administer the
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King's realm on his behalf. That concept alone is the
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bedrock for the non negotiable value of every human life.
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Let's break that down further. First dimension ontological
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likeness this gets at our intrinsic nature are being the
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the fundamental makeup that makes us human and fits us for
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this representative role. This is the dimension that
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grounds what we call intrinsic dignity, the inviolable worth of
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every person. It's something you have simply
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by being human, created in God's image.
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It's not earned. It's not based on performance.
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So it defines who we are before we even talk about what we do.
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Precisely. And this dignity isn't variable.
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It doesn't depend on your abilities, your usefulness to
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society, your age, your stage of development, or frankly, whether
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other people recognize it or not.
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So when we talk about the sanctity of life, it's not just
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a nice idea or a legal concept, it's rooted right here in
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creation. It's a creational fact, whether
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we're talking about an embryo, a newborn, someone with profound
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disabilities, an elderly person with dementia.
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Their worth is absolute because it's conferred by the Creator
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himself. It's not tied to their capacity.
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Now Reformed theology, thinking again about the Westminster
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Confession, gets specific about what this ontological likeness
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involves. It's not just a vague being like
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God. It entails specific capacities
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Adam was given. Yes, the confession uses a kind
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of shorthand summarizing the key aspects.
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Adam was created in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness.
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These three capture the core internal equipment.
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OK, let's unpack those briefly. What did that look like?
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An Adam before the fall knowledge.
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Knowledge here means more than just IQ points.
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It's about having a true, unclouded understanding of God,
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his world, and His will. Adam knew things rightly.
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It's why he can name the animals correctly.
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That wasn't just taking labels on things, it was discerning
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their nature and assigning them their place in God's order and
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act of administrative insight. Right and righteousness.
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That refers to his moral integrity.
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His will was rightly ordered, inclined towards God and His
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law. He had the moral ability to
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choose good, to act justly, to exercise his dominion ethically
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without the internal conflict and pull towards sin that we
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experience. A perfect moral compass.
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You could say that and then Holiness.
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What's that AB? Holiness points to his unique
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status set apart for God. Dedicated to communion, worship
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and service, Adam was intrinsically fitted for
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fellowship with God, to walk with him in the garden, offering
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perfect, glad obedience. So knowledge to understand,
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righteousness to obey, holiness to commune.
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Put them together and you see Adam was perfectly equipped
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internally to function as God's vice region, the living image in
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the Garden Temple. But as we said, this internal
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equipment, this ontological likeness isn't just static, it's
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designed for a purpose. It equips A functional calling.
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This is the doing dimension right?
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Being and doing are fused. The image is inherently
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functional. It immediately implies a task, a
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Commission. And that task is described as a
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kind of stewardship. Royal Priestly stewardship.
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Royal because humanity is given dominion, authority to rule over
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creation. Priestly because we stand as
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mediators, representing God to creation and ideally bringing
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creations praises back to God. We administer God's world on His
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behalf, according to His standards.
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So things like working, building, cultivating,
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discovering, these aren't consequences of the fall,
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they're part of the original design.
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Absolutely. The idea of work, of managing
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creation is pre fall. It's woven into our very fabric,
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the calling to exercise dominion.
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It's the telos, the purpose baked into our existence.
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It's not just something to do. No, it's why we are here.
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The creation account makes it clear the identity image
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immediately necessitates the function dominion.
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Human life finds its proper order, its meaning, when it's
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pursuing this functional calling in obedience to the Creator.
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OK, third dimension. The image isn't just individual,
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it's also inherently communal. It shapes our relationships.
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We see the text doing that little dance between singular
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and plural, don't we? Yeah, shifts.
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Let us make man singular. He created him singular, but
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then immediately let them have dominion.
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And the absolute clincher in verse 27, male and female, He
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created them plural. The image is borne by humanity
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collectively, not just isolated individuals.
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The human race is 1. Yes, made in the image, but it's
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designed to exist and fulfill its purpose in community.
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The image doesn't find its full expression in solitude, it
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requires relationship. Relationship upward toward God.
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In worship, obedience, accountability, and
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relationship. Outward, horizontally, alongside
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our neighbors and community. Cooperation.
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Shared stewardship. And this is where the male and
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female aspect comes in so strongly.
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It's not just tacked on at the end of verse 27, it's embedded
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right within the statement about the image.
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Why is that significant? Its placement is incredibly
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deliberate. It tells us that this
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differentiation, male and female, isn't just biological
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trivia. It's creational, part of God's
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original design. It's good, affirmed as part of
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the very good creation, and it's teleological.
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It's ordered toward a purpose. And that purpose relates
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directly back to the mandate. Yes, specifically to the first
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part of the mandate. Yeah, be fruitful, multiply and
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fill the earth. The complementary relationship
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between male and female is the God ordained means for
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fulfilling that aspect of the Commission.
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So the communal task requires this differentiation.
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It does. Sex embodiment, being created,
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male or female, is integral to our human dignity and to
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carrying out this communal vocation.
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It's not incidental. It's necessary for the corporate
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and successive execution. The mandate across generations
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to mess with that creational design is to fundamentally
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disrupt humanity's ability to fulfill God's purpose.
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And this relational aspect, including male and female,
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immediately sets up an ethical framework.
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Right. Immediately.
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Because every human being, male and female, bears this image,
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this intrinsic dignity. How we treat each other is non
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negotiable. Our interactions are inherently
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covenantal and ethical. So things like honoring others,
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loving our neighbor. They aren't just nice
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suggestions, they flow directly from this creational reality.
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We owe respect and care to fellow image bearers because of
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who they are in God's design, not based on how we feel about
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them or what they can do for us. It's a moral obligation bait
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into the structure of reality. OK, we've established that our
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identity, the imago de, equips us for a vocation.
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Now let's look closer at the job description itself.
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Genesis 1.28 lays out this mandate with five specific
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verbs. Yeah, 5 commands that really
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spell out the scope of this royal stewardship.
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And our sources highlight that this fivefold Commission is what
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sets human vocation apart from say.
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The animals were told just to be fruitful and multiply, right?
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A biological imperative. Right, continue the species.
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But humans get that and more. They get commands related to
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active management, shaping culture, ordering the world.
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Let's break down the five verbs. The first three seem to go
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together related to extending life.
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That's a good way to see it. The triad 1 be fruitful Plata 2
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multiply and three fill the earth Molly.
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This is the command to reproduce, expand, populate the
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entire globe. But not just filling it with
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bodies, presumably. No, the goal is to fill the
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earth with God, reflecting communities with image bearers
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living out their purpose together.
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So this directly implies things like family, society, education,
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culture, making. Absolutely.
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It frames the whole project of human civilization, building
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communities where the image of God can flourish and be passed
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on. This is the biological and
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relational engine for extending God's presence through His
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representatives. OK, that's the triad.
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Then comes the pair, which seems to shift gears towards active
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ordering of the environment. Exactly.
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This is where we get the really strong verbs 4 subdue it, kibosh
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and five have dominion Prada. This is the mandate to actively
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engage with the world, to order it to develop its potential.
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To harness its resources. Yes, harnessing its latent
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potentials, everything from agriculture and technology to
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art and governance, but always directed towards God honoring
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ends. It's about transforming the raw
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material of creation into a cultivated, ordered, flourishing
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civilization that reflects the Creator's wisdom and goodness.
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Hash tag tag tag tag 3.2. Dominion as cultivation, not
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exploitation. Now those two verbs subdue and
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have dominion, kabash and radha. Let's be honest, they can sound
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harsh to modern ears. Some have read them as a license
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to, well, exploit and dominate nature however we want.
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That's a really unfortunate misreading, often fueled by
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taking the verses out of context or ignoring the broader ethical
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framework of Scripture. We need to retrieve the original
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sense. So how should we understand
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kabosh subdue? In this context, kaba often
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implies bringing something under control for productive use.
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Think of taming wildland, cultivating a field, maybe
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channeling water for irrigation. It involves effort, overcoming
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resistance, but the goal is to make something fruitful,
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ordered, beneficial. Moving from wilderness to
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garden, essentially. That's a great image for IT and
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Radha have dominion. Rada is clearly royal language.
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It implies ruling, governing, managing, administrating like a
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wise king, overseeing his realm, ensuring justice and order,
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managing resources carefully. So putting them together, it's
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not about crushing or destroying.
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Not at all. It's about cultivation,
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responsible development, bringing up the hidden
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potentials within creation, discovering its laws, harnessing
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its energies, shaping its resources, appreciating its
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beauty, all for God honoring purposes, and critically
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operating under God's moral. If the context starts in a
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garden that needs tending and keeping Gen. 2.15, then subdue
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must mean something like bring the rest of the world up to the
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garden standard. Precisely.
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It's about extending order, beauty and fruitfulness.
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So Christian dominion, properly understood, is stewardship,
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never selfish predation. And this applies to all kinds of
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work, right? Not just farming.
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Every legitimate human endeavor, It means pursuing truth in
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science, seeking justice in law, practicing integrity and
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business, creating beauty in the arts, building strong families,
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governing wisely. All of these are expressions of
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faithfully cultivating God's world according to His design.
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It's about making the world more like He intends it to be.
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OK, so we're vice Regents, stewards, cultivators.
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But being a representative, a steward, that implies limits,
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doesn't it? We're not the ultimate
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authority. That's the absolute 1st and most
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crucial moral boundary. Our authority is strictly
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derivative. It comes from God.
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It's delegated authority. Which means.
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Which means it's accountable. We answer to the one who gave us
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the authority. We're managing His creation, not
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our own. Like being the CEO of a company
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versus owning it outright. The CEO manages the owner's
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assets for the owner's purposes. Excellent analogy, and the CEO
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is judged by the owner's standards.
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Genesis 1 itself reinforces this.
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Look at verses 29 and 30 where God says Behold I have given
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you. The language of gift God
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provides. Exactly.
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That phrasing firmly locates ultimate ownership in the
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Creator. Humanity's role is stewardship.
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We manage what belongs to God. And if we forget that, if we
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start acting like owners instead of stewards.
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That's the root of all the problems, isn't it?
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That's the fall, in essence, when rulers, or any of us really
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forget we rule by gift. We inevitably start ruling by
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grasping, by selfishness, exploitation, tyranny.
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So our vocation, our dominion, is inherently law shaped right
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from the beginning. It has to be exercised
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ethically. It's not an option.
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It's built into the definition of faithful stewardship.
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We are accountable for how we manage creation and, just as
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importantly, how we treat the other image bearers under our
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care or alongside us. It makes sense, then, why the
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very next major story, Genesis 2 and 3, pivots entirely on
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obedience to a specific command from God.
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The exercise of vice Regency is immediately tested by God's law.
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The whole system only works if the delegates remain loyal and
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obedient to the sovereign King. The freedom Adam and Eve had was
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real, but it was a bounded freedom defined by God's
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character and his clearly expressed will.
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Ethical rule isn't an add on, it's fundamental.
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Hashtag tag. Tag 4.2 Canonical guardrails.
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Specific boundaries. Now, to ensure this idea of
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ethical rule isn't just abstract, the rest of scripture
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gives us concrete examples, right specific checks, or as our
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sources call them, canonical guardrails on how this dominion
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should be exercised. Yes, these are vital.
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They show us what God's idea of benevolent, responsible rule
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actually looks like in practice. They prevent the mandate from
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collapsing into harshness or wastefulness.
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The law, for instance, is full of.
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Them covering relationships with people, animals, even resources.
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Right, let's take ruling over other people first.
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The law explicitly guards against harshness.
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Leviticus 25.43 is a striking example.
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Even within the structure of indentured servitude in Israel,
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it says you shall not rule over your brother with harshness.
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So honoring the image bearer applies even in positions of
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authority or employment. Absolutely.
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Vice Regency must reflect God's character marked by justice,
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fairness, mercy, not cruelty, oppression, or making excessive
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demands. OK, guardrail one.
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No harshness towards people. What else?
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Guardrail 2 extends this care even to the non human creation,
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particularly animals under our stewardship.
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Proverbs 12.2 says a righteous man regards the life of his
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animal. Regards the life, so cares for
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it. Yes, it commends mercy toward
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creatures. We have legitimate uses for
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animals, food, labor, companionship, but we must treat
22:27
them justly and mercifully, not cruelly.
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Responsible stewardship includes caring for the creatures
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entrusted to us. Justice and mercy flow downward
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to creation, not just across to neighbors.
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Exactly. And a third guardrail prohibits
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wasteful destruction. This one's fascinating comes up
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even in the laws of warfare. How so?
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Deuteronomy 20.1920 forbids soldiers besieging a city from
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cutting down fruit trees just to build siege ramps or out of
22:49
spite. Non fruit trees maybe, but fruit
22:52
trees represent future provision.
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Don't destroy wantonly. Don't waste resources
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unnecessarily. Right.
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It shows that dominion is about careful management,
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conservation, productive use, not pointless destruction.
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Even in the extremity of war, stewardship principles apply.
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These examples clearly show that dominion in God's economy never
23:10
meant do whatever you feel like. It's always bounded by his
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character and law. So, after laying out the whole
23:16
structure, creating life and then installing humanity as
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these commissioned accountable stewards, the creation week
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concludes with a final evaluation in Genesis 1.31.
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And it's the highest evaluation given.
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God saw everything that he had made and behold, it was
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eopnosht. Very good.
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Not just good like the individual days, but very good.
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What does that signify? It's God's comprehensive
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assessment, His delighted approval of the entire finished
23:43
work. It signifies completeness,
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perfection, readiness. The whole system, the cosmos,
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the life within it, and humanity installed in His proper office
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is functioning exactly as intended.
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It's a moral assessment too. And this strong affirmation?
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Very good. Pushes back against certain
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errors, doesn't it? It does two big ones that keep
24:03
cropping up in history. First, it refutes any kind of
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Gnostic tendency to denigrate matter, the physical world or
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the body. The idea that spirit is good and
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matter is bad or unimportant. Exactly.
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Genesis 1.31 shouts no. The material creation, including
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our physical bodies, our embodiment, was male and female,
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and the physical work of stewardship.
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It's all declared very good by God himself.
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Matter matters. OK, what's the second error
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encounters? It resists the tendency to see
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ethics as merely pragmatic or socially constructed.
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The moral order, the structure of authority and accountability
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given to humanity is part of the very good design.
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God affirms the ethical framework itself as excellent.
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How we live and rule isn't arbitrary.
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And the key seems to be that it's very good because humanity
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is now in place, fulfilling its role.
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That seems to be the implication the goodness reaches its peak.
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It's very precisely when humanity stands installed in its
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office, ready to function as obedient stewards.
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The world is perfectly poised under its appointed vice regions
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for flourishing and expansion according to God's plan.
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And this declaration right at the end of the sixth day
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naturally leads our eyes toward the 7th day, doesn't it?
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Towards the Sabbath. Yes, the Sabbath horizon is
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crucial. It frames the whole purpose of
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human work and dominion. Our vocation isn't relentless
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toil. It's exercised within a rhythm
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of work and worship, labor and rest.
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A rhythm that points towards an ultimate goal.
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Exactly. Adam's work in the Garden was
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meant to lead towards a state of perfected Sabbath rest, a state
25:35
of joyful, perpetual communion and celebration with God in a
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fully cultivated, ordered creation.
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The very good points toward that final Restful consummation.
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Of course, the story doesn't stay in that very good state for
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long. Genesis 3 happens.
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The fall sin enters the picture. How does that affect the image
25:53
of God in the mandate? It affects it profoundly,
25:55
graphically. The image is seriously marred by
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sin. Those capacities we talked
26:00
about, knowledge, righteousness, holiness, they become corrupted,
26:02
distorted, twisted away from God.
26:04
But is the image completely destroyed?
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Erased. No, and that's a critical
26:09
theological point. Marred, yes.
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Distorted, yes, but not erased. Scripture is clear on this.
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We see it right away in Genesis 5.13.
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Adam, a fallen man still. Father Seth in his own likeness
26:22
after his image. The transmission continues,
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albeit flawed. And the fact that the image
26:28
remains even marred still has ethical weight, right?
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Huge ethical weight. Think about Genesis 9.6.
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After the flood, God institutes capital punishment for murder.
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Why? Whoever sheds the blood of man
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by man shall his blood be shed, For God made man in his own
26:43
image. So the inherent dignity, the
26:45
sanctity of life grounded in the image remains a reality even in
26:49
a fallen world. Absolutely.
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Which means the ethical demand to honor the image bearer to
26:53
love our neighbor, is still in force.
26:55
Sin doesn't nullify that creational obligation.
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What about the mandate? The fivefold Commission to fill
27:00
subdue rule? Is that revoked after?
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The Fall. No, it's not revoked either.
27:03
It's actually reaffirmed to Noah and his sons in Genesis 9.1 to
27:07
7. Be fruitful and multiply and
27:09
fill the earth. The task remains.
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But it's different now, isn't it?
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Oh yes, very different. The mandate now has to be
27:16
carried out in the world under the curse.
27:18
Labor becomes toil, marked by sweat and frustration.
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Genesis 3.1719. The ground yields thorns and
27:25
thistles. So doing creation becomes a
27:27
struggle against futility and resistance, both in nature and,
27:30
crucially, within our own sinful hearts.
27:33
Ruling becomes prone to pyrene and injustice.
27:36
So the original design is marred, the mandate is
27:39
corrupted. This sets the stage for
27:41
redemption, for the need for someone to succeed where Adam
27:44
failed. Exactly the whole story is now
27:46
driving towards the One who is the perfect fulfillment of the
27:49
Imago day. The image, even in Adam, was
27:52
always pointing beyond itself towards his ultimate realization
27:55
in Jesus Christ. Scripture explicitly calls him,
27:57
the image doesn't. It unambiguously Colossians 1.24
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calls him the image of the invisible God.
28:03
Hebrews 1.3 says He is the radiance of the Father's glory.
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In the exact imprint of His nature.
28:08
Jesus perfectly reflects God's knowledge, righteousness and
28:11
holiness and human flesh. He is what humanity was always
28:14
meant to be. And he doesn't just bear the
28:16
image perfectly, he also fulfills the function, the
28:18
mandate that Adam fumble. Yes, He is the last Adam.
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First Corinthians 15.45 where the first Adam failed in
28:27
obedience, leading creation of the chaos Christ, the last Adam
28:31
succeeds through perfect obedience, even unto death, he
28:35
secures the new creation. How does he fulfill the dominion
28:38
aspect? Well, think about it.
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Adam was called to rule, to subdue chaos.
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He failed. Christ, through his life, death
28:45
and resurrection, conquers the ultimate chaos, sin, death, and
28:49
the devil. He demonstrates true dominion.
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Psalm 8 talks about humanity being crowned with glory and
28:55
honor, ruling over creation. Right, but Hebrews 2 comments on
28:58
that Psalm saying realistically we do not yet see everything in
29:01
subjection to humanity, but we see Jesus, who because of his
29:05
suffering and death is now crowned with glory and honor.
29:08
His resurrection and ascension are his coronation.
29:11
He's enthroned as the rightful king holding the universal
29:13
authority. Adam forfeited.
29:15
So the original human destiny to rule creation wisely under God
29:19
is now only possible in and through Christ.
29:21
Precisely all authority in heaven and on earth has been
29:25
given to him. Matthew 28.18 The perfected
29:28
dominion promised in the beginning is realized only in
29:31
union with the Messiah, the true King, the perfect vice Regent.
29:34
He restores both the image and the office.
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Hashtag tag Tag tag 5.3 Renewal of the image and believers
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sanctification. So salvation in Christ isn't
29:44
just about forgiveness of sins getting a ticket to heaven.
29:47
It's about restoration, about becoming truly human again
29:50
according to the original design.
29:51
That's absolutely central soteriology.
29:53
The doctrine salvation includes the renewal of the image.
29:56
We're saved from sins, penalty and power, yes, but we're also
29:59
saved to become obedient God reflecting image bearers once
30:02
more. And this renewal process is what
30:04
we call sanctification. Exactly.
30:06
It's the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit within believers,
30:08
conforming as progressively to the likeness of Christ, the
30:11
perfect image. And the New Testament describes
30:14
this renewal using language that echoes Genesis 1 and those
30:17
original capacities. Right knowledge, Righteousness,
30:20
holiness. It really does.
30:21
It's striking Colossians 3.9 urges us to put on the new self,
30:26
which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its
30:29
creator. So, correcting the darkened
30:32
understanding caused by sin, learning to see God, ourselves
30:36
and the world truly again, yes. And Ephesians 4.24 talks about
30:41
putting on the new self created after the likeness of God and
30:44
true righteousness and holiness. Recovering moral integrity, the
30:47
desire and ability to do what's right, and being set apart for
30:50
God's purposes. It's the restoration of the
30:53
original equipment, now empowered by the angoling Spirit
30:56
and oriented towards Christ. Renewal and knowledge helps us
30:59
understand God's will. Renewal and righteousness
31:02
enables us to pursue it. Renewal and holiness directs our
31:05
hearts towards communion with Him.
31:07
This is what fits us once again for fellowship with God and
31:10
faithful service. Hashtag tag Tag 5.4 Reorienting
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the mandate. The Great Commission.
31:16
OK, if the image is being renewed in us through Christ,
31:18
what happens to the mandate, the call to fill, subdue and rule?
31:22
Does that just disappear? No, it's not abolished, but it
31:25
is redirected. It's reframed and fulfilled
31:28
within the context of Christ's Kingdom and the New Covenant.
31:31
How is it redirected? What's the focus now?
31:33
The primary way redeemed image bearers fulfill the Fill the
31:37
Earth aspect is now through making disciples.
31:39
The focus shifts from nearly populating the physical globe to
31:43
filling the earth with worshippers of Christ, people
31:45
who reflect his image. So Christ himself explicitly
31:48
links his authority, his successful dominion, to a new
31:52
version of the mandate. He does climactically in the
31:55
Great Commission, Matthew 28.1820.
31:58
He starts by declaring all authority in heaven and on earth
32:01
has been given to me. That's the statement of the
32:05
successful last Adam claiming the Dominion.
32:07
The first Adam lost. And based on that authority.
32:09
Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them,
32:13
teaching Him to observe all that I have commanded you.
32:15
This is the creational mandate filtered through redemption.
32:18
So the Church united to Christ, the true image, now fulfills the
32:21
mandate by extending his reign through the gospel.
32:24
Yes, disciple making becomes the primary form of redeemed culture
32:28
making. We fill the earth with
32:30
communities ordered by Christ, commands reflecting his
32:32
character. Does this mean our ordinary
32:34
work, family, jobs, art, science, community involvement
32:37
becomes irrelevant? Not at all.
32:39
It means those ordinary callings are reoriented.
32:42
They become arenas where we live out our renewed image and
32:45
participate in the Great Commission.
32:46
How so? We now perform our work, raise
32:48
our families, engage in culture, care for creation from the soul
32:52
as under the Lord Colossians 3.23.
32:55
Our labor becomes witness. Our pursuit of justice reflects
32:58
Christ's righteousness. Our creativity reflects the
33:01
Creator. Our relationships demonstrate
33:03
the love of Christ. It's all done with a view to
33:05
honoring Him and drawing others into His Kingdom.
33:08
Christian dominion post Christ looks like cruciform service,
33:12
patient cultivation and hopeful labor pointing towards the
33:15
King's return. It's the recovery of our
33:17
creational purpose. Energized by grace.
33:20
Hashtag tag outro. Well this deep dive into just 6
33:23
verses Genesis 1.263 D one has really shown how packed they
33:27
are. It truly is, as you said,
33:29
humanity's original design brief outlining our identity and
33:33
purpose. It really sets the foundation
33:35
for everything that follows in the biblical story.
33:37
Let's try to maybe pull together the core takeaways for you
33:39
listening. OK, first dignity.
33:43
The ontological likeness. Every single human being
33:46
possesses an inherent non negotiable worth because we are
33:50
made in God's image. Endowed with capacities,
33:54
knowledge, righteousness, holiness that originally fitted
33:57
us for perfect communion with Him, This grounds the sanctity
34:00
of all human life. Second purpose, the functional
34:03
calling as stewardship. Our identity isn't static, it
34:06
equips us for a task. We are made to be Royal Priestly
34:10
stewards. Called to cultivate and care for
34:12
God's creation through that fivefold Commission, being
34:14
fruitful, multiplying, filling, subduing, ruling, but always as
34:19
accountable representatives under God's loving authority and
34:21
law. And 3rd restoration, the reality
34:24
that this beautiful design was marred by sin, but finds its
34:27
ultimate fulfillment and renewal only in Jesus Christ, the true
34:30
image and last Adam. Our salvation involves the
34:32
restoration of that image to the Spirit's work informing us to
34:36
Christ, and it involves the reorientation of the mandate
34:38
towards the Great Commission, filling the earth with disciples
34:41
who reflect Christ's rule. And a key pattern throughout is
34:44
grace preceding demand, isn't it?
34:46
God gives the identity before the task, the blessing before
34:50
the command, the provision before the stewardship.
34:52
Absolutely. It's all initiated by a generous
34:54
Creator. Which brings us to a final
34:56
thought to leave you with. OK, that very good verdict at
35:00
the end of Creation Week, coupled with the Sabbath
35:02
horizon. It points forward, doesn't it,
35:06
towards an ultimate goal, an eschatological reality.
35:08
The final state. Yes, the ultimate telos for
35:11
humanity isn't just returning to Eden, but pressing forward to
35:14
the city temple, the New Jerusalem described in
35:16
Revelation 21 and 22, that place where God dwells fully and
35:20
finally with his redeemed, glorified people.
35:23
And in that city, our vocation finds its perfection.
35:27
That's the picture. Revelation 22.3 to 5 says His
35:30
servants will serve him, they will see his face, and
35:32
significantly, they will reign forever and ever.
35:35
Our royal priestly calling reaches its consummation there.
35:38
Wow. So our work now, our
35:40
stewardship, our attempts to cultivate goodness and order in
35:43
this fallen world. They are rehearsals, foretastes.
35:46
They anticipate that perfected dominion we will exercise under
35:49
Christ in the new creation. Every act of faithful labor,
35:52
justice, mercy and creativity today is a small participation
35:56
in bringing God's future reign into the present, pointing
35:59
towards that day when the whole earth will be filled with His
36:02
glory, reflected perfectly in His redeemed people.