Lesson Four

GOD’S CREATION FINISHED

Memory Verse: Psalm 119:73
Further Study: Genesis 1:24-2:1; Genesis 2:7; Psalm 8:4,5; Patriarchs and Prophets 44-51; The Story of Redemption 20-23; The Bible Story, vol. 1, pp. 35-56

My daughter recently gave birth to our second grandson. I spent time with him just this evening before sitting down to write. He’s three days old and completely perfect. Smooth baby skin, chubby cheeks, silky blonde hair, and tiny feet with toes that curl around your finger.

As I stared into his sleepy face, those little eyes squinting now and again at the bright lights around him, I wondered who he looks like. He’s quite different looking than his older brother. When he was born, it was as if I gazed into the face of his mother years earlier. But this little guy isn’t one that stirs my memory, but maybe his other grandmother will see what I do not—the sleepy face she rocked 30-plus years ago.

Genesis 1:26 says, “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness . . .” Adam and Eve were made in the image of God. Not only to look like their Creator, but to share His attributes as well.

Adam and Eve were made in the image of God. Not only to look like their Creator, but to share His attributes as well.

My older grandson is a wonderful mix of both his father and his mother. While he may look like his mother, he has the interests and passions of his father. His joy in finding a worm or toad, his interest in all things nature, comes from spending time with his dad. Because of the time spent with his father, he has become like his father.

We are also made in the image of God. While sin may obscure what Adam and Eve initially experienced, through Christ’s light and glory we may reflect our Creator. I remember listening to an Amy Grant song called “My Father’s Eyes,” expressing hope that when people saw her, they’d see she looked like her Father, her heavenly Father.

May we spend so much time with Jesus that people can’t help but see the resemblance.

Just as my grandson becomes more like his dad because of the time he spends with him, may we too spend so much time with Jesus that people can’t help but see the resemblance. And when we reflect and share the love of Jesus, others are renewed.

Digging Deeper 

Genesis 1:26 describes the creation of man in plural terms. “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness . . .” The word “us” indicates the presence of at least one other entity in the creation process. This strong evidence of the Godhead is found immediately, in the very first chapter of the Bible.

Verse 2 of the same chapter reveals that the Spirit of God hovered over the waters. Later we find the presence of Christ clearly identified in the New Testament (John 1:1-3, 14) as a participant in the making of man. God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit, all three, fully present and deeply involved in the creation of this world, and most specifically in the making of man, their crowning achievement.

While we do not know exactly what being made in the image of God means, we do know that Adam resembled God in his character (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 45). Six thousand years have passed since that day, but we, too, can still reflect the image of God like Adam, perhaps not physically, but in our lives and service to Him, who as Paul said, “for in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

Making it Real

Make a list of the character attributes of Jesus. How can you be more like Jesus?

 

Respond & Share

Asking how we can be more like Jesus is a great question, but what can we learn when we flip it around? How do you recognize the image of God in others? Share your thoughts below.

 

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Merle Poirier writes from Silver Spring, Maryland, where she works as the operation manager for Adventist Review and Adventist World magazines as well as the designer for KidsView, a magazine for 8-12-year-olds. She enjoys spending time with her family including being the grandmother of two active little boys, who greatly enjoy Starting With Jesus.

 

Coming next week:
“GOD GIVES A VERY SPECIAL GIFT”

Based on Exodus 20:8-10, Genesis 2:1-3;
Exodus 20:8-11;Isaiah 58:13, 14; 66:22, 23;
PP 47, 48; 111-116; BS, vol. 1, pp. 57-60

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