Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule [reign – NLT; have dominion – ESV] over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” —GEN 1:26 NIV
27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
— Genesis 1:27-28 NIV
Our first “job description” as those made in the image of God is to build families and connect in community.
Today we’ll conclude this series with our second “job description”.
SECOND JOB DESCRIPTION
Take RESPONSIBILITY and exercise AUTHORITY.
“Rule and reign…over all creatures…
Subdue the earth…”
When God commanded mankind to “rule, reign and subdue,” He was commanding us to “take responsibility and exercise authority” over the world He had placed us in.
God was saying, “I want you to harness this world’s potential by creating something good, building something helpful and contributing something worthwhile…”
The word “subdue” carries the idea of cultivating land or a garden.
While some pretty spectacular things can happen to a garden if left to itself, gardens usually come into their full potential when cultivated by a caring gardener.
That’s the idea!
This wasn’t a command for Adam and Eve to exploit creation and satisfy any and every human tendency for greed.
It was the idea of developing creation’s resources in a way that glorifies God, honors His creation and blesses and benefits people.
When God said to Adam and Eve, “I want you to rule, reign and subdue…” He was saying, “In the same way I brought order out of chaos, I want you to partner with me in creating something amazing in this world.
“Take responsibility for the environment I’ve placed you in. Don’t wait for someone else to bring order, peace, grace and beauty to the world. You take responsibility for doing that.
“Plant gardens. Harvest crops. Build homes and bridges. Design computers and computer programs. Organize the pantry in your kitchen or the files in your boss’ office. Clean your house and care for your children. Tell stories. Create music. Produce art. Dream big. Work hard. Join me in my work of creating and cultivating beauty, design, goodness, symmetry and order in this world…”
“Exercise your God-given authority. Imitate your King. I’m God who brings order out of confusion, art and beauty out of chaos, and strength into weakness. Remember whose you are and who you are. Take responsibility and exercise your authority. You were created in the image of God…
“So, create something. Do something. Design something. Build something. Organize something. Lead something. Share something.”
“Take responsibility and exercise authority.”
N.T. Wright describes it like this:
“Our task as image-bearing, God-loving, Christ-shaped, Spirit-filled Christians, following Christ and shaping our world, is to announce redemption to a world that has discovered its fallenness, to announce healing to a world that has discovered its brokenness, to proclaim love and trust to a world that knows only exploitation, fear and suspicion…” ―N.T. Wright [1]
God has called us to be on the leading edge when it comes to building communities, creating culture and humbly exercising authority.
Human beings are to cultivate gardens; design, build, furnish and decorate homes; organize and administrate systems; tell stories; produce music; produce art; create poetry, write songs; build governments; serve with humility and honor; teach theology; design the future; stretch the limits of what’s possible; and fulfill the calling and job description God gave us!
This is still our calling! It’s our original job description!
In Jeremiah 29, God spoke to a group of people who were in exile. They were separated from their permanent home. But gave them this challenge and assignment. It has echoes of Genesis 1:26-28 all over it.
5 “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. 6 Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! 7 And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.” — Jeremiah 29:5-7 NLT
That’s a great description of our assignment right now, right here in 2022!
The last two years have felt like “exile” because we are in exile. This world is not our home. But that doesn’t mean that we cash in our chips, sit on the sidelines and watch while the “world goes to hell in handbasket.”
God still wants us to “work for the peace and prosperity of the city where [He] sent us into exile.”
Sometimes we convince ourselves that calling is limited to the work of a pastor, priest or paid professional in a 501(c)3. That’s not a biblical idea.
According to God and our mandate in Genesis 1:26-28 and Jeremiah 29, the way you love your spouse, lead your home, work your job, clean your room or your house, cook meals for your family, do your homework, drive a truck, wire a breaker box, run duct work, do landscaping, make a sales call, provide medical care or listen to a client is just as much a part of our calling and biblical mandate. Some of you are so busy looking for a ministry, you’re neglecting the one you live in and work in every day!
Bring some grace into your workplace. Bring beauty and organization into your home.
Last week one of the prayer needs from A2kids was that God would help mom and dad clean the house! (Some of you are praying for a ministry and God is saying, “Learn to use the vacuum cleaner.”)
Remember the Big Idea for YOU: The Doctrine of Human Beings?
Because you bear the image of God Almighty,
You have immeasurable worth, value and dignity.
You are actually royalty, with inherent responsibility.
Do you realize that there is only one person who has ever perfectly reflected the image of God? Only one. His name is Jesus.
3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. — Hebrews 1:3 NIV
According to Jesus Himself, who announced His own mission in Luke 4:18, His heart is to put back together the broken pieces of the image of God in you!
[1] N.T. Wright, The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is