The doctrine as contained in Genesis 1: 26 – 27 is the heart of the Christian Faith. This intriguing verse explains that the Will of God is for us to be like Him. There are several ways through which the assertions made in this verse are evidenced. To begin with, our own physical nature is testament to the manifestation of God. According to Morris, “while God is a spirit, He revealed Himself to man in form of a human being” (74). This assertion is corroborated in Genesis 18:1-2.
Furthermore, Philippians 2:7 explains that “God the Son was incarnated, meaning that He was made in the likeness of men” (Elwell 651). Secondly, our own intellectual capability is superior to that of other animals. As such, Man can discern God’s Will and is mandated to fulfill it. This is detailed in Genesis 1:26, 28, which mandates man to “rule over all other creations on earth, the sea and the skies just as He, The Creator, does” (Elwell 674). In addition to this, the Fall of Man awakened the moral consciousness in us.
Genesis 1:31 implies that God created a morally upright man. This instills in us God-consciousness, which helps us to differentiate good from evil. Lastly, man’s social self replicates God’s social nature. This is reveled to us through the Holy Trinity. The phrase ‘let us create’ is used in Genesis 1:26-27, meaning that God must have had a fellowship within the Godhead. God is love and wants us to replicate that love by fellowshipping with others
God’s love for us is revealed through the events that followed the Fall of Man. God did not want the original sin to alter the plan that He had for us. As a result He “redeemed and restored us through His son Jesus” who bore the physical semblance of man (Elwell 1065). This means that his crucifixion did not only purify us from our sins but also restored to God’s original plan for us (Elwell 515).
The salvation of man has far reaching effects. According to Rivera, the Ten Commandments authorize us to go beyond obedience of His word (107). God’s commandments exhort us to “obey His Commandments in love” (Rivera 205 – 209). But who are we supposed to love?
According to the book of Luke chapter 10 verse 27, we ought to “love God with all our heart, strength and mind” and that we should also “love our neighbors as we love ourselves” (Elwell 708). Rivera expounds this further by asserting that loving God alone is not enough (43). He wants us our fellowship with others to reverberate with the God kind of love. This is what true obedience entails as it enhances “our imitation of the love of God towards us” (Rivera 45).
I view being a Sunday School teacher, one of my future aspirations, in light of the assertions made above. Through this vocation, I esteemed to uphold the true meaning of salvation. To begin with, my Sunday School curriculum will be based on the doctrine as explained in Genesis 1: 26 – 27.
Through various scriptures I will help my students to understand how our physical, intellectual social as well as morals portray likeness to God. This will reflect Rivera’s teaching on the concept of obedience. My curriculum will go beyond the theoretical foundations and will seek to demonstrate this doctrine through carefully designed role plays.
Secondly, I am reminded that Sunday School students are God’s creation who ought to be treated with the God-kind of love. This is more so when dealing with issues such as discipline during Sunday School classes. As explained earlier, God out of His immeasurable love pardoned our sins by sacrificing His son. Therefore, I will endeavor to tamper punishment with forgiveness. For instance, if a child does not cooperate with others the child will not be punished instantly.
Instead, I will teach the child that cooperation is a way of portraying our love for others as God commands us. The child will be rewarded for cooperating with others, which has to be accompanied by repentance. Other instances that can be used to demonstrate this include helping those who do not finish simple assignments.
These children will be given time out to complete those assignments and encouraged to seek forgiveness from God and the Sunday School teacher. Thus, the children will be taught how to own up to their mistakes and seek forgiveness from God as well as from those who have been wronged. As a result, the curriculum will help them to manifest Godliness.
The biblical account of creation, as contained in Genesis 1 is the sum of the Teachings of Jesus Christ. This chapter goes beyond explaining how we are created and outlines the plan that God has for us. Despite the fall from Grace, we have been redeemed and restored in His likeness. Therefore, the verse remains relevant for modern day Christians. As such, whatever we do must reflect Godliness.
Works Cited
Elwell, Walter. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Baker Academic: Grand Rapids, MI, 2007. Print.
Morris, Henry. The Genesis Record, Master Books: California, 1976. Print.
Rivera, Ted. The Heart of Love: Obeying God’s Two Commandments, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013. Print.