works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet.”
God’s Image-Bearers are Given “Dominion”
Having impressed His own likeness on human beings, God entrusted to them a sacred stewardship that’s been afforded to no other creature.9
When the author of Genesis says that Adam was placed in the garden to “work it,” he uses the same Hebrew word used elsewhere in reference to sacred, religious duties, (c.f.
Numbers 1:51-53; 3:7-8; 4:23-26).10 What Is Being Said Here?...
What’s the significance of all this? At least three things in general:
1. Since bearing God’s image has to do with having dominion over Creation, working in this world is a primary way by which we reflect God’s image.
2. The command for Adam in the garden is no less sacred than that of priestly service. There is no sacred-secular divide when it comes to serving God.
3. Bearing God’s image is inextricably linked to serving Him. It’s a purpose that He has impressed upon our very nature. Our duty is derived from our design.
Leading the worship ministry, overseeing the sound team, working at the factory, and taking your dog to the vet, are all part of what it means to have dominion and doing what you are made to do.
7 Gentry, “Kingdom Through Covenant,” 29.
8 D. A. Carson, The God Who Is There: Finding Your Place in God’s Story (Grand Rapids:
Baker, 2010), 23.
9 Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 1-15, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 2001), 31.
10 Wenham, Genesis 1-15, 67.
But Aren’t We Sinful?
Yes, sin has infected the entire human race and has had a devastating impact on us.
We still bear God’s image – that’s part of our make-up – but because of sin the image we portray is marred. If we remember the illustration of the mirror we used earlier, we could say that because of sin the glass of the mirror has been shattered – the image we see when we look at each other is distorted.11
However, the story of redemption is the good news that which has been broken can be repaired.
Consider what these Scripture texts tell us about what God does for us through Christ:
2 Corinthians 3:18
• People are created to reflect the glory of God in their living, but the effects of the fall have flummoxed this. In Christ, however, God’s brings about radical
transformation in the believer to restore the image of God by the Holy Spirit.
• David Garland: “The fall tarnished that image and glory, but not irreparably. Now it is being restored. This transformation is brought about through Christ as the image into whom the believers are to grow.”12
Colossians 3:1-3, 9-10
• There was an “old you” that is no more and now there is a “new you” that is alive in Christ. There’s been a death and resurrection – that’s a radical change!
• The challenge from Paul to believers is that they ought to live out the new life that they have since their “new self…is being renewed in knowledge after the image
11 The notion of a “shattered” image to describe our fallen condition has been used by man.
One such example is R. C. Sproul in his teaching series “A Shattered Image,” accessed August 25, 2020, https://www.ligonier.org/learn/series/shattered_image/the-image-of-god/.
12 David E. Garland, 2 Corinthians, The New American Commentary, vol. 29 (Nashville:
Broadman and Holman, 1999), 198.
Discussion …
• In your own words, what are you seeing in these Scripture texts?
• Recall our question, “Why am I doing this?” What’s one biblical answer to that question from what we have seen so far?
• If we and our team members grasped this truth, how should it impact our ministry?
• What other insights or reflections do you have? What questions does this raise?
of its creator.” That’s a reference to Genesis 1:26-27, and an explanation of God’s goal in redemption, namely, to restore to us that which was ruined by sin.
Romans 8:29; 1 John 3:1-3
• The restoration of the image of God is the goal of our sanctification that will be fully realized in our glorification.
• The very results we wish to see in the lives of the people we serve in ministry find their roots in God’s creative purpose and will be fully realized in the
consummation of all things.
This is All Very Interesting, but What Possible Relevance Does It Have to My Ministry?
Consider the following:
• It helps us answer the question we began with: why am I doing this?
o The reason I do what I do is because I was created to do it. That doesn’t mean you are confined to doing the specific task you are doing right now (which might be a relief to hear!). But we see that part of our wiring as human being is to carry out God’s work in the world. This is a gloriously high calling, even if we might feel lowly about it!
o The reason I do what I do is because this is how God works in the world:
through people like you and me!
• It also helps us understand the deep biblical roots of ministry –
o God has been pleased throughout redemptive history to accomplish His will in the world through people – and that includes you!
o Your ministry is part of this grand redemptive narrative, image restoration.
• The ministry of believers like you and me in the local church is in keeping with our original assignment only now in a greater and more meaningful way – we are participants in God’s redemptive purpose for His people that they would reflect the glory of God and the glory of His Son, Christ Jesus, in this life and for all eternity. This is the ministry!
In Sum: We Do God’s Work Because We Bear God’s Image Discussion …
a. Based on Scripture, in what way(s) is my ministry related to God’s grand purpose in the world?
b. How does being an image-bearer impact how I think about my leadership responsibility?
c. What is one way that we can go about keeping these truths at the forefront of our minds as we go about our work?
b. The Pattern is Evidenced in Israel
So far, we are seeing that a biblical model for ministry is one in which we understand that the work of God is carried out by the people of God, under godly leadership. This is established in the Creation account, but it is also a paradigm that can be traced in redemptive history.
The Construction of the Tabernacle: God’s People Working Under Godly Leadership
Both the tabernacle and temple were enormously important to the covenant relationship between God and His people, because in both God manifested His presence among them.
That was God’s desire – to be among His people. He told Moses, “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst” (Exod 25:8).
What does God intend to do? Be present among His people.
How would He accomplish His purpose? Through the efforts of His people: “let them make me a sanctuary” (Exod 25:8a). God carried out His purpose through His people under godly leadership…
Exodus 25-31: God gives elaborate instructions to Moses regarding how the