Mankind wrestles with questions of purpose and continually asks, Why?

Why ask why?

Asking Why and seeking to understand is a healthy part of being human and helps to keep us aligned with God's purposes.

When we understand the role and purpose of humanity collectively, it gives us a vision and a place to find our own unique and individual roles and to move together.

Genesis 1 casts humanity in a role of Royalty, in the image of God, with dominion over the earth and what is upon the earth.

Genesis 2 augments this with Priesthood as humanity is the mediator of creation to Creator, tending it and naming creation.

Humanity is the point of contact for Creator and Creation. As God-Centered beings, embracing our spiritual and physical natures as one whole, humanity represents God and rules on His behalf.

This role is not autonomous. We hold a delegate Kingship. This speaks more to responsibility than ultimate freedom.

God owns the Garden, we care for it.

We maintain a kinship and commonality with creation. Human beings do not even get their own creation day. God sets man looking for friendship within creation.

Our role is set BEFORE the Fall.

Even when Creation is Good, we are to be rulers and subduing.
Part of our calling as image bearers is working in tandem with God in the ruling and subduing.
If God were to step into every moment, He'd deny us the opportunity to carry His image, to represent Him to creation.

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There is no Hebrew word for ‘spiritual'. To label one thing as ‘spiritual' would be to label another, ‘not spiritual'. This line of thinking is foreign to the world of the scriptures. As humans, God's breath has been breathed into us and we possess a unique relationship with Him and also with the earth. Thus, all we do and all we are is spiritual - we cannot categorize, or be categorized - we are fully integrated beings.

*We have a special relationship with God . We are the only part of creation that is spoken directly to by God. Our relationship with God is personal and we are the pinnacle of creation.
*We bear a resemblance to the creator and this speaks to of our infinite worth.
*We are included in who He is and his redemptive work
*Royalty: Genesis uses royal language to describe humanity
*We are truly free and not in a coerced relationship with God

"The relation of creator and creation is not one of coercion. It is, rather, one of free, gracious commitment and invitation. The linkage is one of full trust rather than of requirement or obligation. Second, there is a common inclination to confine the matter of God's grace to individual, guilt-related issues of morality. But this text affirms graciousness on the part of God as his transforming disposition towards his whole world. Creation faith is the church's confession that all of life is characterized by graciousness. Well being is a gift which forms the context of our life of obedience and thanksgiving." (Walter Bruggmann)

Image as Transmission

* In ancient times, gods were depicted by their symbols. In the same manner God chose for humanity to be his symbol on earth
*We are representatives of the divine
*Purpose: "Humans give glory to God by excelling at who they have been created to be - by loving one another, by enjoying themselves and each other, by reaching out to one another in cooperation and service, by tending the earth by participating in worship and fellowship, by embracing joy and forgiveness and generosity by seeking the good of all in the good of each." (Bartel)
*Community : When the scriptures speak of what it mans to be human, it does so within the context of community

"What makes us human in ‘koinonia' (friendship/community) is that we fulfill ourselves through giving ourselves to God and others, a love of neighbor and self rooted in the love of self-giving triune God who is love itself. We grow up as we learn to build each other up through giving of ourselves. In such an environment , we do not lose our individuality; rather, our individuality is achieved and expressed through relating to others. We give of ourselves to one another for the sake of one another, as a mother nurses her child and a daughter cares for her aging mother." (Michelle Bartel)

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1. The stories (especially creation stories) are not unique to Christianity. This should remind us that maybe the historical value of Genesis isn't as important as the differences that are highlighted compared to other stories of its time. For example, our telling of the creation narrative is monotheistic (only one God) and the relationship that the creation has with the creator is vastly different in our telling of the story.

2. If in a thousand years people found a Mickey Mouse comic from 2007, they could assume that we believed that mice could talk, or at least we believed that they could. Of course, we don't believe that because we understand the genre of storytelling that comic. The same is true for Genesis: We need to be aware of the genre of writing to best understand what is being said.

3. Biblical history is not objective, but history narrated with a divine purpose.

4. The Old Testament including Genesis is mostly stories and poems. This approach informs the intellect, arouses the emotions, stimulates our imaginations, and appeals to our wills.

5. All translation is in some part interpretation. We need to be careful not to add meaning to the text, but instead treat it as a text speaking to us from the past that aids us in to live well in the present.

Hope this helps...

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