Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule 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.”
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:26-17
God created the heavens and the earth. God created humanity. God created almost everything, but he did not create the concept of community. God has always existed as a triune community of love. Right in the first chapter of the scriptures, we are introduced to God as an “us.” We learn from the rest of scripture that God exists as Father, Spirit, and Son.
Think about that. God didn’t create relationship or community. He IS relationship and community.. Relationships are the most fundamental realities of being human because we are made in the image of a triune God. Notice God’s words as he contemplates creating humanity. God says, “let us make mankind (them) in our own image” (v. 26). Not only is God eternally a community, but God’s intention in creating us was also to create us with the same capacity to have relationships and community.
God designed mankind to have a relationship with him and with one another. This is a fascinating observation that explains why relationships feel so vital to us as humans. We need others because it’s wired into our very identity as creatures created in the image of God.
How do these truths about God and about human nature help us in our relationships? When you look at another person, you are looking at a person who is invited into the divine love and fellowship of God himself. As we interact with other followers of Jesus, we interact with persons who are part of God’s divine community. They are in Christ and being so, they are in fellowship with the Father and the Spirit. The gospel message is an invitation into intimate communion with an eternal loving community. Wow!
Today, when you see someone who has embraced Jesus as their savior, visualize them in relationship with God. Remember that the person you are seeing and speaking to is mysteriously linked with God. How does that change the way you speak, feel, and value each life?
By Aaron Bjorklund
