In whose image?

1. In whose image? Genesis 2 & 3

2. God’s garden of goodness • Eden • meaning: • ‘delight’ in Hebrew • semitic root: dn ‘lush’ • location: • many different theories from Turkey to Florida • river watered garden then divided into four branches • Tigris & Euphrates known • Gihon & Pishon not known • The Garden • full of trees – ‘an orchard’ • beautiful to look at and good for food • two trees in the middle • the tree of life (available) • the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (forbidden)

3. God’s image in the garden • Mankind is made in God’s image Gen 1:27,28 • God gives instructions for living: • Be fruitful and increase in number • Fill the earth and subdue it. • Rule over every living creature • God breathes life into man Gen 2:7 • God puts the man in the garden • Two Hebrew words for ‘put’ Gen 2:8,15 • To work it and take care of it ? or • To worship and obey ! • God makes a covenant Gen 2:16,17 • Obedience  enjoyment of the land

4. Deut 30:15-18 15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

5. God’s image in the garden • Mankind is made in God’s image Gen 1:27,28 • God breathes life into man Gen 2:7 • God puts the man in the garden • Two Hebrew words for ‘put’ Gen 2:8 and 2:15 • To work it and take care of it ? or • To worship and obey ! • God makes a covenant with the man Gen 2:16,17 • Obedience  enjoyment of the land Deut 30:15-18 • Only God knows what is ‘good’ • If man disobeys, he will have to decide for himself what is ‘good’ and what is ‘evil’ • God demonstrates his knowledge of ‘good’ • He sees that it is ‘not good’ for Adam to be alone • He completes ‘the Image’ by creating Eve

6. God’s goodness is questioned • The serpent’s identity • Snakes do not usually speak • Jesus calls Satan ‘the father of lies’ • Satan is pictured as a serpent Rev 12:9 and 20:2 • A real snake under the control of Satan • The lie • The serpent implies that God is keeping the knowledge from the man and the woman • The truth • God is keeping this knowledge for them • Chapter 2 shows that God will provide good for mankind if he will only trust him and obey him

7. The folly of independence • How Eve saw the tree and its fruit Gen 3:6 • Something good to look at • Something good for the body • A way of gaining wisdom • God’s order was reversed • God -> Adam -> Eve -> the environment • the environment -> Eve -> Adam -> God • They gained knowledge but not wisdom • Planned to enjoy good apart from God • Ashamed before each other • Ashamed to be seen by God

8. What was broken in Eden? • God’s covenant • They are banished from the garden • Relationships • with God • spiritually dead Ephesians 2 • with each other – shame & blame • Bodies • They are barred from the tree of life and banished from the garden • They are cursed with pain and toil • All of creation • creation is in bondage to decay Romans 8:19-22

9. What about the image of God? • When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.Genesis 5:3 • Moses wrote Genesis • What did Moses understand by the image? • brought up in an Egyptian palace • Images in Egypt were intended to be a dwelling place for the spirit of the god represented • Commandments Exodus 20 • No other god’s • No images • See I have made you like God to Pharaoh Exodus 7

10. God’s representatives in the OT • In the Old Testament God chose men to represent him • We read that God’s Spirit came on them or filled them for a specific ministry • Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, "This is what God says: 'Why do you disobey the LORD's commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you.' 2 Chronicles 24:20 • The LORD said to Moses, "See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. Exodus 31:1-5

11. Jesus is the perfect image of God • 15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Colossians 1:15-20

12. God’s image is being restored in us • As his representatives on Earth • Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.Colossians 3:9,10 • With new bodies on the day of resurrection • 46But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. 1 Cor 15:46-49

13. Are you in Adam or in Christ? • 18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.  21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became foolsRomans 1:18-22 • Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.Romans 8:1,2 • As in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.1 Corinthians 15:22

14. Which will you choose? The Tree of Life or The Folly of Independence