Something Different

In the early verses of Genesis the writer speaks of the creation of humankind with the words, "'Then God said, 'Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness...' " (Genesis 1:26)  What is obvious is the fact that there is nothing about these words which speak of a physical likeness.  We cannot look at ourselves in the mirror and think that God bears a nose on a face, or arms and legs on a bodily trunk.  There is not only more here than meets the eye, there is more here than the eye can see or comprehend.    

What is apparent is the reality that there are within each one of us invisible divine attributes which speak of the essence of the Creator Himself.  If the Creator God would finish His work of creation which included us and say, "...it was very good."  (Genesis 1:31), it is not a far reach to conclude that to be made of holy essence brings His goodness into the core of who we are.  Once when Jesus was called "Good Teacher," He responded by saying, "Why do you call me good?  No one is good but God alone."  (Mark 10:18)  To be created with the essence of God is to know that goodness is at the core of our being.  

Such may be a long way from some of the ways we have been taught to understand the essence of our being.  Many of us have listened a life time to teachers who were always reminding us of the word which David wrote in the 51st Psalm, "Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me."  (Psalm 51:5)   While it may be too hard for us to consider anything but this singular view of the human situation, the first chapter of  Genesis is surely an invitation to stretch our minds to include new and different possibilities.