Genesis 1.28
“And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
The book of Genesis tells us that God’s plan was to establish his kingdom on planet earth by living in and ruling through man. God created man in his image and gave man dominion over the earth. Another way of saying this is that God gave man responsibility and stewardship over his “estate.” God created man to live and work on earth in a way that reflects God’s character and represents his rule. We were created to be bearers of God’s image and agents of his kingdom.
The work of having dominion is the Prime Directive.
Keep in mind that our ability to do the work, have dominion, and represent God’s kingdom is dependent on the presence of his image and life in us. (Gen.1.26-28; Psalm 8). The image of God equipped man with the unique attributes necessary for doing work in the create world in a manner worthy of God’s standards.
The moral dimension = character. Knowing right and wrong, and doing what is right. Living and working in alignment with God’s moral standards.
The functional dimension = competence. Thinking wisely, acting productively, and working hard to design and build things that function effectively and display beauty. Living and working in alignment with God’s moral standards.
The relational dimension = connection. Developing and sustaining a right relationship with God and with others. Simply put, love God and love others, and do so according to God’s standards of love.
God created the moral, functional, and relational dimensions to operate together as an integrated whole. Each of the elements affects the other two; none are designed to work in isolation. Additionally, strength in one will not compensate for weakness in another. The three dimensions are the heartbeat of what it means to be created by God and to bear his image. And again, this three-dimensional system was essential for mankind to fulfill the Prime Directive of being stewards over God’s creation.
Fall: Kingdom rejected and life lost.
Genesis 3 gives the account of how Satan deceived Adam and Eve and their subsequent rebellion against God’s authority. Rather than submit to God’s authority, they chose self-rule. As a result, their relationship with God was broken, and mankind moved from a condition of life to a condition of death.
“Death” didn’t mean destruction; it meant distortion. Death meant that the image of God in man was corrupted, and man’s ability to have dominion was compromised. The distortion of the image of God in man resulted in the distortion of the rule of God through man. Man continued to have dominion over the planet, but his actions were now directed by a broken character.
Man no longer reflected God’s character and no longer represented God’s standards. Man became separated from his true identity and purpose. The special life that the Lord had given to man was now lost. (See Genesis 3.1-19; Romans 3.23; Romans 5.12)
This is the enormous tragedy of the fall. Because of man’s disobedience in the garden, all three dimensions of the image of God in man were damaged. What had been an integrated system of three essential elements of identity working together, now became a broken system that no longer operated in alignment with God’s design or purpose.
Distortion of the moral dimension. As a result of the fall, man’s character was damaged. Fallen man has a tendency to desire things that are wrong. Since the fall, man’s passions and impulses are seriously misdirected.
Distortion of the functional dimension. As a result of the fall, man’s competence was compromised. Fallen man has a tendency to think and act foolishly, to avoid hard work, and to create and build things that function less-than-effectively and often display ugliness.
Distortion of the relational dimension. As a result of the fall, man’s connections were damaged. Fallen man’s relationship with God is broken. Same for man’s relationship with other people.
Mankind continued to have dominion, but now did so in a broken and distorted way. Mankind continued to “be fruitful and multiply,” but all the subsequent offspring bore the damaged and distorted image (what theologians refer to as “original sin”). From Genesis 3 onward, creation has suffered under broken people exercising selfish dominion in a broken world.
A final note. It is important to understand that the Fall damaged the image of God in man, but did not destroy it. Every person retains a vestige or remnant of the image of God within them. This means that unredeemed people can at times do good things for the right reason; they can at times think wisely and act productively; they can at times create and build things that work effectively and display beauty. They can at times build healthy relationships. But they cannot do it consistently, nor do any of their effective actions save them from their condition of sin.
Tomorrow we will look at Redemption and Transformation.
