5. Who are We? - Part I
Chapter Two
“Beloved, we are God’s children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”
1 John 3:2
At the climax of the first Creation narrative, the author dictated a stunning proclamation from the Creator:
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 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 air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”1
These remarkable words unveiled the essential nature of mankind as being “in [God’s] image, after [God’s] likeness.” As God’s representatives on Earth, we are commissioned by God to be the lords of all Creation, the glorious culmination of all that is. Truly, there is no greater declaration nor higher praise than that which is contained within those ancient words.
To be completely honest, though, I always disliked this passage. First of all, it does not require spiritual perception to see that mankind has, by and large, been a scourge upon the Earth, ravaging the abundance and beauty of this place for the sake of our own selfish endeavors. Additionally, I have been repeatedly frustrated with the lack of clarity regarding how to interpret this essential revelation. What does it mean that I am made “in [God’s] image, after [God’s] likeness”? And how do I make sense of God’s command for us to “multiply,” “subdue,” and “have dominion,” which from a twenty-first century perspective sounds a little ominous?
When academics attempt to interpret this perplexing passage, they often examine the meaning of the words “image” and “likeness,” delving into their etymology and contextual usage. Most modern scholars claim that there is no significant distinction between them and that the two words are fundamentally interchangeable. The early Christian writers, though, tended to adopt a different stance,2 explaining that the word “image” describes something inherent within us at conception, while the word “likeness” refers to the result of spiritual progress, a grace achieved through prolonged effort. During my academic studies, I found that both conclusions had their merits, making it very difficult for me to know with confidence who I ought to believe. Once again I found myself trapped in the quicksand of opinion, trying desperately to grasp hold of something solid, yet sinking ever deeper into confusion.
Laying aside the burden of my academic training, I returned to the scriptures with the openness of a child. When I did so, resting in the stillness of my soul, I discovered that the key to interpreting the ancient vision of our creation lies within the Garden of Eden. Standing upon the soil of that ancient paradise, I saw firsthand the purpose and potential of our lives on Earth.
The Garden of Eden
In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground—then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.3
Entering the spiritual landscape of Eden, the first thing I saw was a luminous mist swaying and swirling above barren ground. The mist was Life “water[ing] the whole face of the ground” and forming the Garden that was to become the home of mankind.
The mist covered the surface of everything. Then, only a few yards in front of me, I saw the mist rise up and slowly coalesce into the shape of a man. With arms outstretched and head gazing up into the sky, the man opened his mouth and received the first breath of air. By breathing Life into his lungs and body, God formed the first man as a “living being,” composed of the seeds of Life.
At that moment the Garden began to change. Out of the luminous mist I saw a lush landscape emerge. As I studied this terrain of low-growing plants, I noticed that the foliage was swaying rhythmically from side to side. The entire ethereal paradise seemed to be dancing, and everything sparkled like ice-covered branches illumined by the morning sun.
From these observations, I realized that the Garden was being formed through the same divine means as was the first man, for everything was an exquisite expression of Life overflowing. There were no shadows that could tarnish the purity of that place. Nor was there anything that could enhance it, such as the seeds of Light or Love. There existed only Life, laying the foundation for that which was to come.
In my curiosity, I wanted to identify the location of this living Garden. Still standing in my soul, I drew upward, so as to view the Garden from above. As I did so, I saw that the luminous paradise was actually a sphere suspended within the center of the sphere of Heaven. The Garden of Eden was Earth in its original state, pure and untouched.
Through my vision, I saw that the Garden of Eden was a vision of infancy. All was Life, yet lacking the fulness of God’s Word. Whereas Heaven was created from the union of Life, Light, and Love, the Earth and her first inhabitants were a foundation awaiting completion.
The Tree of Life
And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.4
In the center of the Garden I beheld a thick column of brilliant white light rise slowly into the sky, eventually ascending to such a height that I could no longer see its top. Beams of light spread outward from the entire length of the vertical shaft. I was awe-struck by this immense spectacle of sparkling light illuminating the Garden in all directions. As I stood and stared, I suddenly realized that the light was in the shape of a tree. I was observing the Tree of Life.
Eagerly moving closer, I sought to investigate the radiant wonder. The trunk and branches were ablaze with a blinding white light. The leaves were a soft white color, exactly like everything else in the Garden, but the fruit was different. Hanging upon every branch were hundreds of resplendent pearls.
According to Genesis, God gave the fruit of the Tree of Life to the first man that he might “freely eat”5 of it at all times, and those who ate the fruit would “live for ever.”6 In his vision of the New Jerusalem, John also described the fruit of the Tree of Life:
Then he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.7
According to the Prophets of old, this is the food that will sustain those who are to reign with God “for ever and ever.”8
Day after day I returned to the Tree of Life, longing to know the spiritual significance of its sacred fruit. Not until I observed the first man consume one of these resplendent pearls did I realize what the fruit actually was. As he ate, I saw the seeds of Life, Light, and Love suddenly appear in his body. By the fruit of the Tree of Life, the fulness of God’s Word gradually began to abide within him. This fruit is a “pearl of great value,”9 the source of God’s Light and Love on Earth. Through the man’s act of freely eating it, the fulness of the Word was being introduced into God’s blossoming Creation.
Genesis 1:26–28
For example, Irenaeus of Lyons, Clement of Alexandria, Origin of Alexandria, and Tertullian of Carthage each articulated some version of this distinction between the two words.
Genesis 2:4–7
Genesis 2:8–9
Genesis 2:16
Genesis 3:22
Revelation 22:1–2
Revelation 22:5
Matthew 13:46