CREATED FOR HOPE: GENERATION

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” (Genesis 1:26-28 NKJV)

The best place to begin is with the beginning.  To know what God intended for humanity to experience, we need to see His original blueprint.  Genesis is about generation—you note the similarity in the words.  To generate something is to create it, and that is what God did in bringing all things into existence.

We are created for hope in CONFORMING.  We see that human beings—male and female were created in God’s image.  God made us to be conformed to His likeness.  The likeness of God in man means the capacity for rational thought, emotional expression and volitional decision.  We were designed to think God’s thoughts after Him, to feel the same desires and make godly choices conformed to His will.  As Adam and Eve walked with God the truth would captivate their minds, their hearts would become intertwined with His so God’s passions would become theirs and they would progress in faith and obedience directed by God.  That was and is God’s intent for humanity!

But more, we are created for hope in CONTROLLING.  Adam and Eve were given dominion—meant to control and be stewards of God’s creation.  They were to manage the beautiful world God had fashioned.  All was to be in subjection to man.  In so doing they would rule the world under God’s authority.

Then, we are created in hope in CONNECTING.  They had the capacity for connection to the Creator.  He walked with them in fellowship. There was an intimate bond—a relationship that was profound and personal.  Out of that connection, Adam and Eve were to be connected to each other.

And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” (Gen.2:18)

And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.  ‎Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.  And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.”  Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.  And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”  (Gen.2:21-25)

Love was to permeate their relationship.  We are not to live life in isolation, but connection.

Finally, we are created in hope for the purpose of CREATING.  As God created mankind in His image, so they would create new life in their image.  Adam and Eve were designed and directed with the capacity and the call to be fruitful and multiply, filling the earth with those they had brought into being.  Humans were bestowed with a marvelous creativity—for art and music and architecture—all manner of invention—planted in us by the Creator.

So, there was a pristine paradise and in Adam and Eve so much potential.  They were created for hope—and what a hope it was!  Man would never be God, but was made to reflect God.

Yet, something had gone wrong—very wrong—impacting every one of these areas in a horrible fashion.  That will be the subject of the next study in this series.