The Image of the Triune God and the Equality of Humanity

The Image of the Triune God and the Equality of Humanity is a simple thought reflection from Genesis 1:26 about the way that God created humanity.

January 4, 2016

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”” (Genesis 1:26, HCSB)

When you read through the creation account of Genesis 1, you discover that God the Father oversees the creation of the universe, the earth, and the animals. However, when it comes time to create humanity, God states: “Let Us.” He identified the fact that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit co-created humanity. Does this suggest the reason why humanity should “rule” over creation? Does that fact that the Trinity co-created humanity give humans the right to oversee God’s creation? Does this support a dominion theory? Does it support the idea that man is over woman? I don’t think so. God the Father does not have dominion (or domination) over the Son. He has the role of leadership for the Trinity. But God the Father does not rule over the Son. God the Father does not have dominion (or domination) over the Holy Spirit. Instead, God the Father delegates His authority to both the Son and the Spirit. Some actions happen under the Son’s authority. Some actions happen under the Spirit’s authority.

Later, the Bible says that God created man in His own image. The image of God then is not just a maleness, or gender (although God is called Father). The image of God is about community. The image of God is about co-activity.

When a Christian looks at the role of the husband and wife, there is a clear cooperation involved. Both submit to one another, but they may submit in different ways. Both co-lead the family. But the father and the mother may lead in different ways. The father delegates certain actions to the mother. The mother delegates certain actions to the father.