Introduction
Apart from the question of the identity of God, this is the deepest inquiry about the identity of the human person. What makes this question both extremely important and very difficult is that we seem to be fully immersed in the reality we are investigating. This is true as long as we remain within experiences and concepts framed by biological, cultural or psychological realities. The only possibility for clarity is to turn to revelation.
Creation in the Image of God
The fundamental text on this matter is Genesis 1:26 -27: “Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to 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 wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
The shifts from singular to plural in this passage are not accidental. Firstly, God is identifying “himself” as being more than a simple oneness. The “let us” in 1:26 is recognized by Christians as an implicit trinitarian statement. It is Father, Son and Holy Spirit who constitute the “us”. Later, the singular pronoun appears, “I have” (1:29, 30). From the rest of the Bible we know that there is only one God (Deut 6:4); but “he” exists in a plurality of persons (Matt 28:19). God is a unity made up of an internal diversity.
The “image of God” therefore, is also a unity in diversity. Genesis 1:27 has a structure that reveals that this image is male and female. Humankind finds its essential expression as man and woman. This is a theological statement that cannot be conditioned by biological, cultural and psychological factors; it is related to who God is. No other distinction, such as age, class, race, education, economic status etc. is a fundamental differentiation within humanity.
It needs to be said that this reality is much broader than both marriage and sex. Human sexuality, who we are as men and women, embraces all gender differentiated relationships. We are sons, brothers, nephews, uncles etc or daughters, aunts, nieces, sisters. This reality is written into our relationships and completely unavoidable.
We are constantly confronted with the fact that there is a type of human who is basically different from us. This represents an enormous challenge to the ways we think and live. We cannot simply live as though reality, at the most profound relational level, is the same as us. By virtue of the very existence of men and women we are confronted with the need for agape love.
Fallen Men and Women
The entry of sin into the world creates a host of conflict situations between men and women. Some of these will be discussed in later devotions. It needs to be said however that sin cannot introduce a fundamental distortion into the nature of the relationships between the genders. At this level, the truth of created reality remains intact, despite all appearances and experiences to the contrary. The key to appreciating this is the revelation of God in Jesus Christ.
Jesus, Men and Women
At the pinnacle of revelation, Jesus is the fullness of the image of God (2 Cor 4:4; Col 1:15). He is this however, not as a solitary male, but one who as Bridegroom is united with his Bride, the church (1 Cor 6:17; Eph 5:25 – 27; Rev 19:7: 21:2, 9; 22:17). Paul teaches that the deepest truth about Adam and Eve is that they are a type of Jesus and the church (Eph 5:31- 32) and that this reality is eschatological, that is, eternal. The mystery of men and women continues forever, eternally reflecting the image of the triune God.
Implications for Men and Women
1. Women and men are equal as well as different.
2. Women are as indispensable to the divine plan as men.
3. Women are not alien to men but complementary.
4. Men and women must work together to fulfil the purposes of God upon the earth.