Image Freedom with boundaries

Genesis 2:15-17

     In the book of Genesis is the message and history of beginnings of the heavens (skies), that is, everything and every matter that exist in and under the heavens itself. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. God (Elohim) is plural of “Divine One’s, that is, the Triune God. Communal action of the triune God in the creation of the universe. The earth became formless and void; and darkness (obscurity) was resting upon the sea covered earth. And the Spirit of God was hovering over (brooding and fertilizing) the face of the waters. Understand what the conditions were: “without form and void,” meaning “formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptiness, difficult to seize, (a vacuum), inane” and “obscure.” Then Elohim began to set up day and night, the waters, separated waters above from waters below, separated waters below from ground, produced various seed bearing trees and plants, created male and female animals, birds, sea creatures, and lastly, created Adam, Genesis 1:1-25. Elohim’s creation was organized and given boundaries above and below. It had order and purpose in His design. The orbiting of planets in the universe was also designed with a purpose.

     What is the purpose for this creation order? To prove that the Creator Elohim is before all things and is the source of everything and everyone who exists. Elohim (the Triune God) is a boundary and order setting Creator and Sustainer. Elohim is able to give form, meaning, importance, order, structure, to everything and everyone created by Him. Every life form had an environment especially, Adam who being formed from the “dust “ of the earth was made in God’s image and likeness, was given a home and a career (working the garden and naming the animals), a means to nourish himself and then the woman that the Lord God made from the bone and flesh of Adam, Genesis 2:15-18; 21-24, to be his helpmeet as progenitors of human family and nations representing the image and likeness of Elohim who is (One Divinity in Three Persons). In verse 16, Yahweh Elohim instructed Adam about his freedom in His garden but, also warned him concerning his limits or (the boundaries of his freedom in His garden). This is freedom with accountability and responsibility.

     What was Adam’s responsibility in Yahweh Elohim’s garden? In Gen. 2:16-17, to eat freely with some restraint. Why wouldn’t the Lord God allow Adam to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? The first reason for the warning is because He alone is Elohim the Creator who said not to. Second, what the tree represented in mankind’s freedom would lead to idolatry. Lastly, to protect the image and likeness of God relationship from death. Freedom without boundaries is autonomy. Humans don’t know how to handle sovereignty apart from God because we are made from dust. In Genesis 3:1-6, we observe the process in Adam and Eve’s thinking that led to sin and disobedience.

     First, by her listening to an animal that Elohim gave her dominion over she placed herself and Elohim’s warning for them under the deception of the Serpent which was not created in Elohim’s image and likeness as Adam and Eve were. Adam was with Eve while the Serpent was deceiving her and he had a clear understanding about Yahweh Elohim’s (the Lord God’s) warning yet, he did not warn her concerning her decision, choice, or action, while knowing the consequences.

     Secondly, when the Serpent questioned her concerning the exactness of what Elohim’s warning was, she responds adding to what He warned by stating that God said that “they are not to touch it” which is an error in her understanding of Elohim’s warning.

     Third, the Serpent spoke sharply to her against Elohim’s warning stating that “she would not die.” This statement portrays Elohim as a liar.

     Lastly, the Serpent blames Elohim for hiding information from them that would make her believe and desire to be equal with Him in knowledge by saying, “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil,” Genesis 3:5. Upon these satanic accusations Eve was committed to her desire to be a god. It is important to understand what the Serpent Indicated to Eve directly speaking error about her Creator. He first insinuated that God doesn’t want His created one to eat. Secondly, he directly made God out to be a liar, and third, he made her Creator out to be hiding something.

     The Satanic Serpent set up trial for God’s directions and intents in order to create distrust, doubt, and the reason to disobey and sin against Elohim who created them. She made a sinful choice. Upon this deceptive interrogation she reasoned with Adam through a forbidden desire for the fruit, picked it, ate it, and offered it to Adam who was aware of the outcome if eaten, (Gen. 3:17). He saw her being deceived to reason past God’s warning and did not refute that reasoning with a reminder of God’s warning, Gen. 3:6. Sin entered the world and the ages through Adam’s disobedience. Now there exists spiritual separation between Elohim and mankind and death is imminent. Like the creation of the earth mankind became without form and void with darkness upon his heart and life as in Genesis 1:2. We became the fallen image and likeness from Elohim. In response to this reality God promised to put enmity (hostility, friction) between the offspring of Satan and the offspring of Christ, Genesis 3:15. Jesus would be the Crusher of Satan and his work, Romans 16:20. Praise God (Elohim) Who does not fall from Who He Is. We have become chaos to ourselves and each other apart from Him. God has faith in who He is and what He does. We need to have faith in His faith in Himself.

     When Elohim counsels, warns, rebukes, corrects, chastises, encourages, or is pleased with our desires, attitudes, decisions, and/or behavior, we should trust His dealings with us because He wants to lift up His image and likeness in each of us from its fallen condition. Now, considering these matters what should we understand about freedom of choice in our lives before God?

1)Our freedom is accountable to God and His direction for our moral and relational identity/behavior.

2) It is absolutely necessary and required that we listen and articulate God’s instructions and counsel verbatim to promote accurate and healthy understanding of what is best for our spirit.

3) Making choices and decisions according to God’s specific or general warnings are designed to protect the image and likeness representation of God in us as individuals, in marriages, in families, in communities, and the world.

4) Listening to other advice and instructions for life and relationship that is contrary to the instructions from Elohim will give Satan a foothold to disrupt the health and good of our soul.

5) Our freedom being understood and based on God’s counsel on how to manage life and relationship, should be in recognition that we were made from the dust and the breath of God, and cause us to reject the practice of autonomy over images-bearers. The fact that we are dust who were given life from God should humble us in His presence. All of this is to protect and preserve Elohim’s image and likeness in us.

     Everything we learn, do, and experience in life and relationship should be executed or received through God’s image and likeness in us above every other reality or reason. One of the greater travesty’s that humanity in this world has to suffer is image and likeness being socially classified on the basis of socioeconomics, ethnic origin, political affiliation, etc., when “image and likeness is about you under your skin, your inner man, that Elohim breathed into each of us who live. Not the outside of us. Therefore, any thoughts or behaviors expressed towards humans whether good or evil, affects the inner man either for better or worse. Because of this image and likeness of God, in His dealings with mankind, He is not a respecter of anyone’s worldview circumstances. That is why it’s important that we do not dishonor His image and likeness in us by pursuing self-reputation with the aim of human exaltation.

     Why is it that as humans our natural inclination is to think or behave in manners that doesn’t align with God’s will and purpose? Why is there an interest in dictating/capitalizing over others economically and socially, violating marriage, engaging in fornications, political calamities between parties, higher taxation towards middle/ lower class, marketing limitations for certain ethnic groups, abortions, or taking away women’s rights to their on health decisions, discrimination in opportunities for school and business loans or grants, on the basis of gender, ethnicity, political party, social reputation or net worth, not based on character, practical experience/knowledge, or legitimate qualifications for such.

     The reason I believe that some justify these conditions is because of the mentality that “we erroneously think we can be like God,” Genesis 3:5. There seems to be either an ignorance or rejection that people possess “God’s image and likeness in their being. The state of our soul is much more important to Elohim than our flesh issues though, that’s important to Him as well. Since Elohim is the personal object of man’s spirit/soul, acknowledgement of God’s image and likeness brings everyone into accountability in thought and behavior to God Himself.

     Men and women made in God’s image and likeness were not made to be a god, but to represent Him in who they are and what they do. Therefore, we are exhorted to live in accordance with God’s voice verbatim, as being spirit/soul while in the body. So now, what did Elohim give His Image and likeness the freedom to be and do? To be male and female, to be husband and wife, to bear children, to live, work, and eat. To rule over the animals and creatures on the ground, seas and skies. To be fathers and mothers to offspring. In these roles, Elohim has given those of us who recognize image/likeness mission work, boundaries in our work and relational responsibility.

     Our first priority as His creation is to acknowledge Elohim by listening to His warnings and keeping His directions for our lives. What does this look like? How do we acknowledge the image and likeness of Elohim in who we are and what we do? By obeying His directions and His warnings verbatim. This covers how our moral and ethical freedom is expressed in words and interactions with others pertaining to daily life. In word, each of us will be held accountable to how we choose to either represent or misrepresent Him as image-bearers. Image/likeness bearing does not fit the ways of adultery or fornication, neither social class or ethnic partiality in regards to human supremacy concerning goods and services for life and family. This doesn’t fit a person owning or ruling over another person at any time, history or future.

     Our lives need covenant direction that promotes holy order and boundaries that protect and advance the image and likeness of God’s Son Christ, in the hearts of His believers to influence every part of society. In other words, since people were made in the image and likeness of God, shouldn’t it be reasonable to understand that God wants people, male and female, to be a boundary and order following people of His direction in this world? His words are His orders that sets holy and righteous boundaries. The conviction that I received from this study is to acknowledge every male and female as created in the image and likeness of Elohim, but like me, who became spiritually and morally “obscure, without form and empty” before God’s presence and to lead them to Elohim Yahweh who can set their soul according to His orders and boundaries for their lives.

     It’s important in the moments of temptation for us to understand our identity as Image of Elohim, we cannot be like God by our own merit or means. Our first covenant responsibility was to acknowledge Elohim as our Maker and acknowledge His direction for us in representing ourselves as His creation. His warning was always to show Adam and Eve how to be free with eternal life in mind, and to protect the Image of God in male and female.

     For the redeemed believers our belief is that we are “the redeemed image and likeness of God in Christ.” We are not a “class, color or party, but, image of God who in our humanity happen to be a certain gender, nationality, supporting certain causes. 

     When ministry is in progress the view that should be embraced when we approach individuals is that they are not a social or political classification but, “the fallen image and likeness of God,” that needs to be rescued by Christ. It’s also important to recognize that homosexuality, abortion, racism, etc. attacks the soul of a male or a female from the outside. It attacks the image of God in a person. Realize that in this attack whatever you do or say to them you also attack what was breathed into them by God Himself. God in them is under the same attack, Mt 25:41-46.