Our Royal Obligations as Images of God

God appointed Adam and Eve to rule over creation on his behalf. And he commanded them to increase the human race in order to spread its rule over the whole earth. This was humanity’s royal obligation. As we read in Genesis 1:27-28:

God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

Human beings were created in God’s image and given authority over his other creatures.

So, one of the most common ways of understanding what “image” and “likeness” language means in Genesis 1 is that God created us to be his representatives and to stand in as his rulers in creation. And we draw that from the broader cultural context when Moses was writing, where “image” and “likeness” was often used to describe pharaohs and kings, and so to say that pharaoh is made in “god's image” is to say that he is God's representative ruler in that particular context. That’s part of what it means to be human. That’s how God has created us is to exercise this representative function in this creation that God has placed us. [Dr. Marc Cortez]

When God created Adam and Eve, he didn’t just set them free on the earth and let them run wild. He created them for a purpose: to build his earthly kingdom. He gifted them with the abilities and the help they needed to accomplish the task. He set rules requiring them to be loyal and to work diligently. He explained the blessings they’d receive if they obeyed him, and the punishments they’d endure if they didn’t. In theological terms, we can say that God established a covenant relationship between himself and humanity.

Now, the history of Adam and Eve in Genesis doesn’t explicitly describe all the blessings of the Adamic covenant. But Genesis 1:22, 28 implies that multiplying and ruling over the earth were themselves blessings of obedience. This idea is confirmed by later Scriptures that point to the blessing of progeny, such as Deuteronomy 7:14, and the blessing of rule over the earth, such as 2 Timothy 2:12.

The great King of heaven ordained humanity as his royal vassals to expand his kingdom beyond the initial borders of their dwelling in the Garden of Eden. His goal was for them to multiply, to spread out, and to care for the whole earth in the same way they cared for the Garden. Ultimately, humanity was to turn the entire planet into God’s earthly sanctuary as an extension of his heavenly kingdom. And this is still our obligation today. In the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:10, Jesus taught us to pray:

Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

It’s always been humanity’s task to help God extend his heavenly kingdom to earth. Jesus’ instructions for our prayers reflect that. And this task falls especially on his faithful people in the church. We ought to view each of our vocations as aspects of the dominion that God has given us over the earth. And we ought to use our skills and our resources to care for and govern his creation. Whether we’re in our homes, at our jobs, in the church, or anywhere else, we’re called to represent and to serve our great king in everything we do.

It’s astounding to think about the dignity and honor God invested in humanity at creation. Obviously, sin has caused tremendous problems for us. But knowing God’s design for human beings is a critical first step towards understanding his plans for overcoming that sin, and for restoring humanity and the rest of creation to its intended glory.