Have you ever wondered what the Trinity—Father, Son and Spirit—were doing in eternity past? Before the galaxies, before the earthworms, before the giraffes, what was the triune God doing? C. S. Lewis would say, “In Christianity, God is not a static thing—not even a person—but a dynamic, pulsating activity, a life, almost a kind of drama. Almost, if you will not think me irreverent, a kind of dance.” In other words, God—the three persons—danced around each other in self-donating, loving relationships. God lacked nothing. Within the Trinity was perfect love, goodness, relationship, and joy. So, why did God make us?
Love Begets
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
love gives
Love has a tendency to give. Boy meets girl, they start a relationship. That relationship begets a marriage.
Families grow and so on. The overflow of the triune’s love gives creation. And, at the culmination of all of creation, sitting at the top above the moon and sun, the good Niagara Falls, the good stegosaurus, was the best of all of God’s creation: humanity. Out of the goodness of the triune relationship, God made humans in his image.
He created male and female to have dominion and to rule over all of creation. We had perfect fellowship with God, and we enjoyed the figs from the trees, patting the lion on the head, and the coolness of the river on our bare feet as we walked through Eden. We also enjoyed each other. Adam and Eve, our first parents, lived without anxiety, despair, jealousy, hatred, and fear. God made the world and everything in it, and it was good.
gospel starts here
When we think about the gospel, we should train our minds to go back to the very beginning. The gospel begins with God, then humanity, then sin. We tend to bypass the first two on a race to get to the bad news. Yet, the gospel is good news. We celebrate that God created out of love, not need. We celebrate that God created out of goodness, not loneliness. We celebrate that God created out of joy, not boredom. And, we celebrate that we bear God’s image. Humanity—though separate from God, since he is creator and we are creation—still maintains the ability to do God-like things: create, love, divest of power, dance, commune with others, and so forth. Humans, in a partnership with God, rule, reign, and seek the good of the world around us. In the fabric of our humanity, God infused us with the ability to do beautiful, redemptive, and meaningful things.
We celebrate that God created out of love, not need. We celebrate that God created out of goodness, not loneliness. We celebrate that God created out of joy, not boredom. And, we celebrate that we bear God’s image.
The next time you think about the gospel or share it with someone, put on your dancing shoes and consider the Trinity orbiting in self-donating loving relationship. The gospel starts with God, and so should we.
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Daily Question
When you consider that God made you from an overflow of love and goodness and made you to be like him, how does this inform your self-image? How do you see yourself imaging God in your life?
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There is nothing better in life then being loved unconditionally. With our family and friends, they get close to this but never like God. I draw confidence and strength from knowing that God loves me for me and I am a child of God. When I’m feeling down, I remind myself that I am a daughter of a King.
I try in turn to love others unconditionally, meet them where they are in life, don’t expect them to be something they’re not, and give them grace. This is something I strive for and continually pray on for help.
It is mind blowing that he would do that for me. I know I fall short everyday and he still loves me more than I can imagine
It makes me feel loved and valued. I realize that every part of my is purposeful. I was not made by accident nor was any part of me. I was not a mistake.
I could do a lot more to be an image of God in my life. I am so short tempered, and short sighted; I get angry with the people I love; I don’t forgive those who have wronged me. I’m need to actively work toward being an example of Christ and praying for God to guide every step I take and decision I make.
What a glimpse of pure love. To love and serve others. To have a heart and good will for others even when they have little to offer back. Love isn’t always easy, but I believe God uses it to turn things around.
God’s love is the purest form of love. I think about how my mother and father love me and all that they have sacrificed for me, but it is mind blowing knowing that God’s love is even greater! I have struggled with self-image intermittently for a long time, and it is usually when I am chasing my own wants and desires and lose sight of God’s plan for me. It is when I remember God’s love for me that I remember to be gentle with myself and love who God created me to be.
Thinking of my creation in this way just fills my soul with hope and gratitude. It is also very humbling. But it also fills me with power to carry on as God intended for me. This reading was a good reminder to me that I was created in the image of God and how I am to live my life.
God created me from an overflow of love & goodness to be like God. As a person who has had self-image problems my whole life, this idea makes me realize I need to seriously rebuke Satan to leave me alone in Jesus’ Name. It’s a lie that I don’t need to succumb to. I need to listen more, keep my mouth shut and go to God more before I jump in to do something. But there is a lot that I can do with God’s Holy Spirit at my side.
I see God’s love in other Christians. There is light and confidence that comes from being a believer. I think others can see my light shine for Jesus and I want that for others. I’m going to “put on my dancing shoes” to share the Gospel with others.
It tells me I am created specifically to image God – to reflect Him, His character, His goodness, His love, His truth. It tells me that His plan all along has been to tabernacle with his humans and enjoy the creation. It also tells me that anything I that I think defines my image that is not a reflection of his good creation is false and not good.
It is easy to see our outward flaws when we ponder the notion that we are made in the image of God. But when we know the goodness abiding within ourselves … generosity, service, loving others, teaching and sharing wisdom … we know we bear God’s image. I love this from text above ‘We celebrate that God created out of goodness, not loneliness. We celebrate that God created out of joy, not boredom. And, we celebrate that we bear God’s image. God infused us with the ability to do beautiful, redemptive, and meaningful things.’