So God made 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 seas and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.

Genesis 1:27-28

What is the image of God? Because God is Spirit, we know that it is not a physical likeness. Because He created both male and female with this image, it is not confined to a gender likeness.

God created a world of creatures who were capable of living in a wide variety of conditions. They were made with unique and amazing instincts that enabled them, not just to survive, but to thrive in their particular environment.

Here is the line that separates mankind from every other being on the planet. Humans are capable of conscious reflection, creative problem-solving, advanced planning, and so many other kinds of original thought not shared by any other living being. In this, we share a likeness to our Creator. The image in us, may be blurred and faded, but it is a singular reflection of the mind of God.

God’s instruction to our first parents was not about dominance, but dominion. They were given administration over a perfect world where there were no thorns or thistles, no rotten fruit. A world where the lion did lay down with the lamb. They were, by design, to use their unique gifts, not only for improvement of what they saw around them, but for the endless delight found in doing so.

Have you ever watched children engaged with Legos or a paint set? What is produced is not a one-time solution to a problem. It is only limited by the number of Lego blocks or the variety of paint colors. Imagine a literal world of possibilities and a mind unhampered by sin. It is just one thing that was lost when mankind fell, but something we will re-capture—to our eternal delight—in eternity.

"We are designed to make sense of the world around us. We are fashioned to redeem our time on earth." -Senator Ben Sasse