We are created in the image of God, however there is a shroud over that image.SHROUDED IMAGE BEARER
The fall of man from that perfect image of God is described in Genesis 3:1-6.
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
The fall of man from that perfect image of God is described in Genesis 3:1-6.
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
The “perfect” image bearer of the Creator doubted God’s word. This doubt lead to a temptation of three dimensions.
The eye: it looked good
Taste: good for food
Mind: be like God
Satan deceitful. The three fold temptation strong. Man fell. Intimacy gained through walking with God in the Garden, lost. Man, the image bearer of God, of infinite value, loved and esteemed by God and empowered by Him for dominance over creation, doomed.
The first result? Man hid. Genesis 3:7-8 describes it:
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
Fig leaves and trees: a marred image of God, hiding. You and I do the same by projecting a persona. We wear masks. We create a false self. We feel inadequate so we pretend or set about on a life of proving we are someone. Or we flip flop and live the life of a victim, feeling unworthy, expecting nothing good from life. We hide. Authentic living is rare, even in the church.
Genesis describes pain, both physical land emotional as the second consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin. Later, pain became relational as they saw a son killed by his brother.
Clothed by God, yet banished from the garden. Doomed. This fate can be depicted by a tripart circle.
Dissect man with me beginning in tomorrow's post.
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