Revealed
“When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.”
Growing up, my mom took my sister and me to many craft fairs and that is where my love for crafts was cultivated. I find myself going to a local craft fair a few times a year to browse the variety of hand made items. I am always looking for a unique gift to buy for my friends and family. There are a myriad of items, but the booths that really catch me are the ones that have things I’ve never seen before. The creativity and the innovation of the ideas astound me. That a person could come up with a new idea and have the know-how to make it is beyond impressive to me. What I find most times that I go is that I am more impressed by the craftsman than I am by the craft.
We are God’s craftsmanship and when you stop and wonder about that, it is quite wonderful. The human body is a marvel. The intricacies of cells, DNA, and how they fit into a larger picture still have scientists baffled. God created various systems in the body with purposes unique to keeping us alive and thriving. Moreover, God created us as intelligent beings, who are creative. Just stop and look at the innovation of mankind. But rather than marvel at man himself, I am more impressed by the Craftsman than I am by His craft. Just as nature causes me to be in awe of God, looking at mankind causes me to marvel at our Maker. That is why the psalmist, says “I will praise Him for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:13).
But unlike every other thing God created, we are unique because we were made in the likeness of God. The Bible said He created us in His image. No other thing God created can boast that. When I was meditating on this verse the other day, I just really got to thinking “why?” Why would God create us to be in His image? Now, I don’t have a definitive answer to that question, but I recalled this quote I had once read and wondered if there was something to it.
Oscar Wilde wrote:
“It is not he who is revealed by a painter; if is rather the painter, who, on the colored canvas, reveals himself.”
We learn more about the artist from the work of art. The craft is a reflection of the craftsman.
Once I found a booth where a guy took old skateboards and repurposed them into various desk items, such as pencil holders, and a magnetic holder for a phone charger (which I happened to pass this idea along for my husband). Just by looking at these items, I knew the guy who made them used to skate, had a modern and minimalist aesthetic, and wanted to make something old into something new. His craftsmanship was flawless, which told me he took his time making his items and that he cared to make a quality product.
In another booth, a found these beautifully sewn baby toys. This woman was a grandmother and had been making bibs, rattles, and little toys for her grandchildren. Her modern baby prints reflected her good taste, and her well-sewn items proved her many years of experience.
Another booth had these cute pegs that had been painted to look like characters from movies and books. They were unique and quirky. The lady who made them was quirky, and a mother to a young boy—and based on the number of superhero pegs, that was no surprise.
I give you these examples to show you that we can learn about someone by seeing what they make. Likewise, we can learn so much about our maker by looking at what He made. “For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made” (Romans 1:20). And we, His creation, are no exception to that. When I see the innovation of man, it reminds me that our God is a creative God—He takes what is broken and remakes it. When I think of inventions of man, I remember that God makes new things. When I see the attention to detail in items that are made, I remember that no detail is too small to go unnoticed by God. We are a reflection of Him!
Sadly, we are flawed though. When sin entered the world, the reflection became dull and broken. We know longer truly reflect God because we are stained with sin. No man is a perfect reflection of God, save one: Jesus, “the Son, the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15). God said “Let us make them in our image.” Before man existed, Jesus was with God. He was the firstborn over all creation. And He is the only man to ever truly reflect God’s nature. Hebrews 1:3 says “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature.” When we look to Jesus we see the Father.
Sin separated from our Maker and Jesus made a way to connect us. Our souls know we are destined for something greater than this sin life. We know we are more than a dull reflection. God made us in His likeness so we would always be drawn back to Him. The Amplified Bible says in Genesis 5:1 that our likeness to God is in a “spiritual personality and moral likeness.” We are spiritual beings like He is, programmed to be in relationship with Him and to live a life connected to the Eternal.
For centuries, man has confused being made like God with being God-like. We try to be brilliant on our own apart from God. But we were only ever meant to be a reflection of the One who made us; we can never shine on our own. The Bible says that it is His light within us is what that we reflect to the world. 2 Corinthians 4:6 says “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” Through Christ, we now have the privilege of truly reflecting our Maker to the world and sharing the Good News. Christ has restored us to be how God originally intended us to be—made in His image.
