Lesson # 10—Man, Created after God’s Image!

Shorter Catechism Q & A # 10

Q. How did God create man?

A. God created man male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures.

Memorize Q & A—Exposition

Man, male and female, created after the image of God in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, become stewards of the Lord’s Creation. All of Creation, including the governing of all things, belongs to God alone. Our dominion therefore must give glory to the Creator in faith and obedience.

What does it mean?

1. What three characteristics did man, male and female, receive from their Triune Creator? [Read Genesis 1:26–28]
2. How is this related to our New Birth in Christ? [Read Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10]

What is our practice?

How does each of these characteristics affect our relationship with our Creator, in our home and our fellowship with one another? Example: We honor our Creator in marriage of male and female, in home and community.

Quotes for thought and discussion:

“Therefore God provided man’s soul with a mind, by which to distinguish good from evil, right from wrong; and with the light of reason as guide, to distinguish what should be followed from what should be avoided. …Man in his first condition excelled in these pre-eminent endowments, so that his reason, understanding, prudence, and judgment not only sufficed for the direction of his earthly life, but by them men mounted up even to God and eternal bliss. Then was choice added, to direct the appetites and control all the organic motions, and thus make the will completely amenable to the guidance of the reason.” (John Calvin, Institutes I. XV. 8)

“Did God create our souls after his image, but we lost it? Let us never rest till we are restored to God’s image again. We have now got the devil’s image in pride, malice, and envy. Let us get God’s image restored, which consists in knowledge and righteousness (Col. 3:10; Eph. 4:24). Grace is our best beauty, it makes us like God and angels. As the sun is to the world, so is holiness to the soul. Let us go to God to repair his image in us. Lord! thou hast once made me, make me anew; sin has defaced thy image in me, oh draw it again by the pencil of the Holy Ghost.” (Thomas Watson)

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