Male and Female (Lent 6, 2023)

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In a recent installment of daily devotional thoughts regarding our having been Created in His Image, I said that “arguably” angels have not been made in God’s Image.  Today, I will explain why I believe the great theologian Calvin (who seems to have held a different opinion) is wrong.  Calvin points to Matthew 22:30 “At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.”

Hey, Cal, I’ll see your one verse and raise you a Genesis, 1 and 2 Peter, and Jude, among others.  Scripture is maybe not so silent on the matter as many people think.

Genesis 1:27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.”

No angel is commanded to sexually reproduce…but beyond silence, in Calvin’s own view, we will be like the non-reproductive angels in heaven…someday.  Until then, we propagate God’s Image from sea to shining sea.

1 Peter 1:12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. 13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children do not conform to the evil desires you had … live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

That’s human blood, Cal.  Jesus didn’t get crucified as an angel…even though angels sinned, too.

2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;…9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.

Fallen angels had no hope of redemption.  Why would that be?

Jude 1:5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling– these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.

If angels had been given the Image of God, then God’s pattern is not to have destroyed His Image-bearers without hope of rescue.  It explains Noah.  It explains Lot.  It explains the whole reason Jesus came to live and die on a Cross to rescue sinners…not because of any worth we intrinsically have…except for our being God’s Image-bearers. (Yeah, you can say “Wow.”)

Furthermore, your one verse, Cal, is explicitly talking about marriage.  There is something about the interpersonal relationship within the Triune Godhead, that is reflected in the marriage (one flesh) unity of man and woman, unique but together. Ephesians 5:31 “‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’. 32 This is a profound mystery– but I am talking about Christ and the church.”

We will continue this discussion later, because there is more, but for now…

Focus for Lent: Gratitude for rescue because we are made in the Image of God.

Questions for further thought:

Why would God be reluctant to destroy His Image-bearers who endeavor to live righteous lives?

For all their similarities to humanity—created beings with intellect, reason, personal agency, ability to worship, even taking on a human appearance —did any of those qualities preserve angels from being sent to hell when they sinned?

What might be the distinction to explain God’s sacrificial and extreme redemptive efforts for men but not angels?

Prayer:

Lord God, we don’t understand Your ways, but we offer thanks for what we do see:  Your grace and mercy to human beings who sin.  We thank You for the offer of forgiveness in Christ Jesus.  Thank You for His shed blood.  Help us, Lord, to know deep in our souls, the sacrifice You have made to redeem us and to acknowledge the importance of Your Image.  It’s important to You and it’s important to our experiencing full and true humanity.  Help us to remember this in our daily activities.  We are Yours and we are grateful. In Christ’s Name we pray.  Amen.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.