Origin Story #6 of 21:

Let us make man in our image. (Gn 1:26)

Why the difference? We share the sixth day with all other earthlings. But when it’s our turn, there is a pause in the Godhead itself. We sense something unique and risky. The “Us” of the Godhead decides to create a “them”. “Male and female he created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them…” (vss 27&28). From this side of Calvary, you can’t help but see the mystery of Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the “Us” of God. There’s the Father Almighty who creates all things, and God the Son who redeems all things, and the Holy Spirit who hovers over all things. It seems they huddle for the big decision. The decision to create a creature that bears the “image of God”. That’s the difference.

For the first time, God speaks directly to his creature: “Behold, I have given you…” (vs 29). This creature hears and, as we shall see, speaks. God’s speech has called the world into being; now, he creates another who can speak—a creature who has a voice of his own. In this speech, God gives the human creature a vocation. God informs the human species of its responsibilities. We are aware of things that need to be done. The “Image of God”… for starters, the Image has to do with our speech/language/communication. Here, once again, our two stories get along. The “modern science origin story” tells of the inexplicable wonder of human speech: “How and why our species acquired this linguistic power... remains unclear” (p. 173).

With speech comes responsibility. Out of our freedom, we choose to be obedient to our creator. The human creature lives, not simply out of instinct, but out of freedom. Will the human creature be faithful to his vocation to care for God’s creation?