God’s Purpose in Creation

Genesis 1 records the creation of the heavens, the earth, and many living creatures on earth. Before man, every kind of plant and animal was “according to their kind.”

Then man was created but differently. God said (Gen. 1:26), “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” According to God’s image means that man has human virtues which correspond to God’s attributes, such as love, kindness, faithfulness, and peace.

God’s purpose in the creation of man is that man would be able to express God. This requires man to receive God’s life (pictured by the tree of life in Gen. 2) so that God’s attributes may be expressed through the corresponding human virtues.

God’s purpose was derailed by the fall of man into sin and death but was recovered by the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus for man’s redemption and enlivening.

When we receive the redemption accomplished by Jesus, we are cleansed and regenerated. Now we have the divine life in our human life, but this life needs to grow in us. By this growth we are gradually conformed to the image of God’s Son (Rom. 8:29) for His expression.

This expression is not by separate individual Christians but by the corporate Body of Christ. This is seen even from Genesis 1 where God created, not many men, but a corporate humanity. The purpose of creation will be fulfilled by New Jerusalem, a city built together  “having the glory [expression] of God” (Rev. 21:11).

Through the building process, New Jerusalem becomes the completion of Genesis 1:26!

Posted by Don on September 28, 2026

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