Image and Dominion—the Heart of Genesis形像与管治权—创世记的心脏 (Day3)
Samuel Lin
Matt. 4:17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.
24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
The two crucial words in chapter one of Genesis are image and dominion. You may forget the creeping things and the fish, but don’t forget man with image and dominion. Man was not made in the image of a serpent or scorpion but in the image of God. This is the climax: man bearing God’s image, exercising God’s authority to maintain dominion.
Image and dominion were sown as two seeds in Genesis 1. However, these seeds need the whole Bible to grow and develop. The harvest, the full maturity, is in Revelation 21 and 22. (Life-study of Genesis, p. 90)
Today’s Reading
The Lord Jesus had a genuine man’s living by God’s mind, will, and emotion—to express God in God’s attributes. The Lord did not seek His own will but God’s will. He came not to do His own will but to do God’s will. This means that He came to live as a man not by man’s life, but by God’s life. He lived by God’s mind, will, and emotion to express God in God’s attributes. These attributes are contained in and mingled with His human virtues. (Life-study of Luke, p. 524)
God is recovering His right over the earth in order to make the whole earth His kingdom (Rev. 11:15). When Christ came, He brought the kingdom of God with Him (Luke 17:21; Matt. 12:28). This kingdom has been enlarged into the church (16:18-19), which will accomplish the establishing of the kingdom of God on the whole earth. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 4127)
Human society, and every individual human being as well, is full of “storms” of rebellion, demons, unclean industry (hog raising), death-sickness, and death. This is the actual situation of mankind. But the Slave-Savior has brought the kingdom to us, and the kingdom is the answer to the condition of fallen man. The kingdom subdues rebellion, the kingdom casts out demons, the kingdom clears up the unclean industry, the kingdom heals the sick, and the kingdom raises the dead. (Life-study of Mark, p. 162)
Some may ask why Genesis 1:26 and 28 mention expressing God with His image first and representing Him with His dominion second. The reason for this is that there we see God’s original purpose. But because man has fallen, in the gospel man has to repent in order to come back to the beginning. Therefore, in the gospel, dominion is first and image follows. (Life-study of Genesis, p. 536)
On one hand, the Bible reveals the gospel as the gospel of grace, which is for us to become believers through faith. On the other hand, the Bible says that the gospel is the gospel of the kingdom, which is for us to become the Lord’s disciples, those who are trained, ruled, disciplined, and dealt with by the Lord’s authority. According to the gospel of grace, God is pleased to freely grant us grace, and we can receive this grace simply by believing. However, this gospel is also the gospel of the kingdom through which God desires to bring us under the ruling of the heavenly authority so that we may become His kingdom, those who are ruled by God’s authority. (What the Kingdom Is to the Believers, p. 88)
Satan instigated man to rebel against God by building the city and tower of Babel. The building of the city and tower of Babel was a declaration of independence from God. Mankind was declaring that it had become independent of God.
The gospel is for the kingdom. The purpose of the preaching of the gospel is that men might enter into the kingdom. The gospel is proclaimed that people might be saved, qualified, and equipped to enter into the kingdom....The gospel of the kingdom brings the rebellious sinners into the church. But now we need to see what is the reality of the church. The reality of the church is the kingdom. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 470-471)
Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msg. 35; Life-study of Mark, msg. 13
晨兴喂养
太四17 从那时候，耶稣开始传道，说，你们要悔改，因为诸天的国已经临近了。
二四14 这国度的福音要传遍天下，对万民作见证，然后末期才来到。
在创世记一章有两个关键的辞，就是形像和管理。你可以忘掉爬物和鱼，但是不可以忘掉人有形像和管治权。人不是按着蛇或蝎子的形像造的，乃是按着神的形像造的。这是极峰：人有神的形像，运用神的权柄来维护管治。
形像和管治是撒在创世记一章的两粒种子。这些种子需要整本圣经来长大、发展，其收成，完全的成熟，是在启示录二十一至二十二章（创世记生命读经，一一二页）。
信息选读
主耶稣凭着神的心思、意志、情感过着真正人的生活—在神的属性里彰显神。主不寻求自己的意思，只寻求神的意思。祂来不是要行自己的意思，乃是要行神的意思。这就是说，祂来过人的生活，不是凭着人的生命，乃是凭着神的生命。祂凭着神的心思、意志、情感生活，在神的属性里彰显神。这些属性乃是包含在祂的人性美德里，调和在祂的人性美德里（路加福音生命读经，六○五至六○六页）。
神正在恢复祂在地上的权利，要使全地成为祂的国（启十一15）。当基督来时，祂将神的国一同带来（路十七21，太十二28）。这国已经扩大成为召会（十六18~19），召会要在全地完成神国的建立（新约总论第四百零五篇—中文尚未出书）。
〔在马可四章三十五节至五章四十三节我们看见，〕人类社会中，几乎每一个人都充满了背叛的“风暴”、污鬼、不洁的事业（放猪）、致命的疾病与死亡。这就是人类的真实光景。然而，奴仆救主把国度带给我们，而国度正是堕落人类光景的解答。国度征服了背叛，赶出了污鬼，清除了不洁净的事业，医治了病人，同时也叫死人复活（马可福音生命读经，一八六至一八七页）。
有人会问说，为什么创世记一章二十六至二十八节先提有神的形像彰显祂，然后才提有祂的管治权代表祂？原因就是：在那里我们看见神原初的目的。但因着人堕落了，人必须先悔改才能回到起初。所以在福音里，管治在先，形像随后（创世记生命读经，六五二页）。
圣经一面称福音为恩典的福音，这恩典的福音，是要我们借着信，成为信徒。另一面又说这福音乃是国度的福音，为叫我们成为主的门徒，就是一个受主操练，受主管治，受主管教，受主权柄对付的人。恩典的福音是说，神乐意白白将恩典赐给我们，只要我们相信，就能得着这恩典。另一面，这福音也是国度的福音，是神借着福音，要把你我这个人带到一个管治之下，把我们带到属天的王权之下，好使我们成为神的国度，成为受神权柄管治的一分子（国度之于信徒，一○二至一○三页）。
撒但煽动人建造巴别城和巴别塔背叛神。建造巴别城和巴别塔，乃是宣告向神独立。人类宣告他们已经向神独立了。
福音是为着国度。传福音的目的是叫人进国度。宣扬福音是叫人得救、合格且被装备，好进入国度。……国度的福音把背叛的罪人带进召会。但现在我们需要看见，召会的实际是什么。召会的实际就是国度（创世记生命读经，五七三至五七五页）。
参读：创世记生命读经，第三十五篇；马可福音生命读经，第十三篇。
周 三
贰 形像与管治权这两件事，在创世记里是作为种子陈明出来，在新约里逐渐发展并终极完成：
一 基督的成为肉体与神人生活，达成了神造人的目的—创一26~27，路一31~32、35，二40、52：
1 基督的成为肉体，以及祂的神人生活，与神的定旨有密切的关系，就是使人接受祂作生命，并彰显祂的属性—创一26，二9，徒三14上，弗四24。
2 当基督来时，祂将神的国一同带来；国度征服了背叛、赶出了污鬼、医治了病人，并叫死人复活—路十七21，太十二28，可四35~五43。
二 在创世记一章，形像在管治权之先，而在福音书，次序倒过来了，管治权在形像之前，因为人已经从神的管治堕落了，人必须悔改—可一1、14~15，太四17：
1 神借着国度的福音，把背叛的人带到祂权柄的管治之下，使他们成为祂的国，并且受祂权柄的管治—二四14，启一5~6：
ａ 宣扬国度的福音是叫背叛的罪人得救、合格且被装备，好进入神的国—徒八12。
ｂ 我们在基督里的信徒，已经重生进入神的国这神圣种类的范围，而在生命里活在神的管治之下—约三3、5、15~16。
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