Brian Williams, a highly regarded Lewisian scholar, states, “Narnia might be more real than we think” because of its creative and ‘sacramental’ imagery to describe our fallen world (1). He states, however, that Lewis’s earlier work, Perelandra, offers even greater theological insights into the Creator’s intention for gendering the original imago Dei. Perelandra is set on Venus to depict a re-enactment of the creation of the first man and woman. Unlike earth’s first woman and man who yielded to the tempter, the Venusian First Lady does not. While our redemption was won by the true imago Dei (and will culminate in our exultation) in Perelandra there is no need for redemption! It culminates with the Venusian man and woman being rewarded for overcoming evil by being exulted. Thus, Lewis has shown that the imago Dei necessarily involved the creation of man and woman and it is in the appearing of the perfect imago Dei (Christ, 2 Cor. 4:4) that evil in our world will be forever vanquished (Heb. 2:14).

Christianity is both a vertical and a horizontal relationship. It is a vertical relationship of the believer with God; and, it is a horizontal relationship of a believer with other believers who are also a part of the body of Christ. This horizontal relationship is transacted within a local context in which God places the believer. Below are the ten priorities and purposes for a local church in which the believer is a vital participant…

It is my hope that Christian men will take these apostolic instructions to heart. This requires an application of Second Timothy 2:7. I would be thrilled if church  men’s groups went through each of these chapters and discussed what they read and then how this could be applied. Individually, I would be delighted if a man read this prayerfully. This involves understanding how God has made and designed men, and what He expects of men. The reason this is urgent needed is because our culture is in a crisis. I ask you to bear with me as I explain what I mean before I finally conclude with…

For those who know the true identity and deity of the Christ, it may seem a little unfair to describe Him as the preeminent man. What I will now demonstrate is that the eternal Son of God became a male human being, who started His human life as a zygote (a single cell pre-embryo) in the womb of the virgin, Mary. He was born in the normal way. He grew as a normal child, teenager, and young adult. Yet, as God in the flesh, He had manage His omniscience, omnipotence, and intrinsic glory. Only as the Father directed Him did He exercise any of His divine attributes. As Charles Wesley composed, to look at Christ was view the Godhead veiled in flesh:

I am going to offer a brief list of some of the good men mentioned in the Old Testament. Three of these men receive a lot more attention than the first three men I will discuss. Four of these men were fathers, and I will point out that the implication of the biblical data is that they fathered their children after they had fathered them. Each of these six men were manly. They demonstrated diligence to serve as providers and protectors. They showed genuine car and concern for others. They were examples of authentic spirituality—and did so in an environment that was often difficult. The order of this list is as they occur in the Bible.

In Part 1, I have laid the foundation that when God created the first man, it was a vital aspect of this creation that He created the first woman to be his ally and wife. While the man was created with a greater physical strength than the woman, I have pointed out that the reason for this was that he might resemble God’s protective strength for her, and use his physicality to be productive. The woman was not created as a lesser, but as a correspondent to the man. Importantly I also pointed out that when the woman was created she was named ’Isha. While A’dam had been inspecting and naming each of the animals in the region of Eden as an act of vice-regent authority, it is not until after the Fall that Adam then re-names ’Isha as Eve (Gen. 3:20). In this chapter I discuss the God-ordained changing role of a man. I will also note that these changes demand something of a man that the Fall has made difficult for men to do (and I should know): to receive correction with humility.

It might not be an exaggeration to say that many western societies are experiencing a crisis of manhood. Throughout this series, I will also be asking questions of you that are designed to also make you think and consider the possible answers. Here’s why I think this is an important question for Christian men to consider and to answer: (i) Abusive men are the main perpetrators of sexual abuse against women and children; (ii) men comprise the higher percentage of prison populations in western societies by a long way; and, (iii) most of the men in prisons have no meaningful relationships with their father. This is why I think we have a crisis of manhood!

Despite the growing stain of human sinfulness becoming increasingly violent and depraved through the unfolding of Genesis, Yahweh’s unfolding plan of redemption is also evident, and, despite the growing stain of human sinfulness GOD’s creation of humankind as imagines had not been lost or diminished. GOD’s Plan of Redemption has culminated in the finished work of Christ the Son in reconciling the redeemed to GOD the Father.

The imago Dei is much more than an ancient Hebrew concept of what constitutes the essence of a human being. It has been embraced by many, if not most, western governments to become the grounding for how western civilisation regards human rights. Examples of this include the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights – “Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world” and, the The 1776 United States Declaration of Independence – “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (sic) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The imago Dei concept has been described by Prof. Ellen Davis (Duke University Divinity School) as “potent yet cryptic” (Davis 2019, 9). This is part of the reason why systematic theology is insufficient in adequately understanding this literary figure. Much of the scholarship about the Genesis 1:26-27 introduction of the imago Dei has primarily focused on the man (A’dam). Yet, this introduction describes God creating the imago Dei as male (Heb. zakhar) and female (Heb. neqevah) — that is, not just as an individual, but in the plural. Rather than regarding Genesis 2 as an alternative account of creation, it should be seen as providing the detail of Genesis 1:26-27 introduces. Before we can consider the effects, if any, of the Fall of humankind from innocence, we must reflect on how this detailed account influences our understanding of the effect of the Fall.

I am going to argue that the imago Dei which makes humankind unique is not defined by any verb. I am not suggesting that these verbs referred to in Part 2 are not among the resultant unique capacities possessed by human beings. Neither am I suggesting that the design of our bodies is entirely irrelevant to understanding the image of God – but in this life, which is subject to futility (Rom. 8:20) – we all have the glorious hope of having our bodies transformed in the Resurrection.
What I will be arguing for is that the Genesis texts reveal that the imago Dei is ontologically unique and is not distorted, lost, or forfeited because of the Fall. The key text of this study, Genesis 1:27, presents the imago Dei as being “male and female” who were created as complementary equals and ultimately became the father and mother of all nations and ethnic distinctives.