“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (ESV)

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (NIV)

A great fantasy book starts with a map. The first pages illustrate rivers, mountains, cities, and swamps. Pilgrim’s Progress. The Chronicles of Narnia. The Lord of the Rings. They give you a map before the start of the first chapter.

Before you meet a Hobbit, you gaze upon a map of a new world. You see the Shire. The Lonely Mountain. Narnia is the same. You see a wardrobe, a lamp post, a place called Cair Paravel. You haven't read a single word of the story, but you begin to imagine the vastness of a new land. If you miss the map, you might miss the story altogether.

Yet, when many people read the Bible, they skip the map. Flipping past Genesis to get to the Psalms, the prophets, the Cross. Some of us tend to skip past the Old Testament all together. If we do, we will end up confused: Why does sin feel so personal to God? Why does human life carry such weight? Why does the New Testament keep saying I’m a bride? (I’m a 27 year old man for crying out loud!)

Without the map, we get lost. So much of the story is a mystery without it. That first page of a good book matters. And if the good book is the Good Book, it really matters. If you miss the map in a good story, you may miss the point of the novel. If you miss the map in the Bible, you may miss the point in life itself. Stakes are high and Moses gives us the map in a single verse, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." 

This is Moses’ map for us. Three timeless truths. These truths are foundational and every page that follows assumes you know them:

God is the Creator. He has rights over His creation. Sin isn't just a mistake we make but treason against the Creator of everything.

Humanity is His image. Human life is valuable because it bears the image of God. Long before a law against murder existed, God punished Cain for killing his brother(Genesis 4:8).

Humanity is male and female. Scripture uses marriage to illustrate the Gospel — a husband who lays down his life for his bride. That illustration has been brewing since the dawn of time.

Like a great author, the Lord put intention into his world and into his writing. He provides those who traverse his world a map. Let us be people who trust in the writer of the World.
You've been given a map. Don't skim it. Don't skip it. Read it. Love it. Live it.

Written by Rainer Erani