We were Created for the Purpose of Expressing God and Exercising His Dominion

In concluding our crystallization-study of Genesis we need to see what this book is about in its entirety.

The book of Genesis begins and ends with image and dominion: in the beginning, we see God creating man in His image and giving him dominion over all things, and at the end we see Jacob who expresses God in His image and represents God through Joseph, the reigning aspect of a mature life.

Why did God create man? Why is God working with man? Why did God call Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Why did Jacob have to go through so many things in his life, and why is his story so important? All these relate to the subject of the book of Genesis: man bearing the image of God and exercising God’s dominion over all things (see Gen. 1:26-28).

God created man in His image with the intention that man would become God’s duplication, His reproduction, for His corporate expression. An image, a picture, is an exact expression of the person in the image. We were created in God’s image so that we may be His expression, His exact duplication on earth.

At the end of Genesis, we see this with Jacob who was not only transformed but mature to express God and bless everyone with God Himself.

God created man and gave him dominion over everything – from the fish of the sea to the birds of heaven and the cattle and everything that creeps upon the earth. Man was given God’s authority over everything so that he would deal with God’s enemy (“the creeping things”) and recover the earth to bring in the kingdom of God on earth.

God wants to bring in His kingdom on earth, and He gave man His authority so that this corporate man would exercise dominion over all things and recover the earth for God. We see this at the end of Genesis with Joseph, the reigning aspect of Jacob, who was reigning with authority over the whole Egypt.

Hallelujah, we are created in God’s image to be His expression and we were given God’s authority to exercise His dominion over all things and bring in God’s kingdom!

The Subject of Genesis: Man Bearing the Image of God and Exercising God’s Dominion over All Things

After enjoying and studying all the major crystals in the book of Genesis, it is good to look back and see what is the subject of Genesis and how does it relate to the entire Bible.

If we would have a bird’s-eye view of the book of Genesis (which I personally don’t have in and of myself – but with the help of the footnotes and the ministry of the age we all could have it) we would see that the book of Genesis begins in the same way as it ends, with image and dominion.

Actually, the subject of Genesis is man bearing the image of God and exercising God’s dominion over all things. This is why we exist as human beings: to bear God’s image and exercise His dominion over all things.

Man was Created by God in His Image to Express Him Corporately

First of all, in Gen. 1:26-28 we see that man was created in the image of God, the highest Being in the universe. This means that we, mortal human beings, are created by God in His image – we are not low creatures, “evolved monkeys”, or the result of some sort of “Big Bang” followed by millions of years of evolution; we are men bearing God’s image.

God’s intention is that the man created in His image would be His duplication, His reproduction, for His corporate expression.

We see this more clearly in the New Testament where those who believe into Christ and receive Him as their life become a new creation, and they become His duplication. This is God’s economy, that Christ as the unique grain would be reproduced and multiplied through His death and resurrection to become many grains (see John 12:24).

God’s desire is to have not just one Son, the Only Begotten, but many sons who would be conformed to the image of the Firstborn Son of God (Rom. 8:29). Christ is the active instrument of God’s creation, and for Him all things were made; this One is now leading many sons into glory by first being perfected through many sufferings (Heb. 2:10). Hallelujah!

As believers in Christ, we are now children of God, and it has not yet been manifested what we will be; but we know that if Christ is manifested, we will also be manifested to be like Him because we will see Him even as He is (1 John 3:1-2).

How wonderful it is that God today is making us into His glorious sons, the reproduction of His firstborn Son, bearing His image corporately!

We see this as a seed in Genesis in the beginning with God’s intention in creating man, and at the end with Jacob expressing God through his maturity in life.

Hallelujah, we were created in God’s image and with His likeness that we may corporately express God on earth! Lord, it is Your intention that we would be Your duplication: work Yourself into us, fill our vessel with God, and make us Your corporate expression! Thank You for giving us the outward appearance of God and the inward capacity to receive God, contain God, and be filled with God to express God! Praise the Lord: we are men in the image of God to express God in a corporate way!

Man was Given God’s Dominion to Represent God and Bring in God’s Kingdom

Man was created by God in His image, and God gave man His dominion over all beings and things on the earth with the intention that man would subdue His enemy, represent God, recover the earth, and bring in God’s kingdom on earth.

The heart of Genesis is that man was created by God in His image and according to His likeness so that man would corporately express God and represent Him on earth. Man was created by God not only to express Him with His image but also to represent Him with His dominion.

God has an enemy, Satan; this one has rebelled against God and has usurped the whole universe. Therefore, man was created by God in His image and given God’s dominion to subdue Satan first in his flesh and then on the whole earth.

God gave man His dominion to recover the earth from under the usurpation of Satan and to exercise His authority over the earth in order that the kingdom of God may come to the earth, the will of God may be done on earth, and the glory of God may be manifested on the earth (see Matt. 6:10, 13).

The kingdom of God will not simply come; it needs to be brought in through certain ones who are one with the Lord in their relationship with Him and enable Him to move without limitation.

We were created for the purpose of expressing God and exercising His dominion; this is the heart of Genesis. God wants us to allow Him to work in us in the way of life to the end that we increasingly express Him and represent Him.

This is the heart of Genesis, and this is developed all the way through the New Testament and consummates in the New Jerusalem where we see God being expressed and represented in full through a corporate man!

Lord Jesus, we exercise our spirit to be one with You in our relationship with You in life to enable You to move without any limitation. Lord, rule and reign in us, and make us those who would exercise Your authority over Your enemy to subdue him. Lord, gain the corporate new man who fulfills Your purpose of expressing You and representing You on earth. May Your kingdom come to the earth, Your will be done on the earth, and Your glory be manifested on the earth!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, bro. Ron Kangas’ sharing in the message for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Genesis (msg. 92), as quoted in, the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Genesis (3), week 12 / msg 12, Image and Dominion – the Heart of Genesis.
• Further reading: recommending life-study of Luke msg. 56, by Witness Lee.
• Picture credit for 1 John 3:2 and more spiritual quotes on this topic via, Christian Pictures Blog.
• Hymns on this topic:
  # In the Word of old, we are clearly told, / In His image God created man. / To express His worth, to subdue the earth, / Have dominion and fulfill His plan. / Image, image, / In His image He created man. / Image, image, / For dominion, to fulfill His Plan. (Hymns #1144)
  # God ordained us unto sonship, / Ere creation’s work was done, / To conform us by His Spirit / To the image of His Son; / That His only dear Begotten / Might become the firstborn One, / And by Him with many brethren / His expression full be won. (Hymns #741)
  # The church is Christ— / His expression on the earth today; / The church is Christ— / His expression on the earth today. / This corporate man / Fulfills God’s plan, / That this man may have dominion over all the earth. (Hymns #1293)