It is difficult to imagine anything more complex than the human body; yet it was created as a faulted image of the perfected body of which we shall be. For when God created the first man, God said, “’let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”(Genesis 1:26-27)
For image is derived from the Latin word imaginem which means to “copy”. Yet a copy is but an imitation of the original, and is limited by that from which the image was created. And as we know, our human bodies were created from dust of this earth, for “the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7) And as dust of this earth, our bodies our not immortal, but must return to the dust of this earth. For “all go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust.” (Ecclesiastes3:20)And through the fallen image of mankind, the ruler of this earth has held all men hostage to be dust of this world. Yet even in this imperfect earthly body, there is no greater beauty to be gleaned from the imagery of our bodily existence. For even our Lord who is God, came to partake of this earthly existence. For “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
And by His coming in the flesh, His children are freed from the bondage of the earth. “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” (Romans 8:3-5) But all men remain prisoners of the flesh, while the ruler of this world holds men captive to his grip. And the image of man’s flesh gives us knowledge of the perils of its toil. For the rulers of this world have fornicated man's blood for its oil. And the perfection of man in God’s image, lies not in the flesh, but in man made in the image of God. And the value of the flesh lies not in our earthly existence, but in the knowledge that we attain while subject to its hold. And now that the time is near, man holds on to that which is dear. But in the end it is that which we fear... the fire of judgment, the return of man to dust of the earth.
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