For the joy of the love of God.

On July 4th 1965, MLK Jr. gave a talk entitled, "The American Dream." In it, he made the following observation.

The whole concept of imago dei, as
 it is expressed in Latin, "the image of God," is the idea that all men have something within them that God injected. Not that they have any substantial unity with God, but that everyman has the capacity to have fellowship with God.

The passage that he refers to is from Genesis chapter 1, verse 26. I think it powerful that the first conversation within the Trinity that is recorded in scripture is about this decision to make man as an image bearer of God. Here is why.

1. The ultimate commandment is to love God with our all. That is because of all that exists He is most worthy of our love. Consider for a moment how much you love your spouse or child. Lewis suggest that this might be the first time you have (as a fallen, selfish human) loved someone as your very self, maybe. And realize that God deserves more love than that. But also consider how much joy exists in that state of love in which you find yourself. How much you simply enjoy being with that spouse or son or daughter.

2. Consider now that God, I believe, is perfectly joyful in the love that exists within the Trinity. The Father is in perfect unity with the Son and Spirit. The Son is in perfect unity with the Father and Spirit. The Spirit is in perfect unity with the Father and Son. We do not know, of course, how the Trinity works. But it seems clear that before time began the Father, Son and Spirit existed in a perfect communion of love. Perhaps this is why scripture say that God is Love (1 John 4:8). 

3. And now remember where we started in Genesis 1. God creating man in His own image as an outpouring of the love that exists within the Trinity, inviting us to share in that love. I think this evident in chapter 3 of Genesis, where Adam and Eve hide because the recognized the sound of God walking through the Garden. Such familiarity doesn't come without experience. Adam and Eve had walked in the Garden with God before that moment. 

If we understood this, we would always seek communion with God and probably never cease praying. For the simple joy of loving God and being loved by Him. But sin has made our senses dumb and we are calloused of soul. I pray that I learn something of the discipline, that I might better enjoy Him as I should. And, gentle reader, I pray for you too.

The full talk MLKjr. gave can be found at this address. I think it good and worth the time of any christian or patriot.

I am sure that none of these ideas are original, and I cannot exactly remember where I got them all, but I believe some at least must have come from the excellent work on the Trinity by Dr. Fred Sanders of BIOLA University.

The picture is by Rod Waddington from imcreator.com/free and is under a creative commons license.