"As long as we were totally confined to God's image and likeness, He kept us good for him and each other."
 |
God Created Man in His Image and Likeness by Oried E. Graves Trafford Publishing
book review by RJM Terrado
Recent trends in bringing the concept of God closer and understandable to believers and non-believers alike are all rooted to His promises as stated in the Bible. Graves' approach of anchoring his thesis on the claim that humans are created in God's image and likeness to explore the nature of God's creation is a breakaway from the mainstream approach. In God Created Man in His Image and Likeness, Graves neither centers on prosperity tenet nor on pushing for a groovy praise and worship. He brings back the focus of the discussion of God and obedience to Him to where it all started: The Book of Genesis. Graves successfully ties the teaching on the birth and death of Jesus Christ, freedom of choice, and God's Spirit to the claim that humans are created in God's image and likeness. He seamlessly posits that since humans are God's expressed image, they can fulfill God's purpose for them.
What is quite apparent in this book is the goal to empower all humans, believers and non-believers alike. It provides an innovative, thoroughly convincing interpretation of the 27th verse in the first book of Genesis expressing humans' likeness to God's image. As if that is not enough, it also provides thought-provoking insights, affirmation to God's sovereign authority, and challenges to fulfill God's purpose of creation and to overcome the world. In the midst of the fray, the book remains centered on what are the implications of the God's image theology and what it ultimately wants to accomplish.