Beginnings: Genesis 1

Man was created in the image of God, and as such, he was placed upon the earth with the express mission of placing the earth under subjection and ruling it, exercising God's Kingship in His stead (Gen. 1:26-28). On the purpose of the image of God in man, Von Rad writes that the image of God indicates

"... his status as lord in the world. In this connexion it is to be noticed how strong are the expressions describing this lordship (kbsh, "to trample on" or "subdue," rdh, "to tread [upon grapes]" or "to rule over). God set man in the world as the sign of his own sovereign authority, in order that man should uphold and enforce his - God's - claims as lord."

This is a crucial concept for understanding Biblical anthropology, and it is something always overlooked in our modern, psychologized society. Modern man and woman tends to look at man's purpose from his own perspective, and thus he arrives at the conclusion that his purpose is to "be happy" or "maximize his potential" or something equally as banal. But in truth, all of mankind is placed in the universe as God's regent, an ambassador, a representative of a higher authority and possessed of a purpose higher than his own subjective fulfillment.

Because our creation is not by our own power, our purpose is not of our own determination (Gen. 1:26, "Let us make man..."). There are many things in life that God has graciously granted man the power to determine himself. Man is granted free will. But he is not granted the ability to determine his own purpose, and therefore he is not grante the ability to pick and choose as to his role and function, at least not on a macroanthropological level. Implicit in mankind's purpose is the idea of ruling (Gen. 1:26, "let them have dominion").

So man's ultimate purpose is to reflect the authority of God while upon the earth. He is to fill the earth with himself (Gen. 1:28) and is to conform it to his will (Gen. 1:28, "subdue... have dominion"). Man is not to be passive, but is to take charge of the earth and mold it in his image, which is ultimately also the image of the Creator (Gen. 1:27).

But man as male is the not the complete picture. For though Adam was first created, he was not the whole of the image of God upon the earth (Gen. 2:7, 2:18-23). The Bible is clear that man is incomplete without the woman, and woman is incomplete without the man, for

"God created man... male and female" (Gen. 1:27).

Mathematically, this could be represented as Mankind = Male + Female. To subtract either out of the equation is to have something less than entire ultimate personhood.