God made men for work, for protection, and for rescue. When we look at the imago Dei, the glorious truth that we are made in the image of God, I fear we miss much when we describe it in terms of abilities. God wills and man wills. He God feels and we feel; He thinks and we think. But the connection runs deeper. It is grounded in telos, purpose, design. We reflect God’s glory also in our calling. The dominion mandate, to rule over the creation, reflects God in His act of creation.
God placed Adam and Eve in paradise and commanded them to protect that garden, and to “gardenize” the “jungle” beyond. The garden was the model, the world outside it the calling. He gave our first parents every perfect gift. The garden itself, the “jungle” devoid of thistles and thorns, each other, and best of all the presence of God, walking with them. They failed, plunging creation, themselves, and all who would come after into utter ruin.
The promise of the coming Seed of the Woman wasn’t plan B, but was instead the new plan to complete plan A. The Last Adam would not merely save us from the just penalty for our sins, but would complete what the first Adam failed to do. The redeemed, the bride, the Last Eve would be a helper suitable for Him. The dominion mandate would be fulfilled, but this time in the context of curse rather than blessing. Adam had every blessing, every advantage. Jesus, on the other hand, faced a humanly impossible task. But He won, and is recreating creation, us, and as many as are afar off.
All it took was taking flesh and dwelling with us. All it took was speaking truth, being despised. He merely had to take on an all out assault from the devil himself in the desert, and the full assault of the demonic realm at every turn. All it took was betrayal by His closest friends. And then there was the horror of death by crucifixion. None of which is worthy to be compared with this- all it took was for the wrath and fury of His own Father due to us for our rebellion, to fall upon Him. All it took was descending into hell.
When I consider how unworthy I am, when I fear He would grow weary of carrying me, I return to this thought. He did not go through all this to abandon me. If ever a person should have confidence that His rescuer will never give up, it is I, who have been so painfully rescued. I am called to not neglect so great a salvation, which means in turn that I am called to believe that He will never neglect His great salvation of me. Jesus won me. He will not lose me. Because Jesus always wins. He is even now about the business of changing everything.