The Practice of Sacramental Devotion -- Part I

Worship is as old as humanity itself.

Actually, it’s older.

In its most distilled form, worship is, quite simply, "the transpersonal adoration of one being for another and the transcendent devotion of one being to another."  Even though there are many facets of worship that can be experienced in human relationships, such as being devoted to one's spouse or significant other, the adoration and devotion of worship is something that is to be reserved for God, and God alone (see Matthew 4:10).  To worship anything or anyone other than God is idolatry (see Exodus 20:3-6, Exodus 20:23, Exodus 23:13, Deuteronomy 4:16-18, Deuteronomy 7:25-26, 2 Kings 17:35, and Isaiah 44:6-20).


Genesis 1:26 reads, "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our Image, in Our Likeness...'"  What do you think God meant when He used the words "Image" and "Likeness" in the Genesis account.  To help with beginning to answer such things, I’ve always found it useful to try to return, as best as I can, to the original language and context in which such things were written…

The Hebrew word for image in this verse is tselem (Strong's #6754), which means "reflection" or "a shadow, which is the outline or representation of the original."  The Hebrew word for likeness is demuth (Strong's #1823), which means "similar" and can be used interchangeably with image.

In John 4:24, Jesus said, "God is spirit…," meaning God is a Being without corporeal (bodily) existence.  As such, for us to have been created in the Image of God, most likely, does not mean we were created to look like God in terms of our physical, bodily appearance (because, of course, God does not exist corporeally).  Rather, I think it means that we were created in the likeness of God in our spirits.  Meaning who we are in our spirits reflects Who God is, principally through the capacities, powers, and endowments we share in common with Him.  By capacities, I mean our abilities to receive, to absorb, and to contain or retain; by powers, I mean our abilities to control forces and to exercise dominion (or mastery) over oneself, creation, and the principalities and powers in the heavenly realms; and by endowments, I mean our abilities to observe, to think, to dream, to feel, to desire (generatively), to love, to exercise judgment, to express ourselves creatively, to act above or outside of our instincts, and to worship (to adore/to be devoted to).  These capacities, powers, and endowments come from God and are, in fact, of Him; and, by the Touch of His Finger and the Life in His Breath (see Genesis 2:7), they are of us, too.

In the Old Testament, the principal way in which God reveals Himself is through the unveiling of His many Names (each, of which, represents a different facet [or, perhaps, several facets] of His Character and Nature).  The loftiest of all the Names with which God identifies Himself is found in the four-lettered, Hebraic, Tetragammaton:  Yud Heh Vav Heh.  Pronounced Ye-veh or Shem Havayah, YHVH literally means "The Name of Existence."  Most English versions of the scriptures interchangeably translate Shem Havayah as "I AM," "Yahweh," or "Jehovah."  Shem Havayah is the Name that is above all other Names, and it is reserved only for the Supreme God of the Hebrews:  Jesus, the Almighty and the Creator of the heavens and the earth.  It is more than just interesting to note, though, that, in Genesis 1:26, the word translated God is NOT Shem Havayeh, but, rather, the less specific (and plural) Elokim, which in its most literal translation, means "Masters of Strength" or "Masters of Forces."

Okay...that's all for now.  Please stay tuned for Part II (of several more to come!) tomorrow…

May God’s peace be with all'y'all!

Dave