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The Image and the Mediator

December 10, 2025 by Spencer Murphy
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And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens… Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image” (Genesis 9:1-7)

Reflection

Upon leaving the ark, Noah steps into a new world as a new Adam. The parallels between these two figures are striking. Bruce Waltke lists several:

  1. Both are given the command to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth (Gen. 1:28, 9:1).
  2. Both rule over the animals (Gen. 1:28, 9:2).
  3. Both walk with God (Gen. 3:8; 6:9)
  4. Both work the ground (Gen. 3:17-19; 9:20)
  5. Both have three named sons (Gen. 4:1-2, 26; 6:10)
  6. Both are associated with the image of God (Gen. 1:27, 9:6).*

However, the problem of sin remains. The Imago Dei was not erased, but it was shattered by Adam's disobedience. Noah proves this truth: Adam sinned by eating the forbidden fruit, and Noah sinned by drinking the fruit of the vine. Interestingly, both of their sins resulted in nakedness, signaling the shame and dehumanization that sin inevitably brings. Though Noah is a new figure in a new creation, his sin confirms that the human heart is still evil (Genesis 6:5).

The solution to the sin problem wouldn’t come through another new beginning or a new, flawed representative like Noah, but through the promised seed of the woman: the perfect Mediator, Jesus Christ. He is the true image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). As the Second Adam (Romans 5:12–21), Jesus perfectly fulfilled the law and bore the image of God where Adam and Noah failed. Our true hope rests not on turning over a new leaf or in reinventing ourselves, but on resting entirely in the finished work of Jesus.

If you have trusted in Jesus, you are being renewed after His image (Colossians 3:9–10). The glory of heaven is that we will be not only with our Savior, but like our Savior. Let's rejoice in this glorious truth!

Questions

  1. How does the knowledge that you are made in the image of God change the way you view your own identity and self-worth?
  2. The command to protect the image of God means honoring all people. Who is one person you currently struggle to respect or honor? How can you treat them with greater dignity this week, remembering God’s image in them?
  3. How does Jesus (as the true image of God) free you from the burden of trying to be a perfect Adam or perfect Noah in your own strength?

 

* Waltke, Bruce K. Genesis: A Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001.