A God Who Risks

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)

We’re in a series exploring three biblical truths that give us the courage to create and work boldly in uncertain times. Last week, we saw how the truth that God works everything for our good gives us the courage to create. This morning we look at our second truth: We are made in the image of God who took the ultimate risk to create.

It can seem borderline heretical to claim that omnipotent, omniscient God is capable of taking a risk, but pastor Tim Keller argues that’s precisely what we see in Genesis 1-3. Here’s Keller: “You can see the risks and the costs from the very beginning. God made the world filled with human beings made in his image, human beings with free will. So God made the world knowing what it was going to cost him. Knowing what we were going to do. Knowing that [his] Son was going to have to come into the world and experience what he experienced.”

When you and I work to create new businesses, medicines, or processes at work, there is a tremendous amount of uncertainty. We are not omniscient and thus do not know whether our creations will fail or succeed. But God is omniscient. He is all-knowing. When God created humankind, He knew precisely the risks He was taking and yet still created out of a desire to share His love and glory with us.

What’s my point? Creation always requires risk and sacrifice. Risk isn’t just right. Risk and sacrifice in the service of others is God-like.

As we enter 2021, our world is more uncertain than ever. It could be easy to hold back, risk less, and play it safe at work in the New Year. But is that really the example the Father holds out for us? You and I are made in the image of God who created knowing that He would have to send His Son to earth that first Christmas day, only to be crucified some thirty years later.

To serve others well in 2021, you may need to risk capital, a potential promotion, or being misunderstood. But none of us will risk more than God did when He created us. Let that truth give us the courage to create boldly as a means of glorifying our Father in the New Year!