方柱中全家福	方柱中夫妇

神的创造——造男造女

英文原作Janeta fong中译方柱中

编者按 方柱中为美国Nebraska州Creighton University 的数理教授且擅音乐。编者与方教授相识近30年。他和妻子Janeta 都非常爱主，夫妇甚相爱，值得羡慕。本文由他妻子Janeta 用英文撰稿，方教授译成中文。他们共有子女八人，对子女的教养甚是成功，故特邀他们将他们的家和教育子女的经验刊於家庭园地与读者分享。

创世记一章27－28节：“神就照着自己的形象造人，乃是照着他的形象造男造女。神就赐福给他们，又对他们说：“「要生养众多，遍满地面，治理这地……」”

上帝照着他神圣的设计和安排创造了这个世界，对照着他自己形像所创造的人类——第一对男女——上帝立即开口说话，指示他神圣的计划和吩咐他们应过的生活，这第一对男女就是上帝创造的第一个婚姻。神赐福给这个婚姻，也继续赐福给以后的婚姻。在“赐福”中上帝教导夫妻如何一起生活来荣耀他。

上帝的设计至今没有改变，从圣经的第一本书（创世记）里我们可以对自己和对婚姻作个检讨，我们是怎样看待自己的婚姻呢？上帝用一个男人和一个女人建立了婚姻的关系。我们对男女两性是怎样看待呢？我们对父母，对丈夫或妻子，对儿子和女儿又是怎样看待呢？我们可记得他们都是肉眼能见的上帝形像的代表么？男人是神的形像，女人也是神的形像，在上帝眼中同等重要。

明白了上帝照他自己的形像造了男人和女人，我们便能改善对别人的态度和行为，也能改变对自己的看法。你是从上帝的形像被造的，我也是从上帝形像被造的。不论男女，从胚胎开始便是上帝照他自己的形像特别设计。人的价值由此而起。诗人大卫在旧约诗篇里说：

“我的肺腑是你所造的。

我在母腹中，你已覆庇我。

我要称谢你，因我受造奇妙可畏。

你的作为奇妙，这是我心深知道的。

我在暗中受造，在地的深处被联络，

那时，我的形体并不向你隐藏。

我未成形的体质，你的眼早已看见了。

你所定的日子，我尚未度一日

（或作“我被造的肢体尚未有其一”），

你都写在你的册上了。”

（诗篇 139:13-16）

我们即是上帝照他自己的形像所创造，五脏六腑都是他特别的设计，我们就应知道，不论男女，在上帝眼中我们是何等的贵重！

创世记第三章记载了男人和女人开始犯罪。是不是从此人类再不是上帝的形像了呢？根据圣经，上帝没有终止照他自己的形像造人，他在创世记九章六节里说：“凡流人血的，别人也要流他的血，因为我——上帝造人是照自己的形像造的。”

在年青和满有活力的时候，我们不难觉得迷人的配偶是代表着上帝的形像。随着时光的飞逝，加上各种际遇我们眼中的配偶改变了。但是我们不可忘记我们仍是上帝照他自己的形像所创造的。我们的儿女也是上帝在暗中设计，为我们的家和这个世界所赐下的礼物。

笔者八十多岁高龄的父母亲已结合了六十一年。笔者和丈夫的婚姻亦已有三十三个寒暑。虽然现在的相貌和结婚照片中的青年已大不相同，家父母还是深爱着和细微地照顾着上帝为他们预备的配偶。他们没有忘记彼此都是上帝照着他自己的形像所创造的。笔者和丈夫的感觉也是一样。

让我们为配偶感恩，他们不但是我们一生的祝福，更重要的是丈夫和妻子都是上帝照着他自己的形像所创造，代表着天父的形像。

英文原作

CREATED TO BE…

Janeta Fong

“And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it…” Genesis 1:27,28a

And the LORD God created the earth: it was a divine plan, a divine arrangement, initiated and carried out-all that it is and all that He made. In those first hours of life for the human beings God crated commandments for their lives. These first two were ‘man’…both the male and the female.

God brought the first male and the first female together creating the first marriage. The first marriage was blessed by God. Marriage was blessed by God. And in blessing them, He told them how to live together to honor Him.

His plan continues to this moment. As we read these verses from the first book of the Bible Genesis, we are given an opportunity to evaluate ourselves and our marriages. How do we view marriage? God established a marriage with the one man and the one woman. How do we view man and woman? How do we view our parents, our husband or wife, our son or daughter? Do we remember that they are visible representations of God? Man (male) is in God’s image! Woman(female)is in God’s image! Equally valued by God.

This understanding can and should change the very way we speak to and of each other. It can and should change the way we treat each other. We need to remember the other is first of all made in God’s image. It can also change the way we think of ourselves. You are made in the image of God. I am made in the image of God. From conception each child, male or female, is designed by God and made in His image. It is not a value that begins with adulthood. We are informed of God’s special creation and plan for each male and female conceived – given life by God through the mother and father:

For You formed my inward parts;

You wove me in my mother's womb.

I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Wonderful are Your works,

And my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;

And in Your book were all written

The days that were ordained for me,

When as yet there was not one of them. Psalm 139:13-16

How valuable are we? We are God’s creation and in His image, in His likeness. Even our inward parts were distinctly planned by God…male and female.

Man and woman sinned: Genesis 3 tells this history of the first man and woman. Did both man and woman cease to be in the image of God when they sinned? As a result did every child born after that not have the image and likeness of God? According to God’s Words, they did not cease to be in God’s image. Genesis 9:6: “Whoever shed’s man’s blood, by man his blood is shed, for in the image of God He made man.”

When young and energetic, it is easy to consider the other – your husband or wife – as being in the image of God – attractive and wanted. But time, age, and experiences make great changes in our appearance from our wedding day. Still, we are in God’s image and we must remember that we are each still God’s creation. And if a child is conceived in that marriage is it remembered that God is designing that child in secret to bless your home and the world He gives it to – male and female, God’s gift?

My parents are 82 and 83 years old; they have been married sixty-one years. My husband and I have been married 33 years. In so many ways we are reflecting the aging process that people experience. My parents still care for each other in their home and still love and care for the one who was made in God’s image and became their partner in marriage and life, though they only slightly resemble the persons we see in their wedding photographs. My husband and I reflect many of those same changes.

As we look at each other, let us treasure the other and thank God for how he made us and who we are: his creation; male and female, each in God’s image, according to His likeness.