God’s Narrative of Redemption: Creation, Imago Dei, and Water Imagery

This research demonstrates that the reclamation of imago Dei identity is the ultimate and terminal end-state of God’s plan for humanity’s redemption; this plan is universally expressed to humanity through water imagery in the Old Testament (OT) and in Ancient Near East (ANE) context. The Creator unveils supernatural intent through natural processes and contends that the restoration of imago Dei identity represents the conclusive fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan for humanity. In pursuit of this argument, the research critically explores creational identity, the contrasting biblical notion of idolatry, and the cross-cultural significance of water imagery within the contexts of the OT and the ANE. By understanding the use of water imagery, readers can acknowledge that God works through the created-natural to reveal the ultimate redemptive plan; whereas the enemy uses the superficial to corrupt creation and human identity in an attempt to make humankind irredeemable. The interplay between the created-natural and supernatural forces underscores a fundamental truth: God utilizes the natural world for supernatural purposes, while antithetical spiritual forces seek to pervert and corrupt the same creation for destructive ends. Nowhere is this dichotomy more evident than in the corruption of human identity, symbolized by the separation of humankind from their Creator. Humanity, originally fashioned in the image of God, experienced both divine communion and subsequent estrangement following the commonly termed "Fall of Man" in Genesis. The enemy's agenda, laid bare in Genesis 3, aimed at corrupting human identity, remains unchanged throughout history. In the OT and ANE, manifestations of this corruption abound, from the intermingling of divine and human lineage in Genesis 6 to the lessons against idolatry and other gods, which fractured humanity's moral fabric and deepened the rift between humanity and its original identity in God. God's redemptive mission seeks to restor