Khrietuonyü Noudi
First of all, let us begin this discourse by answering the question “what is reproduction?” According to internet sources, reproduction is the production of offspring. There are two main forms: sexual and asexual reproduction. In sexual reproduction, an organism combines the genetic information from each of its parents and is genetically unique. In asexual reproduction, one parent copies itself to form a genetically identical offspring. The Oxford dictionary also defines reproduction as the act or process of producing babies, young animals and plants.
Reproduction is a natural phenomenon. All living beings like plants and animals reproduce itself. Whereas for mammals and animals it is necessary for the two genders to come together (copulate) to produce offspring, plants can reproduce its kinds through the natural process of its seeds, leaves or parts falling into the ground and taking root there. Whatever may be the process, it is a natural process designed by the almighty for living beings to propagate its kinds.
But the title of this write-up suggests that it is about the reproduction of God and not of animals and plants. But how does God reproduce Himself?
First, God is everlasting. He has no beginning and He has no end. He is a single entity and He does not need anyone or any power to survive. He can survive on His own and can do whatever He wants.
Before the beginning of time, God decides to reproduce Himself i.e. create another God just exactly like Himself. The reason behind this is not because He needs another god but because He wants to be in existence with another entity like Himself and have fellowship with that created being.
So He created another entity just like himself and called him man. This man (the created being) had all the attributes of God and had his own independent thinking and reasoning power to decide and act accordingly.
The book of Genesis reveals to us this creation story by saying that God created man in his own image. A better way to understand this may be to say that God was reproducing Himself when He created the first man and woman.
Now, if man is the created being or the reproduction of God, it is vitally and fundamentally important for the man to understand and realize that he is the created entity here and as such he needs to acknowledge, respect, revere and worship the entity who created him out of nothing. Likewise, it was also crucial that the created being realizes and acknowledges that the creator did not create him (man) because He had to but because of His love.
When God created the first man and woman and placed them in the Garden of Eden, everything was fine and beautiful for some time. But over time, the first man and woman began to grow curious, ambitious and suspicious and began to ponder about the reason behind their existence. They also started to doubt and question whatever God was telling them. And this was bound to happen because God bestowed them with independent thinking and reasoning power to assess their surroundings and figure out things.
In the middle of the beautiful garden, God had placed the tree of good and evil and told Adam and Eve that they were forbidden to eat the fruits of this tree. At first, Adam and Eve did not mind obeying this command of God and did not even think about eating its fruits and did not even bother to know the reasons why they were forbidden to eat it.
But with the passage of time, they began to wonder what could be the reason why they were forbidden to eat the fruits of this tree. Various and varied thoughts began to bombard their minds. They thought God might be forbidding them to eat from this tree because if they do so they may become like God Himself. They must have also thought God was preventing them to enjoy a more blissful and fulfilling existence by forbidding them to eat from this tree.
If we imagine ourselves to be the first man and woman in the Garden of Eden, it is understandable that all these thoughts, doubts and curiosities are sure to creep into our hearts at one point or the other. So the moment they suspected that God was putting something good away from them, they disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit.
But after eating the forbidden fruit, instead of feeling good and blissful, they felt miserable, shameful and guilty and tried to hide from God. And all these were not a surprise to God because He knew all these were bound to happen. When they rebelled against God in this way they were no longer fit to be in the beautiful garden because if they were allowed to be in the garden, there would come a time when they would even plot about murdering their creator.
But since God created man in his own image to have fellowship with Him, He did not wish man to just perish away without understanding and realizing the truth and purpose of creation. So God decided to use the process of reproduction and history to open our eyes to these fundamental truths.
So, if we are the offspring of God, that means we have all the attributes of God. But to become like God and exist like Him we must realize and acknowledge that we are just created beings and that there is an infinite God or entity who created us. Unless and until we realize and acknowledge these truths, our existence would continue to be like a thorn in the flesh of the Creator. But the moment we realize the truth and reason behind our existence and that we are the reproduction of God and that we were created for a purpose and for eternity, we are experiencing real spiritual maturity.
Have you ever thought about why, in the case of humans, a man and woman have to first come together for conception to happen? If God so desired, giving birth to babies could have been as simple as licking one’s little finger .Or if God so designed, instead of conception taking place in the woman’s womb, God could have made babies come out of springs and ponds. Or if God so designed, God could have given the power to human beings to create their own sons and daughters from mud.
But God knew man is by nature selfish and that man would normally try to avoid the hardships and the complications involved in rearing another human being. So if babies were made available in the springs, ponds or rivers, or man could create babies from mud or by licking his little figure without any strings or emotions attached, we would never be able to understand God’s purpose behind creation.
It is said that our pains and sufferings bind us together. And we are all aware of the hardships and complications that parents have to go through during childbirth and childrearing. And so if babies could be created or born without any pain, danger or hardship, we would not have any emotional or sentimental feelings towards our off-springs.
So it was the grand designer God who created man and woman and bestowed in them the desire for companionship, the inherent capability to like each other, to fall in love and the deep-rooted sexual urge. And to top all these, God Himself designed unbearable and risky labor pain for a woman during childbirth. All these play its crucial parts in ultimately putting us in the shoes of the Creator to realize His grand design.
And through all these process, when we become parents, God is actually taking us back to the story that happened in the Eden Garden so that we can feel what He felt when the ones who owed their existence to Him challenged His magnanimity and His sovereignty.
We are all very clear that our children came into existence through us. In other words, if it was not for us, our children would not be here. As such it is vital for all children to realize and acknowledge that they owe their existence and their lives to their parents. So since it is the parents who brought the kids to life, parents are bound to feel hurt and offended when their children rebel against them.
In the same way, God created us in His image and we are the reproduction of God and we owe our very existence to Him. If it was not for God, we would be non-existent. So the moment we realize that we were not just created in the image of God but that God is reproducing Himself through us to become like Himself for eternity, we have taken the first real giant leap towards becoming the real intended offspring (reproduction) of the Creator God……
