The image of God. It’s a phrase we may hear quite often in the
church, but I’m not sure how well we understand it. There are a few
Scriptures that can help.
Genesis 1:26-27 (ESV)- “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our
image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish
of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock
and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on
the earth.’ So God created man in His own image, in the image of
God He created him; male and female He created them.”
The image of God is therefore not gender specific—both men and
women are made in His image. And the primary role of all mankind is
to have dominion over creation, just as God exercised dominion in
creating the world. The image of God is also not isolated or
singular. God Himself is in community, and He created us for
community. “It is not good for man to be alone.”
Colossians 1:15- “[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn of all creation.”
Hebrews 1:3- “[Jesus] is the radiance of the glory of God and
the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the
word of His power...”
In Jesus Christ we see the most perfect example of God’s image.
While the image of God may be obscured to varying degrees in mankind,
Jesus reflects the Father perfectly. I would contend that Jesus was
therefore more fully human than any of us.
Romans 8:29-30- “For those whom He foreknew He also predestined
to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be
the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He
also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those
whom He justified He also glorified.”
Being conformed to the image of Jesus is a process of recovering the
full image of God.
2 Corinthians 3:18- “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding
the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from
one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is
the Spirit.”
The image of God is one of glory, but that glory is not always
evident in mankind. Only those who are chosen by God for redemption
will eventually experience that full glory.
I’ve
wrestled with these concepts for a few reasons. While it is clear
that all mankind is made in the image of God, and therefore all
people have inherent value, it is also clear that we live in a fallen
world. So how do we reconcile these truths? Everything from genes to
the environment has somehow been affected by sin and corruption. Paul
says that the whole creation awaits freedom from corruption and
futility (Romans 8). Every person is guilty of sin and struggles with
various types of temptations. Our sin nature is obviously not part of
the image of God. At the same time, the vast majority of people are
unhappy with their physical bodies in some way, so we have the rise
of diets, exercise, medications, and surgery to fix whatever is wrong
(both real and imagined defects). So the homo
sapiens body
can’t be the sole indicator of the image of God, although the fact
that Jesus came as a man suggests that that is part of the image.
Even mental capacity can’t be a conclusive sign if we agree that
every person is made in God’s image. (The Nazis certainly tried to
put limits on who qualified to be called human.) And although mankind
was made for community, relationships are often difficult, and some
people are more successful at living in community than others. Sin
has impacted our ability to relate to one another as we should.
The conclusion I come to is that even though we were all made in
God’s image, that image will not be fully revealed until the end of
time. As we grow in our relationship with Christ, becoming more
Christlike, we are also growing in the image of God. As we are
conformed to His image, we begin to develop more of the Fruit of the
Spirit, which are characteristic of the image of God. “For now we
see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part;
then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1
Corinthians 13:12). Right now we are poor mirrors for reflecting
God’s image—only Jesus was a perfect reflection. But one day our
transformation will be complete and we will see God and see ourselves
as God already sees us.
I see the implications for today as threefold: 1) We should learn to
be more content with who we are right now—physically, mentally,
emotionally, etc. We are all in process and we need to give ourselves
a little grace. 2) We should pursue our relationship with God,
learning more about who He is and who He has called us to be. He is
the One who can transform us and conform us to the image of Jesus
Christ. 3) We should look forward with hopeful anticipation of the
Day of the Lord, when all will be made right and we will see
everything as it is meant to be.
“Since
all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought
you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and
hastening the coming day of God... But according to His promise we
are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness
dwells” (2 Peter 3:11-13).
