So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion….” (Genesis 1:27-28, ESV)
Visit any golf resort (think Pinehurst) or famous club (like Winged Foot) and typically you will discover the course’s logo printed on golf balls, divot repair tools, and head covers. The merchandisers know what we all know: branding indicates value.
In Genesis, God reveals an indispensable truth: humanity is “branded.” After creating the heavens and the earth, the Creator populated the heavens with the sun, moon, and stars; the sea with dazzling creatures; and the earth with vegetation, beasts, and livestock. On the penultimate sixth day, God fashioned his crowning achievement—mankind. While all his creation is “good,” humanity is uniquely valuable because we bear the image of our Maker.
Unlike manufacturers, when God’s image bearers become defective because of sin (Adam’s and our own), he doesn’t X us out or throw us away; he redeems and restores his image in us through Christ, the only perfect image bearer (see Colossians 1:15, 3:10).
So, what does it mean to image our Creator? First, the image of God in humanity is constitutive. That is, the image of God is woven into our very nature: like God, humans are rational, relational, and spiritual beings. Second, the image of God in humanity is vocational. In other words, humanity images God by “working and keeping” the garden (Genesis 2:15). On this second view, as we seek to “…subdue and rule…,” we are imaging our Creator.
While all his creation is “good,” humanity is uniquely valuable because we bear the image of our Maker.You might wonder does this have any bearing on our personal and public lives? Consider a few implications:
Worship. Knowing that we are like God should lead to an intensified awareness of and commitment to know and worship him. Because we are constituted in his image, we can think his thoughts after him; we can have a relationship with him; and we can worship in Spirit and truth.
Vocation. Imaging God leads us to recognize all ethical careers as “callings.” As Dorothy Sayers said, “…all work is a gracious expression of creative energy in service of others.” So, it is not merely the preacher who has a high calling. The “butcher, baker and candlestick maker” have high callings as well. This means that our vocations during the “other six days” are deeply meaningful expressions of worship (see Colossians 3:23).
Comprehensive Lordship. The doctrine of the image of God expands our view of Christianity from something we do on Sundays, to something we are and do throughout the week in every area of our lives. Our families, our hobbies, our investments all become Christian pursuits as we endeavor to “do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). This shows up in the I of the LINKS acrostic: Integrate Christ’s reign and integrity into all of life.
Civil Discourse. Because all human beings are image bearers, Republicans and Democrats, as people, have intrinsic value. Adopting this perspective would go a long way to healing the incivility occurring in America, especially, but not limited to, the incivility in our political discourse (see James 3:9).
Race Relations. Every race uniquely images God. Reestablishing this glorious truth would help in healing the racial divides in the West.
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Dennis Darville
February 23, 2021
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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