Genesis 1:26-27
As we look around, we see our world falling apart and most often we try to deal with the symptoms rather than the root problems. So, for a few moments, let’s look briefly at the view of your image. This is not a self esteem talk, but rather an essential conversation from a Biblical perspective.
In Genesis 1:26 God speaks of making humanity, male and female, in His image. What does that word image mean? It simply means that there is a resemblance, much like a baby bears a resemblance of the parents. The Biblical view of image has much to do with the functions of spiritual and moral resemblance. However, the image and its resemblance is ultimately displayed in a functional relationship. In Genesis 1:26 God said, “Let Us make… in Our image.” Notice the plural words that are used showing a connection and relationship. This is the God head communicating as the Father, Son and Spirit together in community. You will see this continued communication and relationship as God daily talks, in person, with Adam and Eve until they sinned (Genesis 3:8). Right from the start, God desires to to have a relationship with people.
So, what happened to the image? I want you to imagine a mirror. At creation when God made Adam and Eve everything was very good (Genesis 1:31). But, in Genesis 3, we see the entrance of sin and the corruption of humanity. This is the root of the distortion of the God’s image in humanity. Sin corrupts all of our life so the reflection of God is not clearly seen. Today, we as people still bear the image of God, but its reflection is still distorted by sin. This plays out daily in a lack of morals and lack of relationship governed by a lack of true righteousness in our lives and justice in our actions. To use your imagination again, you can smear butter across the mirror and the reflection is distorted and not clearly seen. In the same way that is what sin has done. Sin distorts God’s image that we were originally designed to reflect.
The spiritual solution is found by dealing with the distortion of sin and the way it corrupts our lives. This is something that only God can do as we trust in Christ to save us from our sin and our self. To begin the cleaning process God uses His grace and forgiveness offered through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). God cleans up our mess as we turn to Him in faith. God begins the cleansing and restoration process so we can reflect or display Him through our lives. Righteousness is developed in our lives as our personal response to God’s ongoing purifying work while justice is seen as the practical application of that righteousness displayed toward others.
The outcome is that we who know and believe that we are loved by God (John 3:16) and should be the ones who display or reflect His love to others (Matthew 22:37-40). That means we view others as the image bearers of God that they truly are. When we reflect God’s image we seek to love unconditionally and not based on skin color or geography. When we reflect God’s image we use words of grace. When we reflect God’s image we serve the needs of others and are not self seeking for our own. When we reflect God’s image we love people unconditionally just as God loved us. When we reflect God’s image we treat employees fairly and in turn we seek to benefit the employer. When we reflect God’s image we work to see righteousness and justice established and the redemption of a sin broken world just as God did. When we reflect God’s image we love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:39). May God give us the grace to be cleaned by Him so we can be a mirror image of Him.
As we look around, we see our world falling apart and most often we try to deal with the symptoms rather than the root problems. So, for a few moments, let’s look briefly at the view of your image. This is not a self esteem talk, but rather an essential conversation from a Biblical perspective.
In Genesis 1:26 God speaks of making humanity, male and female, in His image. What does that word image mean? It simply means that there is a resemblance, much like a baby bears a resemblance of the parents. The Biblical view of image has much to do with the functions of spiritual and moral resemblance. However, the image and its resemblance is ultimately displayed in a functional relationship. In Genesis 1:26 God said, “Let Us make… in Our image.” Notice the plural words that are used showing a connection and relationship. This is the God head communicating as the Father, Son and Spirit together in community. You will see this continued communication and relationship as God daily talks, in person, with Adam and Eve until they sinned (Genesis 3:8). Right from the start, God desires to to have a relationship with people.
So, what happened to the image? I want you to imagine a mirror. At creation when God made Adam and Eve everything was very good (Genesis 1:31). But, in Genesis 3, we see the entrance of sin and the corruption of humanity. This is the root of the distortion of the God’s image in humanity. Sin corrupts all of our life so the reflection of God is not clearly seen. Today, we as people still bear the image of God, but its reflection is still distorted by sin. This plays out daily in a lack of morals and lack of relationship governed by a lack of true righteousness in our lives and justice in our actions. To use your imagination again, you can smear butter across the mirror and the reflection is distorted and not clearly seen. In the same way that is what sin has done. Sin distorts God’s image that we were originally designed to reflect.
The spiritual solution is found by dealing with the distortion of sin and the way it corrupts our lives. This is something that only God can do as we trust in Christ to save us from our sin and our self. To begin the cleaning process God uses His grace and forgiveness offered through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). God cleans up our mess as we turn to Him in faith. God begins the cleansing and restoration process so we can reflect or display Him through our lives. Righteousness is developed in our lives as our personal response to God’s ongoing purifying work while justice is seen as the practical application of that righteousness displayed toward others.
The outcome is that we who know and believe that we are loved by God (John 3:16) and should be the ones who display or reflect His love to others (Matthew 22:37-40). That means we view others as the image bearers of God that they truly are. When we reflect God’s image we seek to love unconditionally and not based on skin color or geography. When we reflect God’s image we use words of grace. When we reflect God’s image we serve the needs of others and are not self seeking for our own. When we reflect God’s image we love people unconditionally just as God loved us. When we reflect God’s image we treat employees fairly and in turn we seek to benefit the employer. When we reflect God’s image we work to see righteousness and justice established and the redemption of a sin broken world just as God did. When we reflect God’s image we love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:39). May God give us the grace to be cleaned by Him so we can be a mirror image of Him.
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