Preparing the Body of Christ Series: Part 5 – “Created in the Image of God”

A student goes out and interviews a stranger on the street, “How do you see human beings?” For the last ten years I have been assigning this project I have heard so many answers to this question. I have heard the science guy compare human life to that of a machine destined, to one day find themselves as a super human being! I heard a young man say that human life was a higher evolved animal with the sole purpose to procreate. In the midst of these various worldviews when the Christian is asked the same question, we get the same answer, “Created in the image of God.” Yet what does that mean? Emil Brunner explains it this way in his book, Man in Revolt: A Christian Anthropology. Brunner uses the Bible as his foundation to come up with two senses of the image of God. This includes the formal image which distinguishes man from an animal. In the formal image, man is able to have free choice and be rational. So the formal image may say that when God created Adam and Eve (mankind) they were holy and righteous, in the likeness of God. Their humanity was intact, at the same time holy and righteous like God. Brunner second sense is the material image which takes a look at the relationship of God and man. Even though Adam and Eve may have been holy and righteous, they were still imperfect. Not all knowing. Not all powerful. The material image was broken due to the free will of man as Adam and Eve disobeyed God. The relationship with God who is perfect, all knowing and all-powerful was severed for a life time, thus putting into motion the need for a Savior. Yet, what amazes me when I read Brunner describe the material image is that even though the relationship of man was broken God still so desired a relationship with his creation! And even in the frailty of our shortcomings, when we turn to God, “we reflect his image fully” (Erickson pg 524) towards others so that they may see the image of God living through us!


This is why I believe there is a spiritual attack on the identity of humanity. Our culture’s definition of humanity stems from secular ideas that state we are machines, animals, and a mistake in the process of evolution. If a generation growing up is continually told this, could it affect the way they view themselves? Could it affect the way man sees their fellow man? If man or in this case young people see themselves as a created mistake, machine or animal that evolved by chance, the image of man becomes degraded. No purpose. No sense of importance. The aged are put aside and the unborn is thrown out. Shootings on high school and college campuses become the norm. People with disabilities are looked down on. Euthanasia or suicide is seen as a solution to humanities pains and sorrows. How that changes when we see ourselves and others through God’s eye’s. A student in the class I’m taking, asked the question, “…if we are made in the image of God than isn’t the image amazingly varied and omnipresent on the outside, but basically the same on the inside?” Let that sink in for a while! Being created in the image of God means that every man, woman and child is unique and wonderfully made! There is purpose and a sense of love for mankind. Why? Because God’s desires and love for us is the same...to live life to the fullest, always reflecting Him to others! Learning about God’s view of mankind makes me appreciate even more His purpose for my life!



His call. His gift to you. Your purpose. Irrevocable.