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What separates us from the animals?  Why are we worth more than the flower of the field which fades away?  “The image of God,” the Christian may confidently reply.  “Humans are important because they are created in the image of God.”

If you are a Colin Buchanan fan, you might recite this excerpt from Remember the Lord: “In the Bible, in Genesis chapter 1 verse 27, ‘So God created man in his own image.  In the image of God he created them.  Male and female he created them.’”

But what does it mean that God made us in his own image?  Well, you might say, it means that human life is especially valuable.  All of creation matters to God, but human life must be particularly protected.

The image of God in human beings has greater implications for our behaviour than merely protecting and valuing human life, although of course that is important.  If we are to truly value the image of God in others, we need a reflective and intentional change of mindset in the way that we treat other people in our everyday lives.

Many Christians are so familiar with the image of God in humanity that it can be helpful to consider this from another angle to prompt some fresh thinking.  Let’s flip the question.  What would it mean for humanity if we did not carry the image of God?

Consider a cat or a houseplant.  God made them.  They are alive.  You may even feel affection for them.  But they do not bear the image of God.  If they die, their bodies go into the ground to turn to dust.  Death is final.

When human beings die, their eternal soul goes on to everlasting judgement or everlasting joy.  Their body may turn to dust, but it will one day be resurrected and join the soul in damnation or delight.  Death is not the end.  Their life has meaning and their choices have consequences. 

In summary, if human beings did not have the image of God, they would be disposable.  This life on earth would be all there is.  There would be no life after death.  Just as a houseplant dies and is forgotten, so human life would end with death.  However, because human beings are made in God’s image, each person is precious and irreplaceable. 

When we forget that human beings are made in God’s image, we begin to treat them as disposable.  We may dismiss them, ignore them, look down on them, and stereotype them.  In your mind, they become ‘those people’ rather than fellow image-bearers.  This can take many forms.  Maybe it’s the little brother whom you always make fun of.  Maybe it’s the person whose opinion you automatically dismiss.  Maybe it’s ‘those people’ you had a disagreement with, and you’ve already decided that they are wrong, so you don’t feel the need to consider their perspective seriously.

This shift in attitude is subtle, and mature Christians are not immune to it.  In polarising times, it’s easy to decide that we don’t need to listen to others because we already know that we are right.  Suddenly, we expect others to listen to what we have to say without even realising that we’ve shut others down.

It’s a sobering place to find yourself.  Suddenly a fellow human being, made in God’s image and precious to him, has become disposable, unworthy of your attention.  You have forgotten that the image of God is in them, too.

Self-reflection is essential.  Who in your life may be vulnerable to your actions?  Whom could you be excluding when you could be hospitable?  Whom do you subtly exclude because you find him or her difficult or awkward?  Whom do you mock because he has a different perspective to you?  Think about how small you feel when another person excludes you, ignores you, mocks you, or puts you down.  These actions are dehumanising.  You may long for the floor to swallow you up to hide your embarrassment. 

Being treated badly is not the only way we can be dehumanised.  When we fail to love others, we dehumanise ourselves.  The person who intentionally or unintentionally harms his neighbour dehumanises himself.  In selfish hoarding, lying lips, and malicious gossip, we see the image of God deformed and repressed in the hearts and lives of ourselves and others.  We fail to love God and others, and in ignoring the two great commandments we miss our purpose as human beings.  We were created to love God and neighbour. When we reject that purpose, we act against what God created us to be.  Where might you be dehumanising others through unintentional neglect and deliberate mistreatment?  You may need the wisdom of others to help you to see your own behaviour clearly.

Human beings are not only valuable because they bear God’s image. They were also created for a purpose. To bear God’s image is to represent God in the world he has made. We were created to reflect his character, obey his commands, and bring him glory.  The Westminster Catechism, in talking about the purpose of humanity, gives this very helpful summary: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.”  How do we glorify God and enjoy him forever?  “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecc. 12:13b).  Lest this seem a little dry and formulaic to you, don’t forget that the whole of Psalm 119 is a love letter to God’s law, celebrating and delighting in every aspect of God’s law, and finding God’s goodness and graciousness in every single command!

And so we come to Jesus.  No one else has kept God’s law like he has.  No one else has loved God’s law like he has.  No one else has loved God and neighbour like he has.  The Son, the image of the invisible God, shows us the image of God in action (Col. 1:15). 

How does our Saviour, the Lord of all the universe, the Creator of the world, display the image of God?  “I am gentle and lowly,” he tells us.  He comes in humility and gentleness.  He strengthens weak hands.  He looks out for the widow and the orphan.  Those who have no strength of their own receive strength from him. 

For thirty years he lived in an obscure town of poor reputation, leading an ordinary and quiet life.  Throughout his ministry he healed people, and performed miracles, and refused recognition and fame.  He washed his disciples’ feet like a slave.  He humbled himself, takes on the form of a servant, and pays a criminal’s penalty that he doesn’t deserve so that rebellious people can come to him for salvation and friendship (Phil. 2:7-8). 

Hanging from pierced hands, thirsty and gasping for breath, his body torn by thorns and whips, he prays for his tormentors: “Father, forgive them.” He humanises the vulnerable, the suffering, and the marginalised, while willingly enduring humiliation and dehumanisation himself. In his humiliation and obedience, a remarkable thing happens: he emerges victorious, honoured with the name above every name. The Holy Spirit is now conforming every believer to the image of Jesus, so that more and more we might reflect the character of the one who perfectly displays the image of God (Rom. 8:29).

My grandma has gone to be with Jesus now.  Jesus saved her at a Billy Graham crusade and she never looked back.  In her final years she struggled with debilitating Parkinson’s Disease that left her embarrassed and vulnerable.  I never saw my father or uncles miss a beat.  They treated her with great courtesy and respect, making sure that she had every possible support available, and encouraged her when she was struggling.  In her final days, as her frail body deteriorated, she had round-the-clock support as family sat with her, sang psalms to her, and read the Bible to her.  In caring for her, they honoured the image of God in her and displayed the image of God in themselves.  In her vulnerability and fragility, they loved and served her, and God was glorified.

The image of God is not an obscure Christian concept to be relegated to the theological too-hard basket, nor is it a doctrine so familiar that we no longer stop to consider its implications. The image of God is essential to how we live as believers. As we love God and submit to the Holy Spirit’s work in us, we become more like Jesus and are increasingly conformed to his image. As we love others and look out for the vulnerable, we display God’s image in ourselves and honour God’s image in them.

– Lauren Riske