So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)
Not long ago, we spent
our Sunday School class reviewing the concept of our being made in the image of
God. Four different explanations were provided, all of which make at least some
sense, but my conclusion was that the explanation was over-simplified. The
reality is that all four explanations are likely to be true in varying amounts
and that there are probably more than four explanations that are all true. The
one I suggest is not true is that our being in the image of God means that God
has a physical body that looks like ours. We may refer to God’s eyes or hands,
but the references are for our benefit, not His.
This idea, identity as a
theme to my next series of books, and references here and there about
personhood have drawn my attention and I’m circling, not sure how to approach. Two
basic warnings come to mind. The first is that the truth is far vaster and more
awesome than we can dare imagine. The second is that the vast and awesome truth
is likely to be found in small things and small places. Somehow, that’s not a
contradiction.
But one thing is for
sure. If we want to understand who we are, what we’re supposed to be, etc., we must
come to understand God better because that’s the only way to understand how we
are made in His image.
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