In His Image

Genesis 1:26-27

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Yesterday I talked about the creativity of God. An important aspect to that, which I briefly spoke about, is that we’re all created in the image of God. How cool is that? You are created in the image of God. That’s great, but what does it actually mean? I want to break this down a bit.

What does it mean to be made in the image of God? There are two ways of looking at it. You can look at it in its entirety, just like looking at white light. But you can also look at it in its component parts, as we see light in a rainbow. With that in mind, we have the image of God in itself. In Scripture, image and likeness are not distinct ideas. It means that we are made after God’s image. God Himself does not have a physical form, at least not that we know of. Deuteronomy 4:12 says “You heard the sound of words but saw no form.” To be made in the image of God, at least directly, denotes the physical appearance. But you are created in the image of the conscience of God also.

But looking beyond the physical appearance, and looking at the "rainbow" of this idea, you can see some more significance. Being in the image of God you have the ability to reason. People are capable of self-consciousness. We are capable of recognizing right and wrong. We are created to be able to be in communion with God, and we have the capacity for redemption through Him!

But to a certain extent, that’s all semantics. That’s all words to express something in a more detailed sense, but the most important aspect to being created in the image of God is that we are valuable to God. God created us, personally. The Psalms say that God knit us together in our mother’s womb. Jesus tells us that God knows the number of hairs on our head. Being made in the image of God is more than just consciousness or the feelings that come along with that knowledge. Being made in the image of God means having value to God. God knows you. God cares about you. You are created in the image of God, but more than that – YOU are a child of God. Don’t forget that.

Reflect

  1. Do you live your life like you’re a child of God created in His image?
  2. In what ways is your life and perspective changed knowing that you’re created in the image of God?

Pray

I know that I am created in Your image, God. I pray that you help me to know that and be confident of that fact every day. Thank you, God, for loving me and for making me Your child. God, I ask that you show me what it means to be Your child each and every day. Help me to know and have confidence in the truth that I am made in Your image. Thank you for every blessing that you give to me, God. Amen.

Philip Wines, May 19, 2020
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