THE IMAGO DEI
Written by Pastor Don Kimbro
“The real question today is not when human life begins, but what is the value of human life? The real issue is whether to affirm and protect the sanctity of all human life, or to embrace a social ethic where some human lives are valued and others are not.” — President Ronald Reagan
What does God’s word say about life? Is the sanctity or sacredness of human life found in the Scriptures? Is all human life truly precious in God’s sight? Does this include the unborn still in the womb, the aged, the widowed, the mentally handicapped, the unattractive, the physically disabled and every other condition in which our unique humanness is expressed from beginning to end? Let’s go to the beginning, when human life began—Genesis, Chapter 1:26-27:
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
The image of God. The Imago Dei. What does this mean in contrast to all of God’s other creation, both environmental and living? Being created in the image of God means more than having certain abilities and attributes. It means that humans are the images of God, regardless of what they can or cannot do. This image bearing of the Creator is a privilege extended uniquely to humans. No other “creation” of God can make this claim.
In God’s eyes, we are each endowed with a touch of Himself. Each human carries within his or her being the eternal, holy breath of God, the Creator. Therefore, each human life exists as an expression of God and His character. We are not merely flesh and blood like the animals. We are all image bearers of the living God. Since we embody God’s image, the sacredness of our lives, and the dignity it demands is based on something beyond our characteristics or abilities—it is rooted in the essence of God Himself. This touch or likeness of God bestowed on each human creation is not tangible; you cannot see, touch or smell it. It is part of the mystery of life.
Men, women and children created in The Imago Dei should be respected, regardless of their mental capacity, physical ability, faith (or absence of faith), social position or even size, which extends even to the very smallest member of the human race—and the most defenseless—the human embryo.
What else was involved in this unique process of God creating us in His own image? What distinguishes man from all other forms of life? What else makes us different and more important to God than the animal kingdom or the environment? We’ve already discussed that by design we were made after God’s image and likeness. But also notice that God gave mankind authority over all His creation (Genesis 1:28). He gave us the rule. God gave man and woman dominion. In God’s order, all of His creation is subservient to His highest creation, human beings. But God also did something else to distinguish man from all other creation. After forming him from the dust of the earth, He “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).
Although man’s physical body was made from the dust of the ground and because of the fall will return to the dust, our soul or spirit is God-breathed. The soul of man, therefore, is not of this world and will one day leave its earthly mortal dwelling and return to God (Ecclesiates 12:4). This cannot be said of any other of God’s living beings. Job expresses this uniqueness well, “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4).
Chuck Colson said being made in the image of God means that we “find our ultimate identity and worth in reflecting our Creator.” Blue skies, mountains, trees, the sun, moon and stars—the birds, the cattle on a thousand hills — all point to God as the Creator (Psalm 19). Only man, however, who alone is made in His image and likeness can reflect the essence and nature of God. Therefore, men, women and children created in the image of God—every human life—must be considered as precious, regardless of race, color, size, shape, economic status and yes, even their faith.
God has put his fingerprint on each and every soul. A portion of God rests in each human spirit and extends to every member of the human family. Upon death, every person will be judged (Hebrews 9:27). But until that time, God has called you and me to reflect His image through respect, dignity and the love of Christ to every human being and if possible, show them the way to the Savior of the world, who alone can save their souls. — Pastor Don Kimbro Host of Nuggets of Truth