Made in the Image of God

It is an interesting irony that the Bible-believing Christian has a higher view of humanity than the humanist does. Yet the Christian does not place his or her faith in the power or greatness of humanity. The Christian realizes that whatever good that may be in humanity comes from God who created us in His image. Humanity is made in the image of Divinity (Genesis 1:26-27).

The humanist on the other hand, believes in humanity's ability and potential, but also that it is purely by accident. That is, that the origin of humanity is random, unguided processes whereby material rearranged itself over vast eons to become what we are today.

It is claimed that goodness and conscience are simply intrinsic in humans, for no other reason than that they just are. But I am glad to know that you and I are made in the image of God who is love (1 John 4:8), and is righteous, and loves righteousness (Psalm 33:4-5).

God's commands are not arbitrary rules and regulations. They are expression of who He is. They are expressions of His love and goodness. And since we are made in His image, we have His laws written in our hearts; in our inner being (Romans 2:14-16).

But because of sin, human nature is corrupted. The image of God in us is distorted. Peace has been severed between humanity and God. And as long as one is not at peace with God, that person is not at peace (Ecclesiastes 7:29, 2 Corinthians 5:20). 

But there is a great lyric in Audio Adrenaline's new song, "Change My Name", where Kevin Max sings "You reached me on a broken line". That is what Jesus does.

And that is why it matters to believe in God. He created us in His image to be His friends (Isaiah 41:8, John 15:15). He created us to be His sons and daughters (1 John 3:1). He created us to have a Father/child relationship with Him. He wants us to know who He is. He wants us to know Him personally. 

So He revealed Himself through the prophets; Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Isaiah to name some. But most of all, He revealed Himself through His Son, Jesus. He became a flesh-and-blood human though He is the Son of God, eternal with the Father (Hebrews 1:1, John 1:1, John 1:14). 

He lived in the time and space of human history. And as the old Christmas carol tells; "Truly He taught us to love one another". Because He is the perfect image of God in human form, He is our example of what we were created to be like; perfect in love and devotion to the Father. He showed His love for us by dying for our sins. And He showed that He is true by rising from the dead, victorious over death (Romans 5:8, Colossians 1:15, 1 Corinthians 15). 

Because of His sacrifice of love, when He died on the cross, Jesus is able to unbreak the peace between us and Him. We can turn away from our sin and be His friends again! And thus begins that process (theologians call it sanctification) of being remade into that perfect image again (1 John 3:2, 2 Corinthians 5:17).

God is love. So why not love the One who is love? The reason that we as human beings even have a concept of love is because we are created by, and in the image of God who is love.

Do Christians Peddle Sin?

Sometimes Christians are accused of "peddling sin" because we believe that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). However, calling a thing what it is is not the same as making a thing what it is. Christians do not peddle sin. We do not make people into sinners. Sin is simply the reality of fallen human nature. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8).

When Adam and Eve committed that first simple act of disobedience, it resulted in the corruption of human nature. Sin became the human condition. It is a regressive condition, and the cause of death - both spiritual and physical (Genesis 2:16-17, Romans 5:12). It may seem a small matter. Especially when one considers a relatively "good" person. But it is not a small matter. Our nature now tends toward disobedience against our Creator; crimes against Divinity. People often try to defend their particular sin by saying they where just born that way. What they do not realize is that we are all "born this way" (i.e. as sinners).

This is why humans deny their Creator. This is why even the best societies tend to regress and fall apart over time. This is why every attempt to forge a Utopian society fails, which is one thing about which Nathaniel Hawthorne and others of his philosophy were right. Spiritual and moral regression is in our nature. And a man is never more wicked than when he thinks he can be good without God. As long as humanity is not at peace with God, humanity is not at peace. Every individual is called by the gospel of Christ to be reconciled to God. Only when we turn to God and receive the forgiveness that He offers through Christ can we be saved. (Romans 7:13-25, John 14:6, Acts 4:12, 1 John 1:9) "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 2:5).

So Christians actually do quite the opposite of peddling sin. We proclaim reconciliation with God. "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:20). This reconciliation, then, can only be accomplished by admitting that reconciliation is needed. As long as we deny that there is a problem, we remain in sin and are calling God a liar. (1 John 1:10). Through His Son Jesus, God is standing in the doorway of every human life saying "Let's talk about our relationship. If you are willing, I can make you clean so that I don't have to condemn you for your sin." (Isaiah 1:18 paraphrase).