The Bible states that the greatest masterpiece that God created with his own hands and incomprehensible wisdom was not the majestic heights of the Himalayas, nor the vast depths of the Pacific Ocean, nor the exploding colors of the desert flowers in the Mojave, but you.
You are the masterpiece of the Creator, the pinnacle of his wisdom, the most beautiful and exquisite piece of pottery crafted by the hands of the Master Potter himself. To him you are more valuable than Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, possess more splendor than Michelangelo’s David, and reflect more glory than the vastness of the Milky Way galaxy. This is equally true if you are the King of England and happen to be reading this (not likely!), if you are the poorest, most destitute person in a third world country, or anyone in-between.
When Moses first recorded this truth in the book of Genesis, he wrote it during a time when the existing and dominant culture told everyone that only the kings of the most important empires were images of God while everyone else was only a little step higher than the dust on the king’s sandals. It is in this culture that the earth-shattering, life-transforming truth was told to Moses by the Master Sculptor himself- everyone is made in God’s image.
Through the centuries, theologians have identified four main ways that we, as human beings, image God:
The image of God has a moral aspect to it. Just as God is holy, righteous, merciful, and loving, so those who are created by him are to reflect his character to those around them. Imaging God- who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three Persons in one substance from all eternity- also means that there is a relational aspect to the image. If God has existed in relationship among the members of the Trinity for all eternity, we are to lovingly and joyfully relate not only to him but to others around us. Scripture itself loudly declares that it is not good for anyone to be alone (Gen. 2:18). God, however, isn’t simply in relationship with himself and his people, but all of creation as well and he relates to creation as its sovereign King. Humanity, therefore, was to rule over creation on God’s behalf, cultivating and expanding the extravagant flourishing of the garden all over the globe (Gen. 1:26). This is what theologians call the functional aspect of the image, as humanity rules over creation as a vicegerent of the great King. Last, there is also a structural aspect to the image that enables us to relate, rule, and live a faithful life. Though God is a simple being, not made of parts, Scripture portrays him as having a mind, a will, affections and desires. These are all also part of what Scripture calls our ‘heart,’ and from this we operate every day in everything we do.
In sum, morally, we are to reflect the beauty of our King; relationally we are to joyfully serve and intimately know others; functionally we are to expand God’s rule and bring flourishing to every sphere and season of our lives; structurally, everything that we are is to be oriented towards our loving Father in our worship and work.
All of this means that we cannot winsomely, wisely, humbly, and lovingly reflect the heart and character of God if we do not know him. Knowing him- his deep heart and transcendently beautiful character- is crucial to know who we are, made in his image, and what we are called to do, serve other image bearers.
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