Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
What do Christians mean when we say that humans are created in the image of God?
Ask 10 theologians and you'll get 11 different answers. What does “the image of God” mean in our lives?
It can't have anything to do with our physical appearance, since the Bible reveals God as an invisible spirit, without body, parts, or passions, as our Presbyterian friends say. Other things are proposed though, that supposedly separate humanity from the lower animals and reflect something of our divine origin.
Is it that humans have the capacity for abstract, rational thought? Maybe it's that we consciously make moral choices; plan for the future; seek to learn from the past; set long-term goals; intelligently investigate our environment; or, come together in groups around ideas.
Those are interesting proposals, but they cannot explain what it means to be made in God's image, since there are genuine humans who don't or can't do any of those things. We call them infants. They may also be grown folks who are asleep. Sleeping people aren't setting long-term goals. Is there less of the image of God in sleeping people and babies?
Genesis 1:27 is the origin of this “image of God” talk. It speaks of God's creation of all things, and finally of humanity, like this: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Later, in Genesis 9:6, this fact of having been created in God's image is the basic, moral reason why murder is wrong. You can't kill people, because God made them in his image.
The explanation for all this is found immediately after that first reference. When God created humans in his image, he told them, famously, to be fruitful and multiply, which we've all heard. However, he then orders them to “subdue” the earth, and “have dominion” over all the rest of the creation.
“Dominion” is an old term for rulership over a kingdom.
God has made us vice-rulers over everything he made. He's the ultimate king, but humanity was made to rule in his name. We were made as subordinate authorities, exercising a dominion of “stewardship.”
A steward is one who rules in the absence of the rightful king. Think of Lord Denethor of Gondor in the Lord of the Rings trilogy; or, of Prince John ruling Knottingham while King Richard was off fighting a foreign war. They were both (wicked) stewards, who had the dominion but were responsible, and answerable, once the true king took it back.
We bear the image of God in relation to our purpose and calling, not our looks or our minds. We've been given rulership over the created order, to imitate God by reigning in “the likeness of God, in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:24)
Rather than make another flimsy resolution for the New Year, consider how God has called you to serve him, by the use of all your gifts and talents. God's purpose is what gives your life objective value as an image bearer.
Gordan Runyan is the pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Tucumcari. Contact him at: