Made in the Image of God
Then God said, “Let Us make human beings in Our image, to be like Us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” So God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”
Genesis 1:26-28
What does it mean to be made in the image of God? How does this idea help us with our understanding of God and living our lives?
God Has a Mission and Purpose for You
After Adam and Eve were created, God immediately gave them a purpose: (v. 28). The earth would be filled with image-bearers.
Also, Adam and Eve were to have dominion over the earth. There was to be a care and stewardship of creation. We are to be like a mirror at a 45-degree angle that reflects the One who created us.
God Cares for Each Person
When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority.
Psalm 8:3-6
The amazing fact is that the God who created the universe and set the moon and stars in place not only cares for you - He also gives dignity and honor to you as His image-bearer.
God loves us and cares for us, even though compared to the huge expanse of space and the universe, we are tiny. Yet God cares for us and is mindful of us.
God Defines Us, Not the Other Way Around
All that we are comes from God. Our personality, our worth, our gender, our purpose - all come from God. But it is easy to try to redefine ourselves according to our perspective.
We can try to define ourselves by ourselves. By our own thoughts, perspectives, and conclusions. Being made in God’s image means He made us, He knows us, and He defines us. Bottom line is: God is God, and I am not. We are made in His image, not the reverse.
We are transformed by the fact that we are “made in the image of God”.
Genesis 1:26 tells us that right after the creation of man and woman, “God blessed them”. Despite our best efforts to reinvent ourselves in our image, the Bible reminds us that being made in the image of God is a good thing. We have been given honor, dignity, and purpose to reflect the glory of God.
The Bottom Line: What does it mean to be made in the image of God?
Colossians 3:23 gives a great direction: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” We are the image-bearers God intended us to be when we, through our actions, our words, and our thoughts, reflect God who made us.