What does it mean to be made in the image of God?
“Then God said, “Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and all the crawling things on earth.”
27 God created humanity in God’s own image,
in the divine image God created them…”
Scripture emphasizes that humanity is made in God’s image, intensifying it and mentioning it three times in those two verses.
Preachers, including me, mention it all the time. You are beloved, created, unique, filled with the divine breath and made in God’s image.
It goes deeper than the surface, which, that word image might imply. It goes to the core of who we are and who God invites us to be.
But what does it mean?
It means, you were made to love.
John Wesley:
“Not barely in his natural image, a picture of his own immortality; a spiritual being, endued with understanding, freedom of will, and various affections; — nor merely in his political image, the governor of this lower world, having “dominion over the fishes of the sea, and over all the earth;” — but chiefly in his moral image; which, according to the Apostle, is “righteousness and true holiness.” (Eph. 4:24.) in this image of God was man made. “God is love:”
In another sermon, John Wesley puts it like this:
“man was what God is, Love. Love filled the whole expansion of his soul; it possessed him without a rival. Every movement of his heart was love: it new no other fervor. Love was his vital heat; it was the genial warmth that animated his whole frame.”
“Man was what God is, Love.” And so, they lived happily ever after, God, humanity, and the rest of creation. Oh, wait, that is not how it goes? Part of being made in God’s image is the liberty and freedom of will. God did not want puppets or mindless clones. In humanity, God made a partner. But, because we are not God, within our freedom of will there is room to choose, poorly, to use our freedom in less than loving ways. We, can go rogue. And the best analogy I can think of is, Peter Pan’s shadow.
Peter Pan’s shadow does not always do what Peter does.
And in a way, Peter Pan’s shadow is like us.
We are beloved, children of God, and unique amongst creation. God saw creation and wanted a partner, to share the work with. So, God created humanity and, in particular, God created humanity in God’s image. God made humanity with free will, liberty of choice and determination. God made humanity to have understanding and, to love. Above all else, God made humanity in love and for love, for every action and choice to be made out of love. And, because we are not God, our freedom, understanding, and love is not always just, merciful, caring, or righteous. Sometimes, ideally most of the time, we are in alignment with God, we move in sync. But other times, like Peter Pan’s shadow, we go rogue. We do what we want, without thought of others or creation. We choose, but sometimes choose poorly. We can sin, we can miss the mark, and can even create systems that perpetuate and magnify that sin.
But, the good news is, that no matter how far rogue we go, how far away from God’s intent we go, God is always calling to us, connected to us, calling us back. God draws us back from our worst tendencies and unheathiest choices, back towards the original image in which we were created. An image of pure and perfect love.
So, what does it mean to be created in God’s image, why does it matter, simply and succinctly? Being made in God’s image means that we have a holy responsibility to love as God loves. And while we have a tendency to go rogue, God calls us back, invites us back into love, loving God, loving others, and loving ourselves.
This week, lean into the image of God in which you were made. May we choose wisely, choose justly, choose righteously. May every movement of our heart be a movement of love and may love fill the expansion of our soul. Amen.