Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Imago Dei: Made to Reflect God's Character


In Genesis 1.27 we are told that out of all of creation, "God made man in His own image." That is a great honor! But this can also be very confusing. What does it even mean to be created in God's image? Does that mean we look like Him? Ephesians 4.24 gives us more information here: the divine image is something that is inside of us, and has to do with qualities like "true righteousness and holiness." We don't look like God, but we do reflect His nature and His character to the world around us; we are His ambassadors. If you want to know what it looks like to live out this doctrine, Ephesians 4.24-5.2 shows us: because we are made in God's image, we, unlike nature, get to represent God's truthfulness (put away all falsehood), his righteous anger (be angry and do not sin), his love for grace and building up rather than crass talk and tearing others down (let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths) and his absolute kindness and forgiveness towards us (be kind to one another... forgive one another, as God in Christ forgave you).


Summary & Further Reading

Read Ephesians 4.24-5.1, and go further than that if you like. This passage shows us what the "Image of God" lifestyle looks like, and teaches us about what God is like in the process.


We were made to reflect God's nature to the world;

Our lifestyle is the representation of His character.



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