Genesis 1:25-27 (NRSV) 25God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ 27 So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
In the culture surrounding Israel was the belief that people were little better than animals. But during the same times, there were kings and rulers who claimed, and often were considered, to be gods. God says we are more than an animal that needs to be trained, more than a beast at the mercy of our desires. We need pleasure. We need possessions, but we need more. We can raise our prayer higher than the desire to be a healthy animal. Pray instead, “Restore my soul.” Though God also says we are not gods either, do we indulge in god-like behavior in our homes and the places where we work, announcing our absolute judgment with absolute certainty on every issue and person around?
To be human is to be created in the image of God. The image of God does not mean that we physically look like God, though the body is said to glorify God. The image of God means that as God is Spirit, we are Spirit, We were created to have a relationship with God, to have dominion over the earth. God rules the Universe but has committed the earth to our care, to rule over it as stewards of God’s will. The image of God means we have been given the gift of God’s wisdom, power, and authority to fulfill our responsibility. And above all, the image of God means that we are here to represent the thoughts, the feelings, the attitudes, and action of God in our daily lives.
People found themselves immensely helped and supported in this responsibility when they met a man named Jesus. The image of God means we are to represent God’s will as that will has been made known in the person of Jesus Christ. We are human, created to represent the life and will of God. That is the purpose of our life. It is a life-time task, to discover how we can represent God and what specifically we are being called to do, but it is also the one task that is worth our life. For some of us that task may seem too big and too vague. For others it may seem too small and unappealing. But those who have accepted it know it is the only purpose that seems to fit. It is the one purpose that brings any measure of fulfillment to life.
Are you an authentic human being? Do you have a sense of living with a deeply felt purpose or do you feel you are simply pretending at life. If we are living in God’s image it will make our lives full rather than flat, rich rather than shallow, alive rather than simply going through the motions.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope January 12, 1991
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles
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