What is the Image of God, and Why Does it Matter?

The Latin term ‘imago Dei’ — meaning “the image of God” — is a fundamental Judeo-Christian theological concept taken from the Genesis account of the creation story (Genesis 1):

26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings[b] 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,[c] and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

27 So God created human beings[d] in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

So what does this mean to be created in the “image of God”? To put it in more understandable terms, anyone who has children understands having “created” human beings in their own image. It’s far more intimate than simply saying “he looks like me.” It’s far more than that. There’s a personal investment. Part of us is in that child. Saying “that’s my child” isn’t just a statement of ownership, it’s a statement of identity.

We often tell others that when they insult or attack our children, they are insulting or attacking us. In truth, we probably defend our children more intensely than we defend ourselves. So when you consider the relationship of humankind to God in this light, then Jesus comments in Matthew 25 make much more sense:

41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.[g] 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

It’s the “Imago Dei” that makes every human being a diamond in the rough. It’s what gives us our value. Humans may not be created equal in the sense that we are carbon copies — we have different looks, different talents, different circumstances, etc. — but every human being is born of equal worth because of the inherent “image of God” in his/her DNA that can never be removed.

Human beings tend to think we are more important if we have wealth, position, power, looks, intelligence, and so on. Jesus clearly stated that is a fantasy. We think our self-importance makes us superior. We justify denying assistance to the poor by saying “they are lazy freeloaders” not proud self-made men like me. I shouldn’t have to help them. We can oppress and deny justice to blacks because they were slaves and an inferior class of people. Mexicans, Asians, immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, disabled, elderly, and on and on.

But Jesus says that if you neglect that poor man, you neglect me. If you oppress that black man, you oppress me. If you shoot tear gas in the face of an asylum seeker, you are shooting tear gas in my face. If you deny healthcare to the poor and elderly, you deny healthcare to me.

This makes sense of Jesus “greatest commandment” statement in Matthew 22:

36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’[e] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[f] 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Note the “second is equally important.” Jesus is saying these go together. They are inseparable. The entire law and prophets is built on these two commandments — not one of the two, but both together. You can’t love God without also loving your neighbor. “Whatever you do to your neighbor, you do to me.”

This is why Jesus said, “By their fruits you will know them.” A lot of people call themselves Christians, but the true disciples are easy to tell apart from the fakes. Anyone who does not fervently defend the rights and needs of the poor, the disabled and the marginalized, is not a Christian. By supporting policies that neglect and oppress these people, they are actively oppressing and attacking Jesus Christ. That, by very definition, is anti-Christ.

What is Legalism? And Why Is It Anti-Christ?

If you asked someone, “Are most people you know self-centered?” (Or you could name any other of a dozen sins). They will undoubtedly answer “Yes!” If you ask them “Are you self-centered?”, they will answer “Absolutely not! I am a very caring and unselfish person.” Human nature, as Jesus so aptly put it, is to see the splinters in our neighbor’s eye, but not see the 2×4 sticking out of our own eye.

Legalism is the same way. Everyone you talk to knows it’s bad, and that it’s a widespread destructive disease within Christianity, but you will never talk to a person who says, “I’m a legalist.” It’s always the church or the Christian across the street that is legalistic.

So what is legalism?

Simply put, legalism is set of religious beliefs and practices that is based on a system of law (usually euphemised as “moral law”). It’s an important distinction that these laws are almost exclusively “negative laws” — that is to say naming things you cannot do. Common examples are: you can’t eat pork, you can’t drink alcohol, you can’t use tobacco, you can’t gamble, you can’t have same sex relationships, you can’t have an abortion, etc.

So what’s wrong with having laws?

1. They are man-made laws claiming to be God’s laws. It is idolatry.

2. They are used to control people. Religious people make laws that they have no problem keeping, which makes them feel like the righteous ones and gives them the authority to issues edicts of punishment over those who break the laws.

3. They work contrary to God’s revealed plan of SAVING PEOPLE. That’s why it’s called a “plan of salvation.” Laws do not save anyone. All you have to do is look at our drug laws, the prohibition era, or drunk driving laws. Laws don’t prevent whatever behavior you outlaw, laws simply give you a basis for punishing people who do those behaviors. Legalism then, turns the church into a rod of punishment rather than an instrument of salvation.

So how is legalism anti-Christ?

1. It invalidates the word of Christ. Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” He only had two commands we needed to keep: “love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.” Legalism says, “No that’s not true.” Legalism calls Jesus a liar. On the one hand it’s much easier for a person to omit certain “sins” that they aren’t inclined to, than it is to love their black or Muslim neighbor like their own family member, or instead of buying that new boat or vacation home, using that money to feed the poor or provide shelter for the homeless or medical care for the sick.

2. It invalidates the work of Christ. The New Testament books of Romans, Galatians and Hebrews, especially, declare in uncertain terms that the law and grace are incompatible. That is to say that grace came to take the place of law. Romans clearly states that the purpose of the law was merely to condemn us (see point #3 above) and that the death of Christ satisfied the punishments of the law, making the law unnecessary and opening a way to God through the righteousness of Christ. We are saved by grace and that not of ourselves. It is not grace AND… The Galatian letter says those who are adding legal requirements have trampled the blood of Christ and made his death of no effect. They are putting themselves under condemnation again. We will either stand condemned by the law or we will stand saved by grace. There is no third option.

So what does that mean for me?

It means you need to reject the spirit of anti-Christ wherever you find it, even if you find it in a church. If your church or the so-called “Christians” you associate with, are focused primarily on a list of bad things they think people shouldn’t be doing (abortion, gay marriage, drinking, dancing, smoking, etc.) and yet you find they are guilty of far worse sins — tolerating/supporting racism, the oppression of the poor, immigrants, and refugees, aren’t actively involved in serving the poor, fighting for social justice, and so on; that should be a HUGE RED FLAG for you that you need to leave that association and find a body of believers that are actively involved in being an instrument of salvation and restoration.

Satan masquerades as an angel of light. There are many who call themselves Christian who are messengers of Satan intent on destroying the work of Christ. We need to have the discernment to recognize the difference and not be found to be enemies of Christ. Christ only has two laws: Love God and Love Your Neighbor. Christ’s laws don’t condemn anyone. Christ’s laws don’t bring punishment to anyone. They bring healing, restoration and reconciliation to a broken and hurting world. That is what we who call ourselves by His name are to be about. By their fruits you will recognize them.

Five “Truths” You Cannot Disagree With

I love (well, love to hate) this meme… thought I should share my thoughts:

1) Don’t know why this one is mentioned. No one is trying to legislate anyone in or out of wealth or poverty, but when an hourly worker making 35K a year pays 18% in taxes, a middle class earner or small businessman pays 30% in taxes, while billionaires and multi-billion dollar corporations pay nothing or a single digit percentage at best, it can hardly be considered a fair tax burden.

2) I agree with #2. This is exactly what happens in corporate America every day. Wealthy business owners and corporate execs hire people to do a lot of work and receive nothing (or very little) for it, while the rich guy sits on a beach in Monte Carlo and watches the money roll in to his bank account.

3) This one is insane on a lot of levels. I suppose if you think that to guarantee my freedom and protection is to take away your “right” to oppress me, then you would be right.

4) This one is just wrong. You absolutely can multiply wealth by dividing it. If one person has a trillion dollars and everyone else in the country is dirt poor, you could divide that trillion by 100 and create 100 billionaires and have 10 wealthy people instead of one.

5) This one misses the biggest point of all. There is no half and half of anything. There is one nation. Strength comes when numbers unite as one. When we start splintering ourselves into social sub-groupings that want to exist independently of other groups, that is what weakens a nation, or a church, or a family. Strength comes in staying united. Thankfully, I’m not yet disabled, elderly with no family, a single mom trying to raise 3 kids with their dad in prison, etc. But if I ever get in that situation I hope there are a few people who still think it’s a good idea for the fortunate among us to continue contributing to a general fund to help ease the suffering of the least fortunate among us. There is no virtue of strength in those with excess wealth by global standards leaving others to rot in their misery just because they think society should be an “every man for himself” game. No one got where they are by themselves. You were given privileges and opportunities that you never earned (some by birth). I’ll bet if you think hard enough you’ll remember plenty of people who helped you out over the years without requiring you to “earn” their help.

Bottom line — it’s the very attitude and misguided premises that underlie this meme that are weakening our nation. When we become a nation dominated by the idea that “we are in this together” and everyone has everyone else’s backs, then we will become stronger.

Not much on Fox News surprises me — but this surprised me

 

Co-host Steve Doocy summarizes his thoughts:

Here’s the thing that really bothers me about this, I made my final two college tuition payments about two weeks ago!

If you want to go to college, you can get a part-time job and make that tuition payment even without a loan, which is available to you, and even without grants.

Not much on Fox surprises me. I’m not sure why, but this surprised me. Sure, it’s pretty callous and pretty ignorant, but they usually pretend to have the answers for poverty. They usually pretend that their self-serving agendas are really benefiting the poor. This is sort of a refreshing, heartless, self-serving honesty.

An old church friend just said to me a couple of days ago that Democrats just want to keep poor people poor and dependent upon the government? REALLY?? Yeah, that’s exactly why we would promote free college, because we don’t want people to be able to get better paying jobs and get themselves off of food stamps and welfare. Our free college proposal is an evil attempt to make sure you never rise higher than McDonald’s fry cook. How did you see through us so easily?

Hey, we all know there are plenty of people who think

You know, I’m pretty well off, I have enough money, I don’t need your help, I’m self-sufficient, and I really don’t care about anyone else.

You’re poor? You’re a single mom? You’re disabled?

Sorry about your luck, but not my problem. I don’t want you getting food and housing assistance, I don’t want you getting education assistance. I really don’t care if you live in alleys and eat out of dumpsters. You aren’t my concern. Every man for himself, that’s my motto.

If that’s how you feel — fine — just say it. Don’t pretend to care about the poor and then stab them in the back in the voting booth or the legislative chambers.

At least these three came close to that sort of brutal honesty — but they didn’t quite get there, did they?

God and the Poor and Suffering

I discovered this devotional on bible.com and, though I’m a staunch verbal advocate for the poor and oppressed, I was convicted by it.  I feel that my own actions don’t measure up to the bar set by my own words.

This devotional is the day 3 excerpt from 14 day devotional study.  It is based on Matthew 25:34-46 which follows:

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’  Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.  –Matthew 25:34-46

At eight-years-old, Hernando has never been to school because his mother simply can’t afford to send him. A product of a broken home, he lives in a dilapidated shack in a rural region of the Philippines where poverty and hunger are widespread.

Hunger and unsanitary living conditions have taken a toll on Hernando’s body. His frame is tiny and he suffers from a skin disease that is common among children in the Philippines who are living in extreme poverty.

But Hernando has recently found a glimmer of hope after being enrolled in Convoy of Hope’s children’s feeding program in his neighborhood. When he first came to the program, he was literally starving to death. Now, Hernando receives a meal everyday through Convoy of Hope and its supporters and sometimes is able to bring home food to his family.

“My dream is to someday have three meals a day,” Hernando says.

What you and I consider normal, this little boy dreams of.  He is one of millions. Jesus commented in Matthew 25 that when we serve people like Hernando, we are serving him. What we do or don’t do for others in need is a reflection of how we treat Christ.

In order to grow in the area of compassion, it is important to see why it is that God cares for the poor. He cares because Jesus relates to the poor. He takes it both seriously and personally how we treat the suffering around us. God insists that if we do not imitate his concern for the poor we are not really his people—no matter how frequent our worship or how orthodox our creeds.

Christ represents himself to us in a special way in the hungry, the naked, the sick and the prisoner. He is among us in the outcasts and the oppressed of our age. Their cry for justice is Christ’s cry for justice.

The next time you have an opportunity to serve someone, take a moment to see them as Christ does before you walk away. Be aware that Jesus is the Poor One among us.

It doesn’t matter if we are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or something else, if we neglect the poor and suffering, our religion (according to the Christian apostle James) is pretty much worthless.