C H O F Ministry™THEOLOGY OF THE HUMAN PERSON · CREATED
Made in the Image of God — But What Does That Actually Mean?
Beloved, if dignity depends on your approval, the people you dislike will always be in danger.
We need an account of humanity strong enough to confront wrongdoing without making contempt a virtue. Begin with the text. Then examine the conclusions we ask it to carry.
1 · Text: who bears the image?
TEXT
“in the image of God he created him”
Genesis 1:27, ESV
Read Genesis 1:26–31. Verse 26 announces humanity’s creation in God’s image and likeness alongside a commission to rule. Verse 27 identifies male and female within that creation. The passage does not assign the image to one sex or an elite class.
2 · Context: a gift carrying responsibility
TEXT → INFERENCE
The creation narrative places humanity within a world God makes and blesses. Dominion is received from God. We therefore interpret it as accountable authority, not independence from the Creator. That accountability is an inference from the relationship the narrative establishes; “accountable stewardship” is not a dictionary translation of “image.”
Ask a leadership question: does your use of authority serve the charge entrusted to you, or merely your ability to enforce your preferences?
3 · Language: a word is not an entire doctrine
Hebrew: צֶלֶם (tselem), image; דְּמוּת (demuth), likeness or resemblance. Latin: imago Dei, image of God, is the later theological expression.
The Brown–Driver–Briggs lexicon records uses of these Hebrew terms for images and resemblance. Their range does not settle everything about how humanity images God. A lexical gloss is a starting point; syntax, context, and related passages constrain interpretation. Do not turn “image” into a secret definition meaning success, personal sovereignty, or unlimited creative power.
4 · Doctrine: dignity persists; renewal is necessary
THEOLOGICAL SYNTHESIS
Genesis 9:6, after the fall and flood, grounds the seriousness of taking human life in God’s making humanity in His image. James 3:9–10 exposes the contradiction of blessing God while cursing people made in His likeness. Together, these passages support the conclusion that fallen people retain image-bearing dignity.
That dignity does not amount to innocence. Colossians 3:9–14 describes renewal after the Creator’s image while commanding the abandonment of lying and the practice of compassion. Ephesians 4:22–32 joins renewal to concrete changes in speech, conduct, and relationships. Creation’s dignity and redemption’s transforming work must both be taught.
So we refuse two evasions: wrongdoing cannot cancel a person’s humanity, and humanity cannot excuse wrongdoing. A church that loses either conviction will struggle to practice truthful correction.
5 · Interpretation: be precise about what is settled
TRADITION / INTERPRETATION
Christian accounts of the image have emphasized human capacities, relationship, and representative vocation. This lesson emphasizes vocation because of the connection with dominion, without claiming that function exhausts the image’s meaning. Psalm 8:3–8 places humanity’s honored position and entrusted rule within praise of God.
An account centered on capacities must not become a ranking of people by intelligence or independence. That is this lesson’s ethical inference, not a phrase quoted from Genesis. Infant, elder, disabled neighbor, and accomplished scholar must not be assigned different grades of humanity.
6 · Challenge: can your theology survive disagreement?
Beloved, consider the person whose choices you oppose. Can you state the disagreement accurately without degrading the person? If your strongest argument depends on humiliation, examine whether you are defending truth or rewarding your anger.
Respect for a person does not require agreement with every claim. Correction must address what can be supported by evidence. Do not pretend to know an entire heart because you have witnessed one action.
7 · Application: practice accountable speech
CONTEMPORARY APPLICATION
- Choose one statement you have made about a person or group.
- Separate the conduct you can substantiate from the motive you assumed.
- Rewrite the statement to preserve truthful accountability and human dignity.
- Explain which biblical evidence supports your revision.
Protecting a harmed person and imposing appropriate boundaries can be consistent with honoring everyone’s humanity. Dignity does not require returning someone to a position of trust.
Foundational teaching: What Does It Mean to Be Human? · Study the full creation movement in Genesis 1:1–2:3
8 · Connection: teach it back
In your own words, explain why image-bearing dignity is neither a reward for good behavior nor a declaration that moral renewal is unnecessary. Identify one explicit textual claim, one inference, and one application.
Test your interpretationReturn to the nine-unit pathway · Continue with Romans 12:1–2: transformation and renewal
Let Us Go Into The Throne Room Of Grace And Mercy.
Father, discipline our judgment. Teach us to speak truth without contempt, to confront wrongdoing without denying humanity, and to receive the correction we offer others. Shape our minds and conduct through Christ. Let our teaching lead to faithful action.
TO GOD BE THE GLORY!