That humans are made in the image of God is one of the most
important Biblical revelations for Christians — and it is also one that has
been viciously attacked by those outside the faith.
It’s true that the endless
murders, rapes, assaults, genocides and other forms of violence and cruelty in
our world seem to taunt us: How could humans be created in the image of God
when we commit such evil acts? How do we explain wars and abuse if we share the
same characteristics as God himself? Some people even claim that while we may
be more sophisticated and advanced than the rest of the animal kingdom, our
ultimate value is no greater than that of any creature, since we’ve all evolved
naturalistically and without any divine imprint.
Imago Dei means “the image
of God.” Ultimately, this phrase refers to two things: the characteristics of
the human spirit and our ability to know the difference between right and
wrong, good and evil.
Our human spirit provides evidence that God’s traits — his
love, justice and freedom — are alive in us. Human nature is utterly without
peer on earth. As Dr. Ian Tattersall says, “Homo sapiens is not simply an
improved version of its ancestors — it’s a new concept.” At the most basic
level of this nature is our self-realization, grounded in our
self-consciousness, our ability to reason, and our emotions, such as anger and
love. Our consciousness enables us to see that we have inherent value apart
from our utility or function.
Another quality we share with God is the moral ability to
recognize good and evil, which God exemplified through Adam and Eve. We can
therefore act freely in a morally good or evil way. We can choose either to
reflect the moral image of God or to reject it, but either way, the ability to
make the choice reveals our underlying similarity to our Creator.
It cannot be overstated just how different humans are from
the rest of creation. The vast chasms separating consciousness from
unconsciousness and morality from amorality speak to the strong evidence that
we are indeed made in the image of God.
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