We are God’s children, made in his image and called to increasingly bear his likeness, to reflect his nature for the world to see. When we refract the light of God’s love through selfless giving, we bring him glory and live a life true to the purpose for which we were created.
What does it mean to be made in God’s image? What does it mean to live true to his purposes for our lives? And what do either of these things have to do with giving and generosity? We’ll start from the beginning … almost.
Imago Dei
It’s the sixth day of creation. The earth’s foundations have been laid, its dimensions marked off, the cornerstone set. The sea knows its boundaries. The sun, moon, and stars rule over the day and night, singing together with the angels and shouting for joy. The oceans are teeming with fish, birds are flying across the expanse of the skies, and God has just put living creatures on the ground.
Day by day, with a word, every facet of the world is shaped, and with a word he fills it with everything, created according to its kind. He looks on all that he has made and calls it good.
But his final work of creation is different. God proclaims, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,” but it’s not with this word they are created. Instead, God forms the man with his hands. (The Hebrew word for “formed” in Genesis 2:7 is yatsar, the same word used for a potter making something out of clay with creativity, purpose, skill, and care.) And he breathes his own breath into the man’s nostrils, so the man becomes a living being.
Then, he blesses them, male and female, and gives them good work to do: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:28).
He calls them “very good,” and the final work of creation is complete.
Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. – Genesis 2:7
The image and the covenant
Why is it so important that the human beings God created were made in his image and that he blessed them? An ancient ritual, Genesis 2, and one Hebrew word provide some understanding.
J. Richard Middleton, professor of worldview and exegesis at Northeastern Seminary explains that, in other ancient civilizations, only kings (not all human beings) were believed to be representatives of the gods. To maintain power, rulers erected statues of the gods throughout the areas they governed.
After these idols were crafted, a complicated ritual was performed involving a sacred garden near a river where, it was believed, the idol’s mouth would be opened. Priests pronounced the idol alive and imbued with the spirit of a god. Then they dressed it up and put it in a temple to represent that god and draw worship to it. Since the king was believed to be the earthly representative of the god, these temples served as extensions of the king’s power throughout his kingdom.
Though the biblical account involves similar elements (a sacred garden, a river, something brought to life and representing divine authority), it also contrasts dramatically. Unlike the gods of Mesopotamia, which were lazy, needy, capricious, and violent, Yahweh (the One and only true God), is self-sufficient, peaceful, loving, and purposeful. And most remarkable of all, he chooses to generously share his power with mankind.
Needing nothing from us, he is also generous and overflowing with blessing. He breathes the gift of life into all people. And all people are made in his image, not just priests and kings. Yahweh’s self-giving and kindness is unlike anything the ancients could have imagined.
And in God’s story, not a cult statue, but human beings are blessed: “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth‘” (Genesis 1:28).
We shouldn’t rush past this verse, past even the first four words. Something holy is happening here. The word “blessed” in Hebrew (barak) has so much more meaning than we give the word now. It implies a covenant is being made, that gratitude is being expressed, and prosperity being bestowed. It carries the idea of kneeling, as one might before a king or in worship. This is a sacred moment and a binding promise.
This is God’s first covenant with mankind.
Sin
In Genesis, no sooner is the covenant between God and man made than it is broken. Just one verse into the following chapter, and the serpent enters the picture, tempts God’s image bearers, and sin is introduced into the world. But even in their punishment God gives a promise: One day, a descendant (offspring) of this first family would come to destroy the evil one and overcome the power of the sin in the world. In God’s mercy, he clothes the man and the woman and covers their shame.
Three chapters later, and the image bearers have begun to fill the world as they were instructed, caring for livestock, making tools, even making musical instruments, and beginning to worship the Lord (Genesis 4:19-22, 26). But they were also inventing violence, and the God of peace regretted that he had made man. He wiped the earth clean with a flood, but, even then, sin remained.
Yet, God chooses to renew his covenant. He reminds Noah that mankind is made in his image (Genesis 9:6) and renews with Noah the covenant he had made with Adam and Eve: “As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it” (Genesis 9:7).
From this chapter forward, the Bible unfolds a story of God’s love and persistent desire for relationship with those he has made in his image. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that the image is lost. On the contrary, despite their sinfulness, he continues to covenant with his people (through Abraham – Genesis 22:18, and through Moses – Exodus 19:3-6) reinforcing his original purpose – that because they are his, the world would be blessed by them.
Ultimately, God sends his Son to live as a human being, in his image, and to accomplish a new and everlasting covenant, and fully equipping us to fulfill his will on earth (Hebrews 13:20-21).
The perfect reflection
The patience and lovingkindness of God is unfathomable. Even in our sinfulness, he loves us, and works all things for the purpose of bringing us back to himself, restoring the broken relationship and renewing his image in us, so that we can return to the purposes for which were were made.
Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions…. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus …. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
– Ephesians 2:3–10
But how can we act as “in the image” of God if we can’t see him or watch how he interacts with people? He would have to be with us for us to learn his ways. This is why the prophet Isaiah spoke of one who would come who is called “Immanuel (which means God with us)” (Isaiah 7:14). Jesus fulfilled this prophecy, and the book of Hebrews tells us that he is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (Hebrews 1:3).
By the death of Christ, sin is destroyed, our relationship with God is restored, and we enter a new covenant. But in the life of Christ, we also have the perfect example of how a person can live as God’s image in the world. And in him, we are created anew so we can live as Jesus did, fulfilling the purposes he has for our lives (Ephesians 2:10).
Our Savior, Redeemer, and Healer has become our holy role model!
So we “fix our eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2), watch his every move, and try to live like he did. It’s not just a good idea; it’s our destiny. “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son …” (Romans 8:29).
He is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being. – Hebrews 1:3
Refracting God’s light
What will it look like to live in the truth of who we were made to be? Middleton puts it this way: “We are nothing less than God’s prism in the world, taking the concentrated light of the Creator and refracting that brilliance into a rainbow of cultural activities that scintillate with the glory of God.” The Apostle Paul said living in this truth means living selflessly, with integrity and unity (Ephesians 4). And this was his conclusion: Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children (Ephesians 5:1).
So how can you bear his image in the world? Each of us is a remarkably unique creation, so you’ll have to seek God for a specific answer to that question. But, below, we offer a few ways you can get started aligning your generosity with your purpose as a person made in the image of God.
- In the beginning, God created. So, be creative, yourself, with whatever God has given you. Make new things, develop a technology, build new kinds of neighborhoods, write poetry, plant a garden, shape culture or politics. Join in supporting good work in your own city or somewhere else.
- Pursue unity with the rest of the body of Christ. Part of God’s will for his image-bearers is only accomplished when we come together in unity to become a holy temple he can indwell (Ephesians 2:19-22).
- The Gospels tell us Jesus sometimes focused on a specific person: A Samaritan woman, a sick child, a tax collector. For a time, let your giving focus on a specific person or people group rather than a percentage of your income. Ask God to show you who this might be and to guide your giving.
- Pray for ears to hear those who cry out to him for help and eyes like “the God who sees” the lost or abandoned (Genesis 16:13).
- Read the Gospels and try to go to the types of places Jesus went and be around the kinds of people he was around. Act like he did when he was alone and even when he was crowded on all sides with everyone wanting something from him.
- Read Colossians 3:5-10 and begin putting to death everything that gets in the way of you becoming more Christlike in your generosity.
- Go somewhere in the world and tell someone who doesn’t know about Jesus what he has done for you. (Fulfill The Great Commission.)
As we share selflessly to shape and build and bring about conditions of flourishing for every person made in God’s image and for the earth, we, too, are transformed, reflecting his image from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).
