imago Dei // link up

"Then God said, "Let us make man in our own image, 
after Our own likeness . . . 
"So God created man in His own image, 
in the image of God He created him; 
male and female He created them".

[ G e n e s i s  1 : 2 6 - 2 7 ]

Image. What does that word conjure up when you hear it? The first thoughts that come to me include "picture", "reflection", "vision",  and "mirror".

Isn't it amazing that nothing else in all of creation can declare that it was created in God's image? The trees cannot boast it. The birds cannot declare it. Only humans are marked as image-bearers of the Creator God. But wait, did you catch the fifth word in the above verse? Us. The Trinity created us. Father. Son. Holy Spirit. And not only that, but the Trinity created us to image the Trinity. 

"You are created in the image of God, and nothing short of God will satisfy you."
 A.W. Tozer.

Why is it significant that we are image-bearers of God?

The image that we bear enables us to talk with God. Again, nothing else in creation can do this. We therefore are, what Bible teacher Paul Tripp calls, "revelation revealers". We can hear the Word of God and can therefore live out of that revelation. He speaks through us mainly through the Bible and we respond through songs and prayer. As the often-faltering, easily-shaken humans that we are, it is pivotal to hear and speak to God, for that is how we can learn to image Him more fully.

"To image the real Trinitarian God of the Bible is to make Him visible to the world . . .
Image is both personal and communal. By personal, we mean that we as individual worshipers must continually ask wether we are good reflections of our God. By communal, we mean that churches, families, and Christian communities must continually ask whether they are good reflections of God to one another and the world." Mark Driscoll, Doctrine. 

We exist to mirror God. As girls, we have at least a few mirrors in our homes, am I right? But do you own a cracked mirror? It's rather useless, right? It distorts and gives an incorrect representation of what is meant to be imaged. My full-length mirror, for example, has a large crack at the top, so whenever I check my outfit in the morning, I am rudely greeted with an odd, double-headed version of myself because of that particularly placed crack. Not very flattering, I would say. Biblical counselor Ed Welch uses the analogy of humans as broken mirrors that are in desperate need of being put back together by God so that we can reflect God more and more. This is a life-long process and it can often be painful. The sharp edges of glass cut. I have personally seen this when God has been reconstructing "my mirror". My own pride and stubbornness have led to shattered pieces that God graciously and masterfully works on, but it is often a hard and painful process to letting go of me and holding onto Him. Some cracks take days, while others take years. But the Creator God is faithful.

Honestly, I reflect the glory and goodness of God poorly and infrequently. But what joy and hope that because of Jesus, who happens to be the ultimate image of God, the proverbial broken mirror has a chance at restoration. Because of the Gospel, I have hope.

We are reminded in Romans 8:29 that we are "conformed to the image of God", meaning that God's grace enables us to mirror Jesus more and more. And in our worse moments when that mirror seems shattered or marred because of our sin, we are called to humble repentance and daily deciding that we desire to image God.

The significance of being made in the image of God is also important because it gives us purpose. The fact that God declares that we are fashioned after His own likeness gives us a reason for living a life fully surrendered to Him.

How can we image God?

If we want to image God well, then we must know who God is. And if we want to know who God is, we have to do our homework. Study His word and reflect on His attributes (I have done this through journaling who the Bible says He is and it made a huge impact on how I prayed and trusted in God). Fill your car and home with praise songs that declare who He is. Listen to teachings that focus on all of Him, not just the parts that are socially acceptable (yes, God is loving, but He is also just). Fill your life with people who speak of Him in the way that His Word declares of Him (the Bible -- not a blog, movie, or book -- has the ultimate say in who God is).

So, what does a life that images God even look like? Is it possible?

We image God when we choose to serve Him, especially in the small things that go unnoticed by the human eye.

We image God by respecting human life. Our hearts should bleed for the weak, oppressed, sick, & unborn.

We image God through our thankfulness towards God even in the days of suffering and tears.

We image God when we forgive those who have wronged us.

We image God when we reflect the Trinity by worshiping through our mind, body, and soul.

We image God by resting in who He says we are, not who we or the rest of the world may think we are. He named us and declared we are in His image. His opinion trumps any other opinion of man.

This quote serves as a great concluding thought:

"In this valiant effort we must constantly choose to believe the truth -- that reflecting God alone is a great life. It is not an easy life, or a simple life, or a perfect life. But it is a wonderful life that is filled with evidences of God's grace, healing from our past, and hope for our future. Furthermore, because mirroring God is the essence of our true humanity, as we reflect His glory we discover the source of our deepest joy, even when life hurts the most" M. Driscoll, Doctrine.

imago Dei. Oh, what beauty in this truth.

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(p.s. check out the picture link at the top of the post to read what 

being In His Image looks like to other Christian bloggers!)