Be Imagers of God - Part Six
- John Henry
How can we be Imagers of God? Here are five principles to follow:
We learn God’s character from Jesus, but not without effort. “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart.” (Matt 11:29) He instructs us to continue seeking to know Him more intimately. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matt 7:7) Peter instructs us to “make every effort to add to your faith, virtue.” (2 Peter 1:5)
We thoroughly immerse ourselves and our family in God’s word. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates…be careful that you do not forget the Lord.” (Deut. 6:4-8, 12)
We keep God at the center of all our relationships, beginning with our marriage. In his book, Our Bodies Tell God’s Story, Christopher West writes, the “rejection of the biblical vision of sexuality has led in practice to a rejection of the basic principles of the faith. And here’s why: if we are made in the image of God as male and female (see Gen. 1:27), and if joining in “one flesh” is a “profound mystery” that refers to Christ and the church (see Eph. 5:31–32), then our understanding of the body, gender, and sexuality has a direct impact on our understanding of God, Christ, and the church.”
We compassionately teach a Biblical Christian View of Marriage, Sex, Life, and Gender:
Biological sex is an essential part of human identity. According to God’s design and intent, sex difference (male and female) is an intrinsic part of what marriage is. While same-sex marriage is legal in some countries, it does not represent a historical Christian view of marriage.
The Fall has corrupted God’s original intent for human sexuality in all persons; therefore, all people—straight or non-straight—experience corruption in their sexuality.
All sex outside of marriage is sin. However, simply experiencing attraction, whether is it to the opposite sex or to the same sex (or being gay), is not in itself a morally culpable sin.
We are created to image God. Human life is not defined by intelligence, reasoning ability, self-awareness, the ability to communicate, or free will. Life begins at conception, not because the zygote is “potential life,” but because it is a living soul with the divine image.
We are created to “be fruitful and multiply,” to create more imagers, more of God’s family.
All forms of abuse, slander, dehumanization, or oppression toward fellow humans are an affront against God’s sacred image, which has been stamped upon all people.
5. We learn God’s ways to lead like Jesus. We lead as servants of God, building others up so they may fulfill their calling from God to know God and to make Him known.
This is what it means to know God and to make him known.