Sometimes a closer look in the mirror can cause a person to wonder: “What does it really mean to be created in God’s image?” Body-consciousness has gripped America. Maintaining a youthful appearance has caused the plastic surgery industry to explode. Magazine and TV ads promote the perfect woman.
Incentives are given to employees for achieving the appropriate weight. Body shaming is a motivation for body perfection. American’s pastime is their physical appearance, and they overlook the importance of being created in God’s image. Understanding that we are made in the image of God is vital to healthy God-centered self-esteem.
Women view themselves as the inferior gender because they are called the “helper” or the woman was deceived. Women often misplace their identity; their importance is not based on their role as wives or mothers. A women’s identity and purpose can easily be on the wrong man; their identity should be on the man Jesus Christ!
Women have value because God created them in His image, not because of the roles they fill. Women’s roles will change many times over in their lifetime, but their identity in Christ will never change.
Women are not insignificant or an afterthought. Elise Fitzpatrick explains, when God created women, He did so because man needed a helper. God realized that there was no suitable helper for man, so God created woman (Genesis 2:20). The word “helper” is translated from the Hebrew word “êz·rā.” Êz·ra means of help, support, military aid, a necessary helper.
Êz·ra does not mean the helper is inferior. God created women to fill a need that Adam had. Êz·ra does not signal a deficiency or weakness in the helper (woman); it signals the need or lack is in Adam (man). In the book of Psalms 40:17, 6:1, 55:4, 63:7, the “helper or êz·rā” is used to refer to God. Clearly, God is not an inferior helper to mankind in these passages. The role of women is of vital importance to God and has great value to mankind.
The serpent deceived Eve in The Fall. However, Adam disobeyed. When the Apostle Paul refers to The Fall, he talks about it as if it came from Adam. (I Corinthians 15:22). Eve does not deceive or seduce Adam. Adam entered into disobedience on his own. It is just as possible for a man to be deceived as a woman is.
God responds by cursing the serpent and the ground but does not condemn man or woman. Silencing of the voices of God’s daughters does not come from God. Women are not insignificant or an afterthought. They are essential and crucial to the redemptive plan. The church needs to help women know who they are in Christ and help them take their place in the kingdom of God.
God creating us in His image is an essential truth for every believer. When a believer knows and understands that they bear the image of God or have the capacity to bear the image of God, they are more inclined to reflect on God’s standard and their shortcomings. They yield themselves to the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives that is transforming them into a more correct image of God.
When looking in a mirror, one may not feel that they see the reflection of God. The reflection of God’s image does have a physical element, as we see when Moses had to cover his face after being in God’s presence. Being a bearer of God’s image also has a character piece to it. The Holy Spirit renews the believer’s mind as he guides them into all truth, thus conforming them to the image of Jesus.
One way that man displays God’s glory is through love for God and others. Understanding God’s image is vital to the spiritual growth in a believer’s life; without it, you cannot know who you are or whom you belong to. The Holy Spirit reveals who God is so we can be transformed into the image of God.
God’s desire is to have a relationship with mankind and, without man continually evaluating his own heart and making the necessary changes, fellowship is impossible. For a man to bear God’s image is for the Spirit to renew and transform us into God’s image.
All believers need to understand that God created them in His image and look in the mirror to see the reflection of God in their lives. God’s image is beautiful, and he made us after his image. One way that man displays God’s likeness is through love, love for God and others. Historical theologians have debated the meaning of imago Dei (image of God).
The Bible clearly states that God originally created man in His image, but The Fall tarnished that image. Man needs restoration for the display of God to be complete in His people. God’s relationship with mankind relies on the Holy Spirit leading man to salvation and through the sanctification process.
For a man to reflect the image of God, he needs renewing by the Spirit, transforming him into God’s image. What does it really mean for God to have created us in His image? It is the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work in the sanctification process and us dying to our flesh daily. Through preaching and teaching the Word, the Holy Spirit illuminates characteristics and attitudes that need to change, so we can be transformed back into the image of God. The change in our hearts is what we see when we take a closer look in the mirror.
Leave a Reply