#186 MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD 9-25-26

Of all the creatures God made, human beings occupy a unique place in creation. “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). We are not merely biological organisms moving through the world. We are persons, made by a personal God, capable of knowing, loving, choosing, reasoning, worshiping, and enjoying fellowship with Him.

God is personal and rational. The Bible also reveals that God has feelings. He loves, grieves, rejoices, hates evil, shows compassion, and desires relationship with His creation. Because we are made in His image, human beings possess a spiritual dimension. We have a soul and spirit, a self-consciousness that sets us apart from the rest of the created order. God breathed into man “the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).

That truth gives every human life tremendous dignity. We do not respect people because they are wealthy, educated, successful, attractive, powerful, or useful to us. We respect them because they bear the image of God. James reminds us that human beings are “made in the similitude of God” (James 3:9).

Every person you meet is somebody God made. The stranger, the elderly, the child, the poor, the forgotten, the person who disagrees with you, and even the person who has failed you bears the image of the Creator.

When we understand this, we cannot treat people as objects. We see them as persons. We listen. We show kindness. We speak with dignity. We remember that behind every face is a soul made for fellowship with God.

Human dignity begins with this simple truth: we were made in the image of God.

BDD