New City Catechism Question 4
http://www.newcitycatechism.com/
Q: How and why did God create us?
A: God created us male and female in his own image to know him, love him, live with him, and glorify him. And it is right that we who were created by God should live to his glory.
Genesis 1:27
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.”
What an awesome truth that we as human beings are made in the image of God! The more we understand that we are made in God’s image; that we are made to reflect something of God, the more we will be motivated to live fully for God and for his glory. The catechism material will further explore how we can glorify God in the weeks to come, and rightly so.
However before we can dive into a discussion of how we can glorify God, it is well worth reflecting on the significance of the truth that we are made in the image of God. God made us to image himself! What a staggering concept! And while the image of God has certainly been marred in sinful humanity, there is nothing in the bible to indicate that the image of God is gone in human beings, or that some people have more of the image of God than others. Therefore we can safely say all human beings are made in the image of God, which means that we should view every single human life as sacred. And with that comes several powerful implications:
First, the sacredness of human life should shape our understanding of current events and issues. That human beings are sacred should shape how we view what is going on in our world today, from war to poverty to global pandemics such as AIDS. It should also shape how we think about hot button issues of our day, such as abortion, euthanasia, and modern technologies such as stem cell research and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Often Christians support or oppose such events and issues because of what a few public Christian voices argue for, or because it just “feels” right or wrong. But the sacredness of human life coming from being made in the image of God gives us the ability to think critically and to make a real contribution to public discourse surrounding these events and issues. It allows us to state why we believe what we believe, not just what we believe.
Second, the sacredness of human life means that we should NEVER dehumanize another human being. Sadly, so much of the public debates in our world today are dehumanizing debates…instead of actually discussing an issue on its merits, pundits attack each other and try to portray their opponents as evil or idiotic for holding a different view (and yes this happens on both sides of the political spectrum!). And what is even sadder is that Christians are often guilty of engaging in the same dehumanizing behavior. For example, while we rightly advocate for the rights of an unborn child we can easily dehumanize the woman who is considering an abortion or who has had an abortion. While rightly arguing for a deep commitment to Christ and obedience to the Scriptures it is easy to dehumanize individuals and denominations that have moved away from such commitments. While we rightly grieve some of the directions our culture is heading in, we also attack that same culture as evil and hopeless instead of trying to transform that culture through being salt and light for Jesus Christ in the world. And while we rightly take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth, it is easy to judge and stereotype and dehumanize people of other religious faiths, the very people we are trying to reach.
Finally, the sacredness of human life means that we should have a healthy view of ourselves. Certainly we cannot become arrogant or self-centered. But being made in the image of God means that we are incredibly valuable to God! In such a competition driven culture, our self worth often comes not from the God who made us in his image but from comparing ourselves to others or looking to others for affirmation, which usually leads to us feeling inferior and in turn drives so much of the depression, anxiety, and stress that we experience. But being made in God’s image means we can be confident in who God made us to be, and strive to live more for God and not to please others or to get their approval.
Every human being is made in the image of God. Every human life is sacred. How does that challenge how you view the people, events, and issues in your life and in the world today? If we are to truly glorify God then we must uphold this awesome truth and let it daily impact how we view ourselves, others, and the world around us.
http://www.newcitycatechism.com/
Q: How and why did God create us?
A: God created us male and female in his own image to know him, love him, live with him, and glorify him. And it is right that we who were created by God should live to his glory.
Genesis 1:27
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.”
What an awesome truth that we as human beings are made in the image of God! The more we understand that we are made in God’s image; that we are made to reflect something of God, the more we will be motivated to live fully for God and for his glory. The catechism material will further explore how we can glorify God in the weeks to come, and rightly so.
However before we can dive into a discussion of how we can glorify God, it is well worth reflecting on the significance of the truth that we are made in the image of God. God made us to image himself! What a staggering concept! And while the image of God has certainly been marred in sinful humanity, there is nothing in the bible to indicate that the image of God is gone in human beings, or that some people have more of the image of God than others. Therefore we can safely say all human beings are made in the image of God, which means that we should view every single human life as sacred. And with that comes several powerful implications:
First, the sacredness of human life should shape our understanding of current events and issues. That human beings are sacred should shape how we view what is going on in our world today, from war to poverty to global pandemics such as AIDS. It should also shape how we think about hot button issues of our day, such as abortion, euthanasia, and modern technologies such as stem cell research and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Often Christians support or oppose such events and issues because of what a few public Christian voices argue for, or because it just “feels” right or wrong. But the sacredness of human life coming from being made in the image of God gives us the ability to think critically and to make a real contribution to public discourse surrounding these events and issues. It allows us to state why we believe what we believe, not just what we believe.
Second, the sacredness of human life means that we should NEVER dehumanize another human being. Sadly, so much of the public debates in our world today are dehumanizing debates…instead of actually discussing an issue on its merits, pundits attack each other and try to portray their opponents as evil or idiotic for holding a different view (and yes this happens on both sides of the political spectrum!). And what is even sadder is that Christians are often guilty of engaging in the same dehumanizing behavior. For example, while we rightly advocate for the rights of an unborn child we can easily dehumanize the woman who is considering an abortion or who has had an abortion. While rightly arguing for a deep commitment to Christ and obedience to the Scriptures it is easy to dehumanize individuals and denominations that have moved away from such commitments. While we rightly grieve some of the directions our culture is heading in, we also attack that same culture as evil and hopeless instead of trying to transform that culture through being salt and light for Jesus Christ in the world. And while we rightly take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth, it is easy to judge and stereotype and dehumanize people of other religious faiths, the very people we are trying to reach.
Finally, the sacredness of human life means that we should have a healthy view of ourselves. Certainly we cannot become arrogant or self-centered. But being made in the image of God means that we are incredibly valuable to God! In such a competition driven culture, our self worth often comes not from the God who made us in his image but from comparing ourselves to others or looking to others for affirmation, which usually leads to us feeling inferior and in turn drives so much of the depression, anxiety, and stress that we experience. But being made in God’s image means we can be confident in who God made us to be, and strive to live more for God and not to please others or to get their approval.
Every human being is made in the image of God. Every human life is sacred. How does that challenge how you view the people, events, and issues in your life and in the world today? If we are to truly glorify God then we must uphold this awesome truth and let it daily impact how we view ourselves, others, and the world around us.
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