The Image of God, Part Two

 

God has a gloriously good plan for our sexuality.  Over the last few posts, we have been looking into this idea.  Central to our understanding of God's plan is the idea that we are created in the image of God.  This truth is found in the first chapters of Genesis and is the cornerstone for developing our understanding of a Christ-centered view on sex and gender.

Through the days of creation, God created all the myriad animals found on planet earth.  He created the flocks of birds that soar through the air, the schools of fish that swim so through the seas, and the herds of cattle that graze upon the prairies.  But on the sixth day of creation, He took a step back and made something special, something distinct and unique from all other creatures.  He created man and made him especially in His image, and then breathed life into him and made him a living soul.

After God created Adam, He recognized that Adam was alone in the world, and this was not good.  So, God brought the animals to him to see if there was a suitable companion among them for him, but among all the teeming life on earth, Adam could not find a another being that he could communion with.  No animal possessed a body and soul like his that he could bond with.

So, God created a woman, Eve, and brought her to Adam.  And it was in woman, another person created in God's likeness, that Adam found a helper suitable for him.  He found another soul and body like his, but unique and different so as to complement his.  Adam could not find this union and companionship with any of the animals, it was only with another person, another living, breathing soul, that he could find the intimacy that he craved.  Adam was no longer alone.

As people, we are more than just molecules in motion.  We are not just chemistry in action or highly evolved apes who just barely manage to achieve rational thought.  God has breathed into us and made us living souls; we have a spirit that will live on forever.  We have wisdom and creativity that was not given to any other creature.

We have volition, we have will.  God has given us the capacity to choose.  This is of utmost importance, because more than anything, God wants us to choose to love Him.

Animals, by contrast, do not have this capacity to choose.  They are driven by instinct, and do not demonstrate volition or will.  They cannot choose between good and evil or make moral decisions.  Animals simply behave according to their nature.  Animals are not capable of higher thought or reason; they do not think about what they are doing and why they are doing it.  Humans are capable of all this and have a responsibility to think and to make good, moral choices.

There is a vast difference between a bad dog and a bad man.

If we are not created in God's image, and are really just slightly more evolved animals, then in the grand scheme it matters little what we do with our bodies.  We can do as we please, eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die!  There is no absolute, transcendent moral reason to treat our bodies and the bodies of others with dignity and respect.  Every man is doing what is right in his own eyes.  This is effectively where our culture is today, reducing all sexual morality to a morality of consent.  As long as everyone is a consenting adult, any sexual behavior is permissible.

Back in the 90s I remember hearing the lyrics of a song, "You and me baby ain't nothing but mammals, let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel."  This is mainstream view of our bodies and sexuality today.  We are just animals, so why not pursue our base, sexual passions, and instincts?  Who is to tell us no?

Because we are shaped in the image of God we have dignity, honor, and value that other creatures do not.  The primary reason slavery, torture and murder are wrong is because humans are created in the image of God.  Our dignity as individuals is anchored in the fact that we are the special creation of God, and He has stamped His likeness on us.  God is the source of the dignity we possess.  What we do with our bodies and what we do to the bodies of others has profound, eternal significance.  Every human being has this dignity and should be treated with honor and respect. 

As we ponder this truth, we realize our own bodies are worthy of honor and dignity (regardless of their shape, color, height, and size) and we will treat ourselves and others with respect and expect others to do the same as well.

If someone purchased a rare and valuable painting, we would consider it unseemly if we came into his home and found it laying on the doorstep being used as doormat.  We would think that person had lost his mind.  If you had rare, antique porcelain, I would think it bizarre if you used it feed your Doberman.  As valuable as china and paintings may be, our bodies are much more valuable.  The word priceless certainly applies.  When we take our bodies and use them in ways contrary to God's design we are devaluing and desecrating the image of God in us. 

In Ephesians we are taught that we are God's workmanship (See Ephesians 2), we are hand-crafted, artisan pieces fashioned by God himself.  This means that our bodies have tremendous value.  We are categorically different from animals and from every other created thing on this planet.

As we think about our sexuality, this bears heavy significance.  Next time, we will look more deeply into how this applies to our sexuality.