The word “image” means “to carve or cut out.” We are carved or cut out in the pattern of our Creator. God is spirit, so this pattern is not a physical representation. Rather, to be made in the image of God means that we share God’s nature, specifically his communicable attributes, such as life, personality, truth, wisdom, love, holiness, justice. Of course, all of God’s attributes are perfect and eternal. Because of sin, we experience each attribute in an imperfect and finite way. Genesis 2:7 gives more detail of how this came about.
…The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
-Genesis 2:7
The word formed is from the Hebrew word “yatzar.” It describes a plan and design. When the word is in the participle form, it means “potter” (Isaiah 64:8, Jeremiah 18:1-4). Using the dust of the ground, God sculpted a body that would best house our spirit and is the best vehicle to carry out His purpose for us. Then he stooped down and breathed into the man the breath of life, “and man became a living being.” God’s breath brought more than just animation. He breathed into us spiritual understanding, functioning conscience, a moral capacity. God’s breath brought life to man and allowed him to stand up and live out that one and only life…generously given to him.
Now check this out—God gave man…think of this…the capacity to create…to produce a living soul. God generously gives us the gift of life, and then generously gives us the privilege of producing life with his enablement. Allen Ross writes,
For believers, childbirth is an act of worship, a sharing in the work of God, the one who created life.
-Creation and Blessing
Now, this is a critical point. Just as God was intimately involved in the creation of the first man, he is intimately involved in the creation of every person. The Psalmists writes:
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
-Psalm 139:13-16
This is a beautiful picture of God’s work in every life from conception. That is why I am unashamedly Pro-Life. My belief is not based on a political platform, but on the Word of God. Our one and only life is a generous gift from God, filled with purpose and meaning.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith– and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
-Ephesians 2:8-10
We are not “accidental blobs…evolving from primordial sludge….” We are made in the image of the eternal God. God has generously given us a life with purpose and meaning. He has prepared works for us to do. God did not create us in his image to suck oxygen and take up space. I do not know specifically what good works God prepared in advance for you to do, but I am 100% sure that they do not include filling your one and only life with temporal material stuff, building large portfolios without investing in eternal things, and being obsessed with career, hobbies, and recreational activities.
We are created in the image of God. Believers, the eternal Creator knows you by name and loves you with unconditional love. He has a purpose and plan for your time on this earth. How will you respond to the generous gift of life?