Imago Dei: Why Life Is Sacred

Intro

Today is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. What’s that, you say? Here’s a short history lesson: 40 years ago, President Ronald Reagan established the first Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, and it has been recognized every year on the Sunday closest to January 22, which is the date that the Roe v. Wade opinion was handed down by the U. S. Supreme Court in 1973. That opinion allowed abortions to occur legally in most jurisdictions in the U.S.

Rabbit Trail #1

By the way, Supreme Court rulings are NOT decisions, they are Opinions. We’ve come to believe that the courts decide what the law means; in reality they only share their opinion of what the law means. Because they are opinions, future courts can have different opinions, and that’s why it’s important for Christians to register and to vote. Who you elect, for President and U.S. Senator will determine, among other things, who gets appointed and confirmed to every federal court in the United States – not just the Supreme Court.

These courts will publish opinions regarding religious freedom; who can and cannot adopt children; what schools can and cannot teach; who can make decisions regarding your child’s health care – with or without your permission; what you can and cannot say in a church pulpit.

These courts will publish opinions on what actions are criminal and what actions are not to be considered crimes; whether you can or cannot do business according to your religious convictions; whether you can pray publicly before or after a high school sports event, or a city council meeting. Just this week, a federal court opinion affected what can and can’t happen at a public school here in Indiana.[1]

And because courts can render opinions that are different from the opinions of previous courts, on June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court issued its opinion on the constitutionality of Roe v. Wade. This new opinion in 2022 did not make abortion illegal in the U.S.; it simply resulted in every state being able to make their own decision about whether abortion would be legal in that state and, if so, what restrictions could be placed on abortion in that state.

What that means is that abortion is no longer a national issue, but a state issue. And if you have an opinion of what the State of Indiana should do about abortion, you need to talk to your state legislators.

Rabbit Trail #2

As a side note, when you contact your state representatives, remind them that you are praying for them. Ask them if there is anything you can pray for specifically. Ask them how you can serve them. Recently, we had a chance to pray with a local government official. He was so impressed, he started telling other people that we prayed for him. It costs you absolutely nothing to pray for people. It’s actually part of your job, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Murder

Let’s get back to the Sanctity of Human Life and Roe v. Wade, and why Christians (as well as Jews) care about abortion. The reason: we consider it murder based on Genesis 9:5-7 (ESV):

[This is God talking to Noah after they’ve been released from the Ark after the Flood. God says,] … for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.

6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man,

by man shall his blood be shed,

for God made man in his own image.

7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.”

God says, “Because every man and every woman is created in my image, every man or animal who takes the life of a human being, you shall put them to death. And this is the reason: every man, woman, and child is created in my image.”

What Genesis 9:5-7 is saying is that when you take a human life it’s as if you are killing God in effigy![2]

In these verses God is retelling Noah what he said to Adam and Eve in Gen 1:26-28 (ESV).

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

The Platinum Rule

Scriptures that talk about the Imago Dei establish a pretty simple rule – what we should call the Platinum Rule and it deals with more than abortion. The Golden Rule says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” (Luke 6:31) My proposed Platinum Rule is, “Treat other people as you would treat Jesus (except for worship), because every person is created as the image-bearer of God.” Jesus says as much in Matthew 25:40, 45.

What we see here is that the Sanctity of Human Life, the reason why every human life is so valuable, is because of the Imago Dei – the Image of God. Jeannette talked about the image of God two weeks ago, Mickey mentioned it last week, and I have talked about it several times over the last few years. I told you back in 2019 that on any given Sunday, we could only scratch the surface of all that is packed into what the Imago Dei (the Image of God) means to each one of us.

Well, what does it mean to be created “in” the image of God? Does God have a body like us? Do we look like him physically? No. God is spirit (John 4:24). Jesus has a body – a resurrected body. He put on a body like ours at his birth, and someday we will put on a resurrected body like him. So, what does “being created in the image of God” mean?

Does being made in the image of God mean we have characteristics or abilities like God? Abilities like: intelligence; the ability to reason; emotions; self-awareness. Does it mean language – the ability to communicate; or the presence of a soul or spirit; or having a conscience; or having free will?[3]

Some animals have language and the ability to communicate. Does that mean they were made in the image of God? The Bible does not say animals were created in the image of God. And what about humans born with physical or mental challenges? Do they have less of the image of God? Scripture says that humans were uniquely created “IN” the image of God. No other qualifiers. There’s no small print: “except for these kinds of humans.”

To help us answer our question, maybe we need to unpack what the word “in” means. We use that word “in” in a lot of different ways. When we say, “Put the dishes IN the dishwasher,” we are using the word “in” to describe a place – the dishwasher. Or we can say, “I broke the mirror IN pieces,” which means the result of breaking the mirror is that it WAS one mirror, but it has now become several tiny mirrors. But if I say, “I work IN corrections,” I mean that I serve a role in the profession of corrections.[4] My actions serve the State of Indiana in a socially corrective function. If I say I work IN education, that means I work AS a teacher, or principle. If I say I work in health care, that means that I work AS a doctor, or nurse, or LPN, or medical researcher.

“The image of God is not a thing put into humans. It’s not an attribute or an ability, ... The Image of God is not a quality; it’s a status.”[5]

When we say we were created IN the image of God, we mean that we were created AS someone who functions the same way God does in relation to creation. It’s a position. It’s who we are. We were designed AS God’s Representatives, to serve creation by accomplishing the will of God on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

God Created a World that Required Intervention

Let’s slow down and think about it. God could have created a perfect world that he could set in motion and never intervene in it again – that’s called deism. But that’s not what we believe about God, and it’s NOT what Scripture says that God did.

God did not instantaneously create a perfect, self-governing world. He created a world which required his action, in time, to MAKE it good. And the Genesis accounts prove it.

Listen for the verbs: In the beginning, the earth was formless and void. Darkness was over the face of the deep. Then God hovered over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light.” There was evening and there was morning, the first day. (Genesis 1:3-4)

God separated the waters above from the waters below and created the sky. There was evening and there was morning, the second day. (v.6-8)

God gathered the waters under the sky creating the land and sea. And it was good. God brought forth vegetation and seed-bearing plants. And it was good. There was evening and there was morning, the third day. (v.9-13)

God created the sun, moon, and stars. And it was good. There was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. (v.14-19)

God created the sea creatures and sky creatures. And it was good. There was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. (v.20-23)

God created land creatures. And it was good. And God created humans to steward the earth. And it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (v.24-31)

God who is eternal, who exists outside of time, intentionally created a world that required his action in time. He could have created a world that was instantly perfect and required no intervention on his part. He could just as easily have said, “Let there be the universe!” But God was intentionally detailed. He took time and worked within time. On the first day. On the second day. On the third day. On the fourth, and fifth, and sixth day.

And in the middle of that sixth day God intentionally created humans with a purpose in mind.

Genesis 1:28 (ESV)

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

God Created Imagers - Stewards

God intentionally created men and women to act on God’s behalf within Creation; to be his stewards of the newly inaugurated Kingdom of God. At that time God’s will was being accomplished everywhere in the universe. And according to his master plan he commissioned humanity to steward his newly created Kingdom.

This good Creation requires the intervention of God and his stewards. It requires us to continue to do what God did on the first six days. But Creation experienced the fallout of sin in the lives of Adam and Eve. And Creation continues to experience the negative effects of the sin that is in every human being that has ever been born. Our relationship as God’s representatives was damaged, and our ability to steward God’s creation was corrupted. Thankfully, God had a plan to reconcile and restore.

Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, not only dealt with the sin problem in humans, reconciling us to God, but it also restored us to the positions for which God created us – Stewards of his creation and Representatives of the Kingdom of God in the world. And Creation is longing for us to assume our roles. Romans 8:19-22 tells us that creation groans in anticipation.

It is longing for us to see the darkness and chaos that is covering the earth like a sea; and it looks forward to the days when, working with the Holy Spirit, we bring forth the Light of God. Creation is depending on us to establish spaces where life can flourish. This world is depending on God’s Stewards to establish firm foundations in all areas of culture that produce resources for flourishing.

Where we see emptiness, we need to bring the fullness of God’s creative will. Where there are dry and parched communities and individuals, we need to bring the Living Water of the Spirit of God. Where there is death, and chaos, and disorder, we need to bring life, and fruitfulness, and wholeness.

But how does that relate to the Sanctity of Human Life? What is it specifically that we should do, as Stewards of the Kingdom of God, in relation to the Sanctity of Human Life?

What Do Stewards Do?

Using a broad brush, as stewards of God’s creation:

We are the “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). We bring the flavor of the Kingdom of God everywhere we place our feet. We preserve a healthy and God honoring culture.

As Jeannette mentioned two weeks ago, those of us who have been redeemed and restored have springs of Living Water, water that brings life, welling up in us and flowing into our community (John 4:14). Everywhere we go, things should spring to life. Individuals, marriages, families, neighborhoods, the whole community should flourish with new life!

As Stewards of the Kingdom of God, we defend life in all forms.

As representatives of God in the world, we defend life near the end of life and oppose the intentional taking of a life that is elderly or terminally ill. And this is not just a legal and political position. As Stewards of the Kingdom of God, we should actively invest in lives that are in a health crisis, or emotional crisis.

And that’s the broad-brush strokes of how our identity shapes our behavior as Stewards of God’s good creation; as people who understand the Sanctity of Human Life. But let’s use a smaller brush and paint a more detailed picture. Here’s a few “Action Steps.” Pick one … or two or three …

Regarding Abortion

We defend and promote life in the womb of the mother, AND the life of the mother. Not just physical life, but a joy-filled, God-honoring, Kingdom of God kind of life. We defend the Right to Life in discussions as our states and communities are making policy decisions regarding single mothers and the unborn.

Contact your elected officials and encourage them to defend the life of a child in the womb, AND ALSO establish policies that care for moms who choose life for their babies. Take diapers, or formula, or baby clothes to Pregnancy Care Centers.

My brother used to serve the Polk County Sheriff Department in their county jail system. Part of his job duties included transporting pregnant offenders to abortion clinics and listening to the counseling they received. He hated it, and he had a lot of anger toward both the clinics and their staff, as well as the mothers who would choose this path. But one day God showed him how these mothers were victims of the abortion industry as well. His anger at the mothers dissipated, and in its place, God gave compassion.

When you talk about abortion, speak with compassion for the babies AND the mothers. Get rid of the angry, hateful talk. Declare the GRACE of God and show the COMPASSION of God (in word AND deed). We need to be so close to God that we are filled with HIS grace and compassion for the woman in an unwanted pregnancy.

Regarding Suicide[6]

As Stewards of the Kingdom of God we need to be aware that the enemy is taking the lives of men and women, boys and girls through death by suicide. Young adults are especially impacted.

In Indiana, suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in children and young adults aged 10-24. In young adults aged 25-34, it is the 2nd leading cause of death.

Risk Factors for suicide are many, but include stressful family demands, or work demands, or isolation – loneliness. People start to consider suicide when they feel they’ve lost hope. But we HAVE a Hope, and it is an anchor for our souls (Hebrews 6:19). So, speak hope! Speak about the hope we have in Jesus Christ!

Can you help relieve the stressful family demands for someone you know? Fix a meal, mow their lawn, buy them a gas card, or a Walmart card. Can you relieve the stressful work demands for a coworker? How could you serve them?

Did you know there are people in this congregation who feel isolated and lonely? Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you who that might be. Instead of rushing to your car after church, spend some time chatting with that person. Find out how you can serve them.

These risk factors don’t always lead to suicide, but if you know someone who is thinking about suicide, call the Crisis Line – 988 or text TALK to 741741. Stay with that person until you can get them help.

Adoption and Foster Parenting

We are Commissioned by God to defend the Orphan (Exodus 22:22; Deuteronomy 10:18; Psalm 68:5; Psalm 146:9; James 1:27). We must invest in their lives as if they were our own children; as if we were actually their mothers and fathers. If you know of a child whose father or mother is out of the picture, you could be that encouraging voice in their life. Invest yourself in them.

As representatives of the Kingdom of God, contact your representatives and encourage them to establish policies that encourage adoption and fostering. When you hear of someone pursuing adoption, help them financially. If you know a foster parent, encourage them, and provide resources.

When I was working in the governor’s office, our family policy director told me that if every church in Indiana (not every church attender – every church – one family in each church), if every church in Indiana would foster just one child in the foster care system, we could empty the system tomorrow. It may sound harsh, but the foster care system stands as a testimony to the failure of the church to be salt and light in the world. Investigate and find out how you could be a foster parent, or support a foster parent. If you want more information, talk to Dan and Martha Webb, or Tonya Cooper.

Elder Care

We are Commissioned by God to defend the Widow (Exodus 22:22; Deuteronomy 10:18; Psalm 68:5; Psalm 146:9; James 1:27). As Stewards of the Kingdom of God we must treat them as if they were our dearly loved mother or sister.

Do you know someone who is living alone? Brainstorm ways that you could help them. Offer to do some overdue home repair or reorganization for them. Offer to take their car for an oil change. Just spend time with them. Living alone can get very quiet. Ask if you can visit them. When you spend time in their environment you see things that you can do something about. You can identify if they are faltering physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually and then find a way to meet that need.

As Stewards of the Kingdom of God, are you caring for the elderly in your circle of influence?

What About Prison Care

As representative of the Kingdom of God, are we visiting those in prison? That’s actually one that Jesus specifically said we should be doing (Matthew 25:40, 45). I meet a lot of people who want to “bring Jesus into prison.” They want to go to prison to preach a sermon, to get people saved, to introduce sinners to the Savior. I’ve got news for you. Jesus is already in the prisons. You don’t need to “bring Jesus”; you need to BE Jesus.

What prisoners need are visitors, mentors, people who will teach sperm-donors how to be good fathers. They need godly husbands who will teach young men how to be good husbands. They need godly business leaders to teach them what integrity looks like in the business world. Sometimes they just need someone to teach them how to balance a checkbook. These are things you could do.

Bar and Tavern Care

What about people who spend a good portion of their life not behind bars, but in bars? Maybe you could do what Bob Lines does. He spends every Tuesday – Taco Tuesday – in a bar in Kennard, because God loves people who spend their lives in bars. You know Jesus was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard, right (Matthew 11:19)? Not that he was a glutton and a drunkard, but he spent so much time with them that he got that reputation. What do we have the reputation for?

By the way, Luke tells us Jesus went to synagogue every Sabbath “as was his practice” (Luke 4:16). What’s your practice? I know, now I am just meddling, but here’s the truth:

The Representatives of God in the world need to have the reputation of actually representing God in the world!

The Stewards of the Kingdom of God need to develop the reputation of stewarding everything under their control for the glory of God![7]

God’s Stewards Require Discipleship to Be Effective

What’s our reputation and what’s our calling? What’s our practice, & does it match our identity in Christ? We saw earlier that sin has blurred our identity as Stewards of the Kingdom God. We need to be Discipled to restore us to effective Kingdom Stewardship. Discipleship is about taking what we profess on Sunday and learning to live it out every minute of every day. Discipleship isn’t quick. It’s more than a six-week bible study.

Discipleship is long-term. It’s messy. It requires relationships with other believers who will hold us accountable and encourage us on toward “love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24). Discipleship is hard work, but it’s the ONLY job the church has been commissioned to do. Make disciples, who make disciples, who make disciples.

Discipleship is hard work, but it’s the ONLY job the church has been commissioned to do. Make disciples, who make disciples, who make disciples.

God’s church was designed to be a discipleship engine, running on all cylinders. It’s messy and requires relationships, but a church that’s “all in” on discipleship would be amazing! That is what I want for South Memorial Drive Church of God. All creation is waiting for that to happen!

Conclusion

Every human being was created in the image of God for a purpose – to steward his creation. Your waiter or waitress today; that store or gas station clerk; the person that shows up at our food pantry; the visitor who walks through these doors out here.

There is no human who is purposeless; there are only people who don’t know that God intentionally designed them to represent him in this world. The Sanctity, the Value, of Human Life is that every human being is created in the image of God. We were created as the image-bearers of God. When the world looks at us, the first thing they should think is, “There’s someone who is making a difference in the world! There’s someone who sees things that are broken and brings healing and forgiveness! There’s someone that not only defends life; they bring everything they touch to life!”

And Sanctity of Human Life Sunday reminds us that every life – from the life of the unborn to the life of the person drawing their last breath – every life is stamped with the image of God – the Imago Dei, and yet most of them don’t know it! There is no human who is purposeless; there are only people who don’t know that God intentionally designed them to be His representatives in this world.

Your job, if you choose to live it out, is the be a Steward of the Kingdom of God who trains others to be Stewards of the Kingdom of God.

Your job, if you choose to accept it, is to be a representative of God in this world – a king or queen – a priest of God – who represents God to the world. And your job is to train others to be Stewards of the Kingdom of God, who intercede in prayer to God on behalf of the world.

Life is sacred because each life is shaped in the Imago Dei! You bear the Image of God, and you are called to Steward the Kingdom of God. Your commission is to be kings and priests of the Kingdom of God; to intentionally partner with the Holy Spirit until his work on earth is done.

[1] Donnie Burgess, “U.S. Supreme Court Won’t Hear Indiana Transgender Student...,” WIBC 93.1FM, January 16, 2024, https://wibc.com/232771/u-s-supreme-court-wont-hear-indiana-transgender-student-case-aclu-claims-victory/. [2] Dr. Michael S. Heiser, “Image of God,” in Lexham Bible Dictionary, ed. John D. Barry et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016). [3] Dr. Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible, First Edition (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015), 40. [4] Heiser, 42–43. [5] Dr. Michael S. Heiser, Sons and Daughters of God: The Believer’s Identity, Calling, and Destiny (2.5 Hour Course) (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2019), sec. 25. [6] Here’s some sobering statistics. Suicide is the 4th leading cause of death in the United States for people ages 16-64. In 2019 10,142 died in alcohol related vehicle accidents, while almost five times that many (47,511 people) died by suicide. Suicide is the number one leading cause of death in county and city jails: 33% of all deaths in jail. It is the leading cause of all preventable deaths in state and federal prisons: 6.3 % of all deaths in prison. [7] Stewardship isn’t just about tithing; it’s about understanding that everything under your control is a segment of the Kingdom of God that you have a responsibility steward for the Glory of God.