The Ethic of a Christian pt2- Imago Dei

So when we start talking about an ethic that reflects Jesus, we have to start from the beginning. If who we are and who others are does not begin with God, then we can go a whole bunch of different direction. Who is valuable and how they are to be treated becomes based on a shifting standard.

Stop and think for a moment at the number of genocides that have occurred in the history of the world. Every one of them has been based on a belief that some people are less than human and as a result not worthy of respect, care, or the very breath of life.

Pitting humans against humans is the oldest trick in Satan’s book. Look no further than Cain and Abel. And yet, when God forms us He says something completely mind blowing about us.

We have His image.

Look with me at Genesis 1:26-27.

Now a lot of people would nod their heads at this verse and then assert that it is no longer applicable because of Genesis 3. The creation became corrupted because of the Fall.

That’s not found anywhere in scripture, but you are welcome to try and demonstrate it. What is found in scripture is God’s continually unfolding plan to redeem His image bearers.

Genesis 1–11:26 (6) Sixth Day of Creation (1:24–31)

The crown of God’s handiwork is human life. The narrative marks the prominence of this creative act in several ways: (1) the creation account shows an ascending order of significance with human life as the final, thus pinnacle, creative act; (2) of the creative acts, this is the only one preceded by divine deliberation (“Let us make” in v. 26); (3) this expression replaces the impersonal words spoken in the previous creation acts (e.g., “Let there be,” “Let the earth”); (4) human life alone is created in the “image” of God and has the special assignment to rule over the created order (vv. 26–28); (5) the verb bārāʾ occurs three times in v. 27; (6) the event is given a longer description than previous ones; (7) in v. 27 the chiastic arrangement highlights the emphasis on “image”; and (8) unlike the animals, who are said to have come from the land in v. 24 (though v. 25 makes clear that God created them), mankind is referred to only as a direct creation of God

Corruption does not mean image does not matter- people are valuable because God says they are. God calls us the crown of His creation in Psalm 8:5. That’s well after the Fall.

Genesis 1–11:26 (6) Sixth Day of Creation (1:24–31)

Mankind is appointed as God’s royal representatives (i.e., sonship) to rule the earth in his place. When sin marked the human family as disobedient children, however, they did not lose the “image” (9:6; 1 Cor 11:7; Jas 3:9); rather, the “glory” of sonship faded. In the New Testament these ideas of image, glory, and sonship are found closely related (e.g., 1 Cor 11:7; 2 Cor 3:18; 4:4, 6; Heb 2:5–10). By the grace of the Creator the new humanity is created in the “image of Christ” (cp. 1 Cor 15:49) and through his perfect obedience achieves life and glory for believers as his adopted children (e.g., Rom 8:17, 30; 9:23; 2 Cor 4:4, 6; Col 3:9–10

And yet, despite this position, we do not do a good job of loving the fellow image bearers we live alongside.

Enter Jesus.

Jesus is constantly asked about the Law and when people tried to pin Him down He would give the most confounding answers. One such instance comes after Jesus has shut down a group of Sadducees who are trying to trap Him. Seeing their rivals fail, the Pharisees come and try their luck- attempting to get Jesus to rank the laws of God on a scale.

Not only does He not bite, He uses the moment to teach them and us about the value of His image bearers.

How does Jesus explain our value? Matthew 22:36-40. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Matthew 1. True Discipleship versus Harsher Condemnation for the Jewish Leaders (19:1–22:46)

Going beyond the original question, Jesus adds a second commandment that is also foundational—Lev 19:18. “The second is like it” probably means that this commandment is of equal importance. Jewish interpreters had long recognized the preeminent value of each of these laws; Jesus apparently was the first to fuse the two and to exalt them above the whole law

How do we love ourselves- tend to go one of 2 ways- very hard or very easy

Neither is in line with what God had in mind- God has both grace and discipline- He loves us where we are and yet desires for us to move on with Him.

The issue we run into is we tend, in relation to our neighbors, to not extend them as much grace as we extend ourselves and to hold them to a higher standard than we do ourselves. Especially if how they fall short is different than how we fall short OR is offensive to us.

Calling us to love God first, means that God’s love defines how we love our neighbors. When we love God, what does Jesus say- we do what He says. And how does Jesus say we respond to people?

we seek reconciliation

we forgive 70x7

we even pray for our enemies

All really hard things to do.

So since these are all hard the big question is, who is a neighbor? Luke 10:25-37.

Luke Comments

Neighbor. For most Jews a neighbor was another Jew, not a Samaritan or a Gentile. The Pharisees (John 7:49) and the Essenes did not even include all Jews (1QS 1:9–10). The teaching of the latter stands in sharp contrast with that of Jesus. The Essenes taught that one was to love all the children of light who are part of the community but to hate the children of darkness who stand outside the community

Jesus is not saying a neighbor is JUST our worst enemy, He is including everyone in between.

By using the worst as the model, He opens the door to His followers seeing everyone as valuable.

Luke Comments

The term “Samaritan” is in an emphatic position in the sentence. Jesus deliberately chose an outsider, and a hated one at that, for his hero in order to indicate that being a neighbor is not a matter of nationality or race

Luke Comments

Jesus indicated that one should worry less about who a neighbor is than about being a good neighbor.

How does seeing an image bearer change our response?

we see them

we serve them

we love them

In short, we make the same sacrifices for them, we would want others to make for us- literally loving our neighbor as we wish others loved us.

What’s the significance of the Imago Dei? why does Jesus call us to love our neighbors as ourselves? Because God has a plan for EVERYONE, and that our loving them is loving God, and who God made them to be- in HIS eyes, not in our eyes.

Look at Psalm 139:13-16.

Psalms 73–150 3. The Lord Has Planned Every Detail of the Psalmist’s Life (139:13–18)

The Lord did not have to wait until the psalmist’s birth to know all about him, for his eyes saw the psalmist even in his embryonic state. All the days of his life were planned and recorded in advance by the Lord, even before he emerged from the womb (cf. Jer 1:5). The verb yāṣar, “plan,” refers to the work of a potter or craftsman in forming something to be used (cf. Isa 45:9; Hab 2:18), and it often describes God’s work of creation (Gen 2:7–8, 19; Isa 44:24; Jer 1:5; Amos 4:13) or planning (2 Kgs 19:25; Isa 46:11; 64:8; Jer 18:11). It indicates that the psalmist’s days were planned by the Lord according to his predetermined divine purpose

When we see God’s image in someone else, it becomes impossible to hate them. To abuse them. To belittle them. Even if we do not understand them or condone what they did.

You can love someone without agreeing with them. You can love someone who does not love you.

Why do we know this? Because God did that with us. That’s the good news of the Gospel. God loved us first. He came to us first. And modeled for us how we should see each other.

As people worthy of love because we are God’s image bearers.