Student Night 1.15.25

Imago Dei and Gender

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INTRODUCTION

Reference Sam’s teaching (don’t pray)

Image: We are only a couple of weeks into the new year, and I am just curious who here had a new years resolution coming into this year? I personally am not a big fan of the concept new years resolutions, but I did have one a few small “resolutions” or changes I wanted to make this year and one of them was that I wanted to listen to more audio books and podcast when I am in the car. I go to seminary all the way in downtown Dallas and so I spend a lot of time in the car. And I am horrifically bad at finding new music, so after months of just listening to the same few songs I decided that I would like to spend those hours each week doing something that feels more productive. And one of the podcast I was listening to recently really struck me. It was a podcast by Joe Rogan, and now I am not necessarily recommending you listen to Rogan, but I will listen to him from time to time when he has someone of interest on there. And recently he had a guy named Wesley Huff on there, who is a well known Christian teacher and thinker. And he and Joe Rogan were talking the different stories about where people came from. he then talked about how with today’s phones we can get an answer to almost any question we have, but the question of where we came from is one we still ask. He said, “the search for our origins, is one of the most human endeavors, cause to know we are particularly unique, that we are so different, that we stand out from every other animal on this planet, that in this crazy biological world that we are so far beyond any other creature on that is on this planet. And we all wonder where was the origin of these stories and why do we have them? What purpose do they serve? Which one is right?”

Need: These questions Rogan ask live in all of us, we all feel this sense of curiosity. Joe Rogan has lived more life, done more things, lives in a bigger house, and has more money than most of if not all us ever will. But he still asks, where do we come from? Why are we so distinct and so unique?

And we all wonder this, where did I come from? (talk about how I don’t have time to talk about why the Bible is true compared to other creation accounts but if your a student come find me after)

Subject: But what I want to talk about today is why are we unique? Why do humans stand out from the rest of creation? And where does this sense of intrinsic human value come from? Why do we as humans have a irreplaceable value placed on us just from existing?

Text: It is because of this text, Genesis 1:26-28 (don’t read it all)

BODY

Created in His Image

Our passage starts by saying “Then God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”

Now, I think these are some of the most incredible words our ears will ever hear and thats for 2 reasons, first it reveals to us that God has created us. And we should never get over this statement. I mean in the preceding verses we have learned that God was there before anything else was, that he has eternally existed.

And than this God created everything out of nothing, he created the seas, and the land, and all the creatures, and the sunsets, and the wind, and the mountains, and the trees, and he then decided that it was worth while for him to create us and place us in his creation. How can you ever wrap your mind around that? That the creator of all things so it fit to make not just Adam, but saw it fit to make you?

And then here it reveals to us not only that he created us, but that he created us unique to the rest of creation. That there was something about us that no other part of creation had, not the mountains and trees, not even other living beings like the lions and cows.

How did he create us unique? Well the text tells us that he created us in his image. This is true of nothing else in all of creation

That to be human fundamentally means to be made in the image of God. This is where we get that fancy theological term imago dei, which just latin for image of God.

Now what does that mean? What does it mean to be made in the image of God?

People often say us being made in his image means we have a sense of morality, or we are artistic, or we as conscious and autonomous beings. All of those are true but they are aspects of a greater reality of what it means to be made in the image of God.

Let me try to define it in what I believe is the simplest, but still all encompassing, way that I have heard.

Being made in the image of God means…we image God. Because what do images do? They image!

Let me give you an example of what I mean by that. If we were to drive down to American Airlines Arena where the Mavs play, we would see a statue there of Dirk Nowinski, a former hall of fame player. And when we look at that statue we would think about Dirk Nowinski playing basketball. Why? After all that statue is not the real Dirk, it is just a huge piece of metal. Well because that piece of metal bears a likeness to the man Dirk, it is made in his image.

So that when you see it you think about Dirk playing basketball. The same is true for us, we are made in the image of God so that when we look at each other we see God! So that when I see someone making beautiful art I think “Wow how creative must God be” when I see someone serving another I think “Wow how loving must God be” when I see someone do something hard I think “Wow how strong must God be!”

And this is not just true for the believer, but our definition of Imago Dei must allow for the belief that all people, not just Christians, are made and bear the image of God. And that the image of God was not lost by the fall.

Because the imago dei is fundamentally what it means to be human.

To prove this we can look to Genesis 9:6, which says, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” This verse (which takes place post the fall in the Garden) shows use that even in our sin and fallenness that we still bear the image of God. That sin may deface, but it never erases the image of God on anyone.

Like the worst people we can think of…

That is good news becasue what you have done has not…

Now, one important note I want to make on that is that God’s image is on all of man in the general sense, but God’s image is on you in a specific sense. This took me a long time to realize and believe. I could easily believe that the inherit value of being made in the image of God was true to mankind, but to believe that I myself was made in the image of God was much harder to grasp.

Don’t ever minimize who you are as an individual. You were made unique, a painting made in the image of God for a particular purpose of imaging your heavenly Father, so that when other people see you that see some glimpse of what God is like.

Unity & Diversity in Gender

In the next verse, verse 27, it reiterates this saying, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him.” But then it gives a specific distinction in the uniqueness he makes man in, it says, “male and female he created them.”

Now, before I try to unpack the topic gender and the unique distinction between male and female, I want to highlight the unifying beauty of this verse. Because before it gives the distinction male and female, what did it say?

It said “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them.” So what we see is a double reiteration of the image of God on all of man.

It is only after this that the distinction of male and female is made, and I think this is important to note because it shows both genders are unified in their own dignity and worth and value. So that is the baseline revelation, both male and female are made in the image of God equally.

But, there is a distinction made in the text male is distinct from female and vice versa. They are not the same. This is the basis of where we get the term complimentarianism. Which is just a term that means the two genders were created by God to compliment or parter alongside each other in a way that brings about greater human flourishing and glorifies God.

Meaning “the two genders, equal in value and dignity, posses different and unique roles and qualities in the home and the church” (straight from TVC’s statement of faith). And where this can get tricky is when our cultural understanding of gender influences the how we see gender laid out in the Bible.

Because so much of what western, American, individualism tells us makes you a man or makes you a women is found no where in the Bible.

Guys are told you have to be this strong, never crying, emotionally absent, go get yours kind of man and that is what it means to be a man. Which is just not biblical, men should be strong.

But read through the NT and and see how many times you read that Jesus wept, or that he is called lowly or meek. And Jesus was more embodiment of biblical masculinity in its perfection.

Or women, I think this is more complex given the cultural shift, but your either sold you have to be this quite, kind of backseat position where the only role you can have is in the home, or that you are the same as a man and any role they have should be yours. And the Bible would push back on both of these.

Becasue yes there are certain roles for reserved for men, but there are also certain roles and strengths that women have that men don’t

Different roles at TVC

Different roles with Kayley and I

And these differences actually bring about greater unity as we bring to the table different strengths and in different ways we show what God is like and steward what he has given us.

Which is the command the commandment of stewardship is what God gives to Adam and Eve in the next verse…

Called to Be Stewards

It says, “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 earth.”

So God is calling Adam and Eve, these two image bearers, to come together, bringing their distinct qualities, to steward the rest of creation. And by stewarding the earth God will be glorified. Because by having dominion and filling the earth they will walk into God’s plan for them, and show what God is like as they bear in image.

And the same is true for you, you bear God’s image by stewardship of your life and what he has placed you in.

The Westminster Catechism, which is just a document of basic questions and answers of Christianity puts it this way, it asks, “What is the chief end of man?” And it answers, “To glorify God and enjoy him forever.”

And now what I want to convince you of is that this call to steward as image bearers, is not just for the glory of God but is also for your joy. That this is not a boring command that you must begrudgingly serve God, but rather God’s glory and your joy are not opposing goals but one beautiful aim of your life and where your greatest joy is found.

Becasue that is what God has given to Adam and Eve to here, that through the bearing of his image on earth they will glorify him and by walking in the design and plan of their creator they will simultaneously walk into their great joy.

Same for us, when we live in a way where we glorify God we will become increasingly glad. When we make decisions on what music we listen to, what we watch, how we spend our free time, what we do with our money, and everything else in life in a way that honors God, we will grow in joy and others will be like why are you so joyful?

To summarize what I am saying, God has made man in his image, and he has made man uniquely male and uniquely female, for the purpose of coming together to steward the earth…which will lead to glorifying God and their joy.

Now as we look to our day, is this what you see? Is this the direction the world is drifting towards? As you look around at our cultural moment is the world joyful in God and is he being glorified?

In short…no. The world is growing more distant from God, his name is being dishonored more and more, and people are increasingly lacking in joy. Why?

This is because of the fall we know came after our passage tonight, that our sin has made it impossible for us to bring this reality to pass. How is this passage reconciled with the reality we find ourselves in? Is this just a way of life that was lost by our sin?

Well the answers to those questions is the essence and core of our Christian faith.

Christ

It is through Christ that this is reconciled, for he has perfectly imaged his Father, where we have failed, he has been obedient.

Colossians 1:15 (ESV)

He is the image of the invisible God, .

And no where else has Christ imaged what God is like in a greater way than he did on the cross. The cross is the ultimate picture of what God is like.

Because on the cross as we see this bloody spear pierced man we see all of the attributes of God displayed. We see by his wounds the justice of God towards sin upheld. We see by his presence there the mercy of God displayed. We see by his unwillingness to call a legion of angels to come down the faithfulness of God to his word. We see by his decision to not fight back those who spit on him his patience. We see by invitation to the thief his compassion to sinners. We see by the giving up of his spirit his love for us made complete. We see by by his resurrection from the wounds of the cross his power over death made evident. When we see the the cross we see the full image of who God is.

He redeemed on calvary us who were made in God’s image, but have traded our joy in him for the fleeting pleasures this world. He has reconciled this and has purchased for us an eternity where we will live free from our foolishness where our joy will be made full as we glorify God forever.

Pray