Imago Dei With The Gospel CoalitionSample

Imago Dei in You 

On the surface humanity appears to be just one creature among many. Often we’re referred to as rational animals, categorized as indistinct in our nature from other animals. But the Bible sets us apart, above the animals, just “a little lower than the angels” (Ps. 8:5, NIV). 

Our self-worth comes first and foremost from our identity as image bearers. Our understanding of our worth deepens when we understand the gospel, which teaches us that God Himself called us friends, sacrificed His life in our place, and raised us up to new life. There’s no stronger or safer foundation on which to build our identity than the gospel. 

Yet we often seek a sense of our identity in other places. It might be in wealth, status, achievements, or physical appearance. More subtly, it might be in the way we hope people see us or our families. We want people to think we have it all together, our children are well behaved, and we embody the ideal family. 

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says we have “eternity in [our] hearts.” This means something inside each of us senses that there’s more to this world than the immediate, short, temporary lives we live. We know, deep down, that there’s something more. This awareness also separates us from other creatures. Our longing for transcendence drives us to make art, to gaze at sunsets, and to enjoy relationships that seem deep, full of meaning, and eternal. In addition, this sense of eternity calls us to long for God. Yet much of the world’s population says life is short and it’s all we have. 

Our inherent worth as image bearers can be difficult to believe. Life throws a lot of discouragement at us, and it can make us feel like failures, tormented by anxiety, depression, and the illusion of worthlessness. But the Bible assures us that at our core, at our essence, we’re made in God’s image  (see Gen. 1:26-27), and that identity imparts worth to us that nothing can take away—not shame, not sin, not the arrows of the enemy. In our sin we can stain or distort that image, but we can’t extinguish it, and no one can extinguish it in us. 

Psalm 8 isn’t just a nice poem. And the poet wasn’t exaggerating. God made you a little less than God and crowned you with glory and honor. And although sin dims that honor, Jesus’ redeeming work fully recovers it. 

Everyone needs to hear this message personally and intimately. You were made with profound, inherent worth because you were made in God’s image. And God still profoundly loves you, no matter what you’ve done, because He has redeemed you in Jesus and has made you His child. You bear God’s image. You have tremendous worth. And through Jesus, God wants to make you all you were meant to be.