Humans

The Bible says that after making the land and water and plants and animals and all the things, God wasn’t finished. He saved His best work for last. He made humans! When we look at people around the world, we see God’s creativity on display. We have different skin colors, various eye colors and nose shapes, and unique hair textures. We speak thousands of languages and have different accents. We even enjoy different kinds of food and clothes! All these amazing differences reflect God’s creativity, so we celebrate them.

When we think of the word image, we think of a picture or symbol. We think of things we see. So, you may think being made in God’s image means we look like what God looks like physically, with two arms, two legs, and a nose in the middle of our faces. But being made in God’s image actually means we resemble Him in some of our attributes. Think about your shadow. Your shadow is not you. It doesn’t look completely like you, but it does copy your movements. As humans, we are like little shadows of God, reflecting parts of His character whether we know Him or not.

Do you remember how we discussed the communicable attributes of God? We have some of the characteristics He has, even though we are imperfect in the way we express them. Some examples of God’s communicable attributes are goodness, mercy, truthfulness, justice, and grace. When humans practice any of those things, we can see glimmers of how we are made in God’s image.

We reflect God in other ways too. Like Him, humans are able to think critically and creatively. We can use our intellect in ways that animals do not. Also, we are moral creatures with a sense of right and wrong. Our consciences tell us whether we should make a certain moral choice or not. Lastly, we are relational, social creatures, which reflects the way God is relational between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Human beings are precious to God! He made every one of us in His image. There will never be a moment of your life when you are not in the image of God. When God sees you, He sees someone He loves. God values people simply because they are people. His love is not based on whether you get good grades, perform well in a sporting event, have good looks, or have unique talents or abilities. Psalm 139:14 says humans are “remarkably and wondrously made” by God. Therefore, you, your body, and everyone else’s body have value, worth, and dignity because we were made by God and for God.

Discuss with your child:

Make a list of three of your positive attributes.

• Are you kind or funny? Creative or brave? Maybe you’re a good listener or a hard worker. Why do you think God gave you those attributes?
• Do you think they reflect God’s image?

Thanks for reading!

Thank you for reading this plan, which is based on Thinking about God (B&H Publishing, 2023) by Alex Early. Click here to learn more or get your copy.