Big Idea:
To be human is to bear the image of God. Every human life has value, dignity, and purpose because we reflect the Creator. That image is broken by sin but restored and renewed through Jesus Christ.
God didn’t create us because He needed us — He is complete within Himself (Father, Son, Spirit).
We were created for the glory of God, because of His love, and out of His joy and delight.
Our purpose: to be known and loved by God and to love Him in return (John 17:24; Revelation 4:11).
“Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness.” (Genesis 1:26)
Unlike all other creatures made “after their kind,” humanity alone was made after God’s image—royal language meaning we represent the King.
The image is not tied to one attribute (intelligence, emotion, reason, etc.); it’s the whole of our humanity.
To be human is to be in God’s image—every person, at every stage of life, in every place.
Substantive View: Image is an inherent trait or quality—partly true but incomplete.
Relational View: Image seen in our relationship with God and others—true but not the full picture.
Functional View: Image shown in how we rule and steward creation—right in consequence, not essence.
Scripture shows that the image is our very nature as humans, expressed through relationship and stewardship.
The image was marred but not lost (Genesis 9:6).
Every human still bears God’s image, which gives life sacred worth and makes murder and hatred grave offenses (James 3:9).
Because we bear His image, God owns our lives—we belong to Him (Matthew 22:20–21).
Universality: Every human—male, female, every ethnicity, age, and social class—bears God’s image equally.
Sanctity of Life: Human value is not based on ability, usefulness, or awareness. From conception to death, all life is sacred.
Work and Purpose: We are called to exercise dominion and stewardship—our labor, whatever form it takes, reflects the God who works.
Representation: As believers, we show the world what God is like; Christ in us restores the broken image.
Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).
He took on real humanity to redeem and remake us into His image (Romans 8:29).
Through salvation and the Spirit’s work, the cracked mirror is made new—we are being conformed to Christ’s likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18).
We are called to recognize humanity’s universal need for Christ, uphold personal responsibility for sin, and proclaim the gospel with clarity and compassion.
Romans 5:12; Ezekiel 18:4, 20; Revelation 20:11-13
Because sin has shattered every part of human life, we must look to Christ as the only One who can truly restore what is broken and teach us how to live as God meant.
Genesis 3:7-19
A church with a clear, biblical view of sin will view the world realistically, depend on Christ fully, and minister to others with truth and compassion.
Genesis 3:1-24
Because every person bears the image of God, love all people, including those unlike you or opposed to you, with the dignity, mercy, and truth that reflect Christ Himself.
Genesis 1:26-27; Acts 17:26-27; James 2:1-9
Because every human life bears God’s image, we must honor, protect, and love all people with the same value, compassion, and dignity that God Himself gives.
Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 5:1-2; Titus 2:1-8
Honor God in both body and soul: care for your physical and spiritual life as one, unified whole redeemed by Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:23; Genesis 2:7; Matthew 10:28
