The other day as I was listening to a news report I heard a comment “We must help him because he is an image bearer!”

To my recollection I do not think I have heard that phrase used in that way. They meant that a person was made in the image of God.  That is very true. We were made in the image of God our creator. However, is that a correct biblical usage or understanding? Let’s think about it.

The phrase may have been used in many situations and it is designed to illuminate something more spiritual about a person. In spite of the fact that they might have done something wrong and may need to be punished by the judicial system or that they are just needy people or whatever, folk are seeking to see them as something deeper spiritually. We know that God loves everyone. That is why he sent his Son Jesus to the cross. But let’s go back to the beginning to unravel the idea of being created in the image of God.

In Genesis the first chapter and verse 27 the text enlightens us concerning the fact that God made man in His image and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul (both physically and spiritually). Thus, the use of the words “image bearers” in our society. We were not made as a god like God almighty. We were not made like a little god, although many seem to take on that persona. (Although the other day, I heard a preacher on YouTube say “I am God.” That is outright blasphemy.)  We were made in God’s image as eternal beings that would never die. Remember, God is a spirit and must be worshipped in spirit. John 4/24 God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (Not in The Spirit, but in spirit. A discussion left for another day.)

The problem with being in “image bearer” came when Adam sinned and crashed the whole system of walking with God in his Kingdom and living eternally. Instead of you eternal life, death entered the scene and man was sentenced to die on this earth either by disease, old age or cut short by an unforeseen event. Thus the verse in first Corinthians 15: 22 “For as in Adam all die, Even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

We find a dramatic change in Genesis 5: 3 Adam lived and 130 years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; And called his name Seth:”

Those of us born into Adam’s posterity are born in “Adams image” which is in sin. God’s plan of life was forsaken when Adam sinned.  Now we live under the curse of sin which has brought sickness, evil and death upon us. Our hearts were darkened spiritually and we were lost from God. We needed to be brought back into God’s family and that is called “redemption.”

Thus, to use the term “made in God’s image,” Scripturally we must account for the fact that since Adam we are under the curse of a sinful nature which drives us to do wrong. Thus, Jesus came to this earth for God’s mission of providing a way to be saved from that old Adamic nature and have our eternity changed from going to a place of darkness away from God to a Kingdom of believers in his Son who paid our penalty for sin and redeemed us. The veil of darkness that covered our spiritual communicator with God, our soul, needed to have a powerful transformation.  It took the shedding of the blood of a perfect sinless human sacrifice to break the power of sin in our lives.

We still have that old nature. So, we must try to follow the example of Jesus and seek to live a godly life to glorify God almighty. We will lose that old sinful nature when Jesus comes back to take us to heaven to live with him. He will rid us of that dark curse so we will sense real freedom from sin forever period now, we wrestled it day-to-day but then and forever we will be freed from its power.  Thank God!

Finally, let me conclude that by asking this:  Should a person have some special status because he or she is an image bearer of God?   Let us never forget that that same person was born in Adam’s image and likeness and lost in sins curse and is guilty before God of all the sinful acts he commits. If he dies in his sinful state, he will be punished for eternity. God takes rejection very seriously.

Only through the freely given salvation in Jesus Christ can a person be alive to God.  Eventually he will be relieved of that sin nature when his soul goes to heaven.  Sin dwells in this old physical body.  However, since believing in God’s Son, his old physical body will be resurrected from the grave and be rejoined with his soul in the second resurrection.  He will be fit to live in heaven forever.

Final thoughts:

I always worry when people use new terminology about people’s souls. Biblical theology has been around for thousands of years and false teachers have always tried to trick the flock with new sounding terms.  So, I am always cautious about the use of new phrases. Satan is very intelligent and he can head one off course very quickly with deceit. Be careful when you hear someone throw out new ideas. People tend to gravitate to new things as they get bored with old things. Some church groups have been using many new and false doctrines since they began. Most are good people who have been deceived by false teachers bringing in new concepts through skewing the text of the Biblical narrative. Always be cautious when you hear new terminology about spiritual things and be careful of the contemporary church music scene as it spews many false doctrines.

Ken Lewis BA ThM ThD