The Image of God

Implications for marriage and dignity

Absolutely foundational to understanding humankind is grasping the mystery of the imago Dei. Theologians have attempted to plumb its depths for centuries. Grasping how the image of God relates to sexual matters is critical if we are to minister wisely to victims of the Sexual Tsunami.

In the midst of a pagan and polytheistic culture, the early church had to hammer out a precise understanding of the Trinity and the deity of Jesus. Today’s paganized obsession with sexuality calls upon us to know clearly who we are as image bearers of the Creator.

The Design of Marriage

Recent articles I’ve posted have described new discoveries gained from reading broadly about God’s creation story. And as we consider the imago Dei, there’s more to inspire awe.

As much as I hate to simply cut and paste content, the following from Christopher Yuan’s Holy Sexuality and the Gospel is a game changer.

Genesis 1:27 conveys an undeniable connection between the imago Dei and the ontological categories of male and female. Analyzing this verse through the lens of rhetorical analysis reveals an indelible link between the image of God and sexual differentiation.

In Genesis 1:27 we find these parallel lines of poetry:

            So God created man in his own image,

            In the image of God he created him;

            Male and female he created them.

The first line lays the foundation on which the next two lines build—the fact that “God created man in his own image.” The second line basically repeats the first but in different order: the prepositional phrase (“in the image of God”) is at the beginning, and the subject-verb-object (“he created him”) is at the end.

The third line also ends with the subject-verb-object: “he created them.” But now the singular pronoun “him” in line two has been replaced by the plural “them.” The singular and plural pronouns in these two lines echo the preceding verse in which God himself is expressed in both singular and plural: “Then God said, ‘Let us make . . . ‘“ The inherent relationality and fellowship within the Godhead are reflected in the inherent relationality and fellowship within humankind.

But the biggest surprise in verse 27 is at the start of that third line: the noun pair “male and female” takes the place of the second line’s prepositional phrase “in the image of God.” The second and third lines are poetically structured in parallel, communicating a direct correlation between the image of God and male and female.¹

In short, the very structure of the Hebrew text affirms our heterosexual design. Not only does each individual reflect the image of God, but the very union of male and female in marriage adds a fuller dimension to that reflection. The diversity found in the Trinity is seen in the joining together of two who are similar (human) but different (male and female).

Chapter two of Into the Light contains the follow insight from Dan Allender’s book Sabbath where he speaks of the beauty of the triune God:

In his careful description, [Allender] cites a study that was done to determine what constitutes a beautiful face. Symmetry alone does not suffice for good looks. In other words, beauty is “a relationship between harmony and distinctiveness.”  Attractiveness is enhanced as there is variation in the overall symmetry.  And so it is with the face of God as we see it reflected in the male and female created in his image.  There is certainly sameness, as Adam cries out, “She is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh!”  That is to say, “Hey, she’s just like me!”  But there is also a significant variation in the symmetry—there is the inherent beauty of man and woman in their wonderful complementarity.  And so we see the first purpose in creating us as male and female is to reflect the image of God.

Same-sex marriage is the law of the land. It finds precedent in ancient times. I hold no malice toward same-sex couples. But their union is not what God intended when he created us in his image.

The Dignity of the Individual

Recently I read an article of a trans man’s journey.² Very well written, it was a detailed diary of her childhood dysphoria, how she made decisions every step of the way, culminating in the decision to take the risk of phalloplasty—the construction of a penis by taking a large portion of flesh from her thigh.

The surgery’s risk is related to the amount of flesh needed for the construction. And there is a high degree of failure where the penis “dies.” But she was exultant with the results. It felt extremely satisfying for her to feel the large penis lying against her thigh.

What most caught my attention was a picture toward the end of the article. She wanted a pic of her entire body with nothing but a speedo. While she was grinning with pride, I was wincing with sorrow. The curvature of her female skeletal structure was obvious. So was the 5-6 inch long scar where her flesh had been cut out. The testosterone treatments had produced only enough body hair for an odd looking beard. Certainly not enough hair to cover the scars from her mastectomy.

She was exultant. I was deeply saddened.

But she was created in the image of God. For that reason, she has enormous value and is to be treated with respect and compassion.

In God’s covenant with Noah, he reaffirmed the value of men and women, giving them dominion over the created order, commanding them to multiply and fill the earth, and warning that murder of an image bearer required blood:

Whoever sheds the blood of a human,
    by a human shall that person’s blood be shed;
for in his own image
    God made humankind.

Jesus takes this even deeper, stating:

21 “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.  Matthew 5:21-22 NRSV

Insults, labels and snarky comments are out of place. No matter how badly someone distorts their body or riles us for misuse of pronouns, their status as image bearers commands our respect and compassion.

Conclusion

In the midst of our culture’s continuous clatter about pronouns and gender, hold confidently to the design of God, knowing that the Fall has brought much distortion. Faltering on this point cripples our ministry to the image bearers in our care.

1. Yuan, Christopher, Holy Sexuality: Sex, Desire and Relationships Shaped by God’s Grand Story. Colorado Springs: Multnomah. 2018, p. 20ish.

2. When addressing a trans person, I courteously use their preferred pronouns. But in referencing a person in this blog, I usually use the pronouns of their biological gender.