Last Sunday we began The Church and…message series and addressed the topic of sexual immorality and abuse. The underlying principle for not harming or taking advantage of another person is a recognition of the complete human dignity of all people based on Genesis 1:27.
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of Godhe created them;
male and female he created them.
The Hebrew phrase for “image of God”is Imago Dei. Our worth is not based on any status or usefulness we have with others. Our worth is based entirely on the fact all humans are equal bearers of Imago Dei. To sexually abuse or take advantage of another person sexually is an abuse of the Imago Dei in them. So is any other abuse or devaluing of individual or groups.
I long to see the day when modern day slavery, the buying, selling and abuse of human beings, is no longer possible in our world. I long to see the end of legalized abortion. Advocates for each of these victims generally fall on different sides of the political aisle, but they are based on the same value. They are both Imago Dei issues. And so are a host of other justice concerns we face in our world.
To help you understand how all these often politically charged problems are actually the responsibility of the church to address, I recommend you listen to January 2020’s Capital Conversations. Capital Conversationsis a podcast of the Washington DC office of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. All month they have been speaking to Imago Dei ethic. They take great measures to rise above the political rancor prevalent in our nation’s capital and approach the topic of human dignity from a non-partisan biblical worldview. Becoming familiar with that approach will help you better understand many of the issues we will be addressing this month and next in The Church and…message series.
Live bold,
Greg
Full disclosure: I have been listening to Capital Conversations for several years. Last year my son Jeff, who works for the ERLC, became its host. Which admittedly makes me proud to recommend it.
