Created In God’s Own Image

Genesis 1:26-31 

We are created in God’s own image, in Latin, the imago dei. But what does that mean? How can we fully embrace that we are created in God’s own image if we have no idea what God looks like?

Truthfully, it is hard to understand how we are made in the likeness of God when we don’t fully understand God. And, because we are not God (something we fail to remember from time to time), coming to a full understanding of our Creator is not something that will happen in this lifetime.

So what do we do? We who are created in God’s image. How can we better grasp what that means? One way is to look to the creation story to see what it reveals to us about God and God’s creation, and, therefore, us.

There is no need to debate creationism and evolution in order to glean the richness of the creation story. To call the creation story true does not have to contradict science (Darwin is actually buried in Westminster Abbey).  Stories can often get us to a deeper, richer place than science can take us all by itself.

As the late, great New Testament scholar Marcus Borg put it, the creation story is “strikingly world-affirming.” “Against all world-denying theologies and philosophies,” he writes, “Genesis affirms the world as the good creation of the good God. All that is, is good.”

All that is, is good.

We are part of a good creation, created by a good God who declared us—after looking at all creation—good. We are good. Despite the best efforts of the world and our own minds to convince us otherwise, we are good.

So claim it. Claim your goodness. And keeping searching for the spark of goodness in others–especially in people where it’s really hard to find.

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