Chalke Talk 44: What does 'image of God" mean? (Part 1)

Steve continues to think about the question of loving ourselves, loving others and loving God in a commonly quoted phrase ‘Imago Dei’ or ‘in the image of God.’

So often though, we are unsure of what this actually means for us, our relationships with each other and our relationship with God. Steve begins a two-part series looking at this question specifically. To start off, Steve suggests that, “your wellbeing… is dependent on your theology, rather than your mood or your critics.” Returning to the original texts, and the ways in which God has been understood throughout history, Steve suggests that “the image of God” is another affirmation of the loving relationship God calls us into. No matter the different ways humanity has interpreted Imago Dei, it is clear that it’s intrinsic to being a human being. As he puts it, “I believe that we are all – whatever our history, whatever our mistakes, whatever we’ve been told, whoever we are – image bearers and representatives of the God of all creation.”

There are two questions: If this is true, what implications do you think it has for you as an individual and the way you view yourself? And second, what implications does it have for the church, locally, nationally and around the world? What do you think?