In this modern age, the doctrine of the Image of God has lost popularity in contemporary circles. The rise of the teaching of Darwinian Evolution has given people reasons to reject the idea of a divine Creator and thus the idea that man was created in His image. As a result, many people have begun acting as if they are animals in society. This is to be expected because if you teach people that they are nothing but animals, then we should not be surprised when they begin behaving like animals. The rise of school shootings, senseless violence, hate crimes, et cetera are all the result of this demonic doctrine. However, if we were to teach people that they are made in the Image of God, then people will behave appropriately by treating other human beings with respect and dignity because they will value human life. In this blog, I will be discussing where the doctrine of the Imago Dei came from and the practical effects that this doctrine should have on one's mental health. The purpose of this blog is to revitalize this amazing doctrine in the hopes that many people will begin to believe it again and will act accordingly. First, I would like to cite the Scripture text where we get this doctrine from. If we turn to Genesis 1:27, we will read,
"So God created man in his image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them"
In this text, we see that from the beginning of time, God created mankind in His image. As I said, this means that human beings are set apart from the animal kingdom by the simple fact that we are sacred. This is why we have inherent value and dignity. Some Christians claim that man lost the Imago Dei after the Fall, but that is in complete contradiction to the Scriptures. If we turn to Genesis 9:6, we read the following,
"Whoever shed the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image"
As you can clearly see, even after the Fall God still declared that man was made in His image. This means that the Imago Dei was not destroyed after the Fall of man. It is tainted, for sure, but not destroyed. Those who claim otherwise must defy the clear teaching of the Holy Scripture. Christian psychologists have found three practical uses for the Imago Dei: Functional, Structural, and Relational. I will now explain these three points.
Functional
This refers to the fact that man has dominion over creation. As human beings created in His image, we have the mandate to take care of God's creation. I've heard it once said that Christians should be the best environmentalists and I concur with this statement. We are mandated to be good stewards of the created order. This means that we should not abuse God's creation. But, it is not enough that we do not abuse God's creation, though. We should do everything in our power to actually take the best care of His creation as we can. This means that we avoid littering, polluting the air, and the like. We have to live in this world, so we may as well take care of it.
Structural
This refers to human beings' moral and rational faculties. As humans made in God's image, we can reason and know the difference between right and wrong. We can learn new things such as languages, academics, politics, and the like. It is a shame that many people forget about it utilizing their cognitive abilities the way they know how. As human beings made in God's image, we have a consciousness that can contemplate the deep things in life such as purpose, origin, and the like. Animals do not nor can they contemplate such matters.
Relational
This refers to the fact that not only do we image God on an individual level, but we also image God collectively as we relate to other human beings and God Himself. Whenever we communicate with another human being, we image God. Whenever we participate in cultural activities such as sporting events, family reunions, parties, going to church, and the like, we image God. God is pleased whenever we are relating to other people with the respect and dignity that they deserve because He did not create any of us to be alone. Psychologists have discovered that we are by nature social creatures. This means that we thrive off of being in relationships with other people. In other words, we need other people and it is actually unhealthy for our mental well-being to be alone.
Now, you are probably wondering how all of this relates to our mental health, right? As I contemplate the Imago Dei, I have found two different ways that this doctrine should deeply affect our mental health. They are the following,
1) It Causes Us To Value Human Life
2) It Causes Us To Treat Ourselves With Love
I will elaborate on each of these points, but first I would like to say that these are not the only ways that this doctrine affects our mental health, but these are the main points I'd like to cover. If you can think of others, please let me know in the comments section below.
It Causes Us To Value Human Life
As I have stated earlier, the teaching of Darwinian Evolution has caused us to forget about the Imago Dei. The results of this have been catastrophic because what we see now is that people no longer value human life. The reason we see so many shootings, mass killings, people being attacked in the streets, women being raped, and the like is because of the fact that we as a whole no longer value human life. The answer is not to make more legislation because that can only do so much. The real answer that gets to the root of the problem is to teach people about the fact that they are made in God's image. If we successfully accomplish this then we will see the rape statistics, murder rates, mass shootings and killings, and much more significantly go down. The reason for this is because of the fact that people will begin to respect one another as they realize that human beings have value and dignity.
It Causes Us To Treat Ourselves With Love
As a result of the teachings of Darwinian Evolution, not only do people no longer respect other human beings, but they no longer respect themselves. This actually makes sense because if we are only animals, then we do not have any value. We are basically the same as a pig or a worm. Some Evolutionists actually do make this assertion. However, if we acknowledge that we are made in God's image, then we will realize that we are infinitely of more value and worth than a mere worm or pig. As a result, we will naturally take care of ourselves with love. If we are mere animals, then there is absolutely no reason for us to take care of our mental and physical well-being. But, if we are made in God's image, then we have every reason to take care of our mental and physical well-being.
As you can see, what you believe about human beings actually does matter, contrary to popular opinion. You can either believe that humans evolved from pond scum billions of years ago or you can believe that man was made in His image. Whatever you choose to believe will affect how you view yourself and how you view others. It will also affect how you treat yourself and how you treat others. I hope that this blog has given you something to seriously think about. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this blog and may the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
Check out the other Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
"So God created man in his image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them"
In this text, we see that from the beginning of time, God created mankind in His image. As I said, this means that human beings are set apart from the animal kingdom by the simple fact that we are sacred. This is why we have inherent value and dignity. Some Christians claim that man lost the Imago Dei after the Fall, but that is in complete contradiction to the Scriptures. If we turn to Genesis 9:6, we read the following,
"Whoever shed the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image"
As you can clearly see, even after the Fall God still declared that man was made in His image. This means that the Imago Dei was not destroyed after the Fall of man. It is tainted, for sure, but not destroyed. Those who claim otherwise must defy the clear teaching of the Holy Scripture. Christian psychologists have found three practical uses for the Imago Dei: Functional, Structural, and Relational. I will now explain these three points.
Functional
This refers to the fact that man has dominion over creation. As human beings created in His image, we have the mandate to take care of God's creation. I've heard it once said that Christians should be the best environmentalists and I concur with this statement. We are mandated to be good stewards of the created order. This means that we should not abuse God's creation. But, it is not enough that we do not abuse God's creation, though. We should do everything in our power to actually take the best care of His creation as we can. This means that we avoid littering, polluting the air, and the like. We have to live in this world, so we may as well take care of it.
Structural
This refers to human beings' moral and rational faculties. As humans made in God's image, we can reason and know the difference between right and wrong. We can learn new things such as languages, academics, politics, and the like. It is a shame that many people forget about it utilizing their cognitive abilities the way they know how. As human beings made in God's image, we have a consciousness that can contemplate the deep things in life such as purpose, origin, and the like. Animals do not nor can they contemplate such matters.
Relational
This refers to the fact that not only do we image God on an individual level, but we also image God collectively as we relate to other human beings and God Himself. Whenever we communicate with another human being, we image God. Whenever we participate in cultural activities such as sporting events, family reunions, parties, going to church, and the like, we image God. God is pleased whenever we are relating to other people with the respect and dignity that they deserve because He did not create any of us to be alone. Psychologists have discovered that we are by nature social creatures. This means that we thrive off of being in relationships with other people. In other words, we need other people and it is actually unhealthy for our mental well-being to be alone.
Now, you are probably wondering how all of this relates to our mental health, right? As I contemplate the Imago Dei, I have found two different ways that this doctrine should deeply affect our mental health. They are the following,
1) It Causes Us To Value Human Life
2) It Causes Us To Treat Ourselves With Love
I will elaborate on each of these points, but first I would like to say that these are not the only ways that this doctrine affects our mental health, but these are the main points I'd like to cover. If you can think of others, please let me know in the comments section below.
It Causes Us To Value Human Life
As I have stated earlier, the teaching of Darwinian Evolution has caused us to forget about the Imago Dei. The results of this have been catastrophic because what we see now is that people no longer value human life. The reason we see so many shootings, mass killings, people being attacked in the streets, women being raped, and the like is because of the fact that we as a whole no longer value human life. The answer is not to make more legislation because that can only do so much. The real answer that gets to the root of the problem is to teach people about the fact that they are made in God's image. If we successfully accomplish this then we will see the rape statistics, murder rates, mass shootings and killings, and much more significantly go down. The reason for this is because of the fact that people will begin to respect one another as they realize that human beings have value and dignity.
It Causes Us To Treat Ourselves With Love
As a result of the teachings of Darwinian Evolution, not only do people no longer respect other human beings, but they no longer respect themselves. This actually makes sense because if we are only animals, then we do not have any value. We are basically the same as a pig or a worm. Some Evolutionists actually do make this assertion. However, if we acknowledge that we are made in God's image, then we will realize that we are infinitely of more value and worth than a mere worm or pig. As a result, we will naturally take care of ourselves with love. If we are mere animals, then there is absolutely no reason for us to take care of our mental and physical well-being. But, if we are made in God's image, then we have every reason to take care of our mental and physical well-being.
As you can see, what you believe about human beings actually does matter, contrary to popular opinion. You can either believe that humans evolved from pond scum billions of years ago or you can believe that man was made in His image. Whatever you choose to believe will affect how you view yourself and how you view others. It will also affect how you treat yourself and how you treat others. I hope that this blog has given you something to seriously think about. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this blog and may the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
Check out the other Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
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