God creates every unique person as a child with
dignity.
By Doug McConnell, PhD, Dean
of Fuller’s School of Intercultural Studies
The sidewalk café outside the
restaurant was crowded as I moved toward the door. Before I could enter, a familiar voice called
out, “Grandpa you’re late! I’ve already
eaten.” I looked up to see Emma sitting
at a table with her family. In her mind,
my presence was not only appreciated, it was expected. As I paused to greet my daughter’s family, I
realized that to five-year-old Emma the only reason Grandpa would be there was
to spend time with her. While that would
have been my preference, I was late to another dinner with my colleagues.
In her innocence, Emma reminds us
of an important theme in Scripture.
Relationships help to define who we are and why we exist. In the story of creation, human beings hold a
special position in the created order.
So God created humankind in his
image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created
them. God blessed them, and God said to
them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have
dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every
living thing that moves on the earth” (Gen. 1:27-28).
The Genesis account provides the
beginning point from which to understand the uniqueness of humankind. Being in relationship to God, to one another,
and to all of creation is a unique characteristic of humans created in the
image of God. To better understand the
image of God, we must look at these relationships individually.
In Relationship to God
We understand the being of God as
existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In the beginning the triune God created all
things and declared them very good (Gen. 1:31).
At the crown of this creation, God created humankind in his image
distinct from the rest of creation (Gen. 1:27a). Created as persons, human beings are in
relationship to God. In an attempt to
state this clearly, the Westminster Assembly in 1647 articulated this in the
form of a question and answer.
“Question. 1. What is the chief end of man? Answer. Man’s chief end is to glorify God,
and to enjoy him forever.”
The term “man” is used to mean
human beings, not simply individuals. In
a very significant way, the creation of male and female as persons in
relationship to their Creator is in contrast to all the rest of creation. As Barth noted, humans have the ability to
enter into a personal relationship, speak to God, and make covenants with him.
In Relationship to Humankind
In addition to the relationship to
God, human beings are in relationship to one other. From the beginning, humankind was both male
and female (Gen. 1:27b). As created
persons dependent upon God, human beings are also interdependent on one
another. This is clearly seen in the fulfillment of the
command to “Be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:28a). God chose to multiply humankind through the
physical bond between the male and female.
As Gunton puts it, “To be in the image of God is therefore to be in
necessary relation to others so made.”
In the creation of humans, there
was the ability to procreate and thus carry the image of God from generation to
generation. This act of divine design
has important consequences for what it means to be human. Each child born of human parents is linked
irrevocably through procreation to the first two human beings. And with that link there is a relationship to
God and to every other person. The
dignity we share as persons is not based on privilege or decision, but rather
on God’s plan for creation.
As persons in relationship with one
another, we find an important expression of the image of God. Through creation, we are responsible to and
for one another. While this seems overwhelming,
we must understand that it is practiced as a community.
In Relationship to Creation
Along with the dignity shared by
all human beings, there is a God-given responsibility to care for
creation. One important result of the
command to populate the earth was that we would, “subdue it; and have dominion
over [the earth]” (Gen. 1:28). Part of
the uniqueness of being human is that we must be stewards of the planet that is
our home. The extent of this stewardship
is difficult to comprehend, but the implications are not. Our relationship to God requires that we
recognize his ownership of creation. In
the goodness of God, we see not only his ownership, but also our own dependence
on the creation. The bountiful earth
provides the home on which we may be fruitful and multiply.
Based on our relationship to God,
to other persons, and to creation, we can now more fully understand the dignity
of personhood. Every person is created
in the image of God, with dignity and the unique capacity to impact our
existence. It is here that anyone who
works with children at risk must stop and ask about the reality of sin.
The Problem of our Experience
Looking, as we must, at the
despicable actions of the sex trafficker or the oppressive hand of a corrupt
political leader, we are aghast at the thought that they too are created in the
image of God. Is it not right to hate
them as somehow less human than we are and certainly as less in need of care
than the children we commit our lives to serving? This tension gnaws at our minds even though
we see the created order. While the
consequences of the Fall will be covered in the next section, we must at least
acknowledge that we live in a world in which humanity is fallen and creation is
cursed (Gen. 3).
Gunton provides some relief to the
dilemma, “At the very least, the human being, simply as created, is of the kind
of being that a certain radical moral respect is due to every human
person, however sunk in villainy and depravity.” One of the biggest challenges for all who
serve children at risk is to maintain perspective in the midst of crisis. To do so, we must identify with the source of
the dignity. It is not in the creature,
but in the Creator. As Grogan noted,
“The infinite value of each person rests on the divine image.”
In Jesus, we are introduced to an
amazing new dimension of the dignity of the divine image. Through the incarnation, God became human in
order to reconcile us to himself. Our
collective uniqueness as humans in the created order, therefore, is grounded in
the image of God, on the event of the incarnation of God to reconcile the
world, and the promise of his coming kingdom, thereby consummating all of human
history.
Serving With Dignity
Through creation, every human being
begins the journey of life as a child with dignity. Every child is of infinite value to the
Creator simply because they are created in God’s image. Their worth is not primarily found in their
potential, but in their being as a child.
Through the birth of Jesus as a child, God became a human, revealing the
true value of all human life. As it is
so often stated, children are human beings, not human becomings. We therefore affirm that childhood is an
integral part of God’s plan for human beings.
Beyond this affirmation, we
recognize that as bearers of not only the image of God, but also the message of
redemption in Christ, our service is not limited to children at risk only. If we are to embrace the transformation that
God desires, the mission is to seek the welfare of the children at risk and the
ones who put them at risk. As we
recognize the overwhelming scope of our mission, we must also recognize that
God is calling us to serve together with other followers of Christ.
By networking with others, we begin
to expand our impact. Through our local
churches, we can develop networks of witness and service that seek to impact
the varied needs of children at risk.
Perhaps the best place to start is to find out what other groups are
working with the children we serve and how can we multiply our efforts through
working together. When we identify the
range of service to the children and the areas that still need help, we are
better able to find the unique contribution we are called to make.
Questions:
1.
Why
are relationships an important part of who we are as persons?
2.
What
are the implications of our relationships?
3.
How
should our stewardship of creation impact our work with children?
4.
In
what ways do our actions toward others and toward creation relate to God?
Grogan, G.W., “Image
of God,” in New Dictionary of Christian Ethics and Pastoral Theology, ed. David J. Atkinson and David H. Field, (Downers
Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1995), 476.
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