Imago Dei | Digging Deeper | Week of May 15th

Imago Dei
Pastor Dave Pretlove
Genesis 1:24-31

1. The Imago Dei changes how I view God

• He has been incredibly kind to us. 
• Genesis 1:26-28

2. The Imago Dei changes how I view my own life

• My life is a great gift on loan from God to be given back to him
• Matthew 22:15-22

3. The Imago Dei changes how I view every person

• Means every human life is sacred, worthy of honor, care, dignity and protection
• Genesis 9:6

4. The Imago Dei changes how I view the gospel

• A primary purpose of the gospel is to fully restore the imago dei!
• 2 Corinthians 3:18
• Romans 8:29
• Ephesians 4:24
• Colossians 3:1

"Then God said, 'Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth.' So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them."
Genesis 1:26-27 AMP

"What it Means to be Created in the Image of God" by Focus on the Family

Quote from this article: “The image of God is what makes man human; man could not lose the image without ceasing to be what he is. Moreover, it’s only because man keeps his image of God, even in a broken or distorted form, that man is redeemable and worth redeeming. Without it, God would have had no reason to send His Son to die on our behalf.”

1. Read Genesis 1:26-27. When you consider the fact that we are all made in the image of God how does this change the way you look at yourself, your kids, the poor, the immigrant?
 
2. How can we as the church create safe places for people to pursue healing for life’s greatest hurts?
 
3. In the Resources section this week, we included a quote from the article listed. Read the quote and discuss.
 
4. Read Matthew 22:15-22. The explanation Pastor Dave gave on these verses, was so powerful. If the image of Caesar is on the coin, give what is Caesar’s back to Caesar. God’s image is on us, so give back to God what is God’s. Have you ever thought about this verse in this way before? Discuss.
 
5. Read something to think about. Discuss. How can we become more compassionate and loving?

As Christ Followers, when we start to look at people through the lens of, “They are made the image of God,” it changes our interactions with them. Grace abounds and compassion flows. Compassion lives in the humanity of one another. Seeing the other person’s Humanity means recognizing they are created in the image of God. And that trumps everything. The person with the differing views is no longer someone you want to hate or fight they are someone you want to get to know and truly see them and hear their hearts. That is the space where compassion lives. This type of compassion grows through conversations and listening, and is established in us because God’s spirit dwells in us and His Spirit is synonymous with love. This week, as we surrender our lives to Jesus, daily, I pray that God’s Spirit fills us with His compassion for people in new ways. Praying that the world will know us for our love, and this will draw them toward our Loving Father.  Cheering for you all.  

Lots of love,
Christie Braun
Adult Ministries