Living in the Image of God Module 01 Session 02
God creates every person to represent him among others. He establishes provider-receiver relationships among people, whereby every person is potentially a provider of goods and service needed by others and receiver of goods and service provided by others. He expects every person to keep “the way of the Lord” so that he will fulfill his promise. Keeping “the way of the Lord” means “Living in the image of God.”
In this bible study session, we discuss God’s declaration of his purpose for people to understand the implications of being “created in the image of God.” Further, we discuss his explanation of the purpose in a statement to angels regarding Abraham. The information leads to an understanding that God creates every person to represent him among others: to be to other people what God would be to them if he was human like them.
He establishes a network of provider-receiver relationships around every person, which defines human responsibility to others and benefits through others. Every person is potentially a provider of goods and service needed by others and receiver of goods and service provided by others. Thus, the concept of a provider-receiver network around every person enables an understanding of human responsibilities and benefits in God’s distribution of human service to the points of need. The network is dynamic: God can insert people into a network or withdraw people from the network at any time.
Human Interactions Network
Human interactions network is a concept for understanding relationships that God establishes for distributing human service to points of need. The network is based on provider-receiver relationships among people, which define human responsibility to others and benefits through others. Every person is potentially a provider of goods and service needed by others and receiver of goods and service provided by others. As we discuss in a previous bible study under Call to Compassion: Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, every person can be the provider or receiver in Christ’s description of the relationship through the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats [Matthew 25:35–36]: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
Declaration of Purpose
God declares his purpose for people: “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground” [Genesis 1:26]. To understand the declaration, let’s focus on the key phrase “…in our image, in our likeness…” Through this phrase, God communicates his intention for every human being to represent him among others. He creates every person to be to other people what God would be to them if he was human like them. For example, a person that touches another conveys to the other person what God’s touch would feel like. Similarly, a person’s laughter would convey God’s laughter and cry would convey God’s cry. That is, every person’s response to another person would convey God’s response to the other person. That’s what it means that God creates every person “in his image and his likeness” to represent him among other people and other creations.
Explanation of Purpose
God explains his purpose for people again in a statement of his purpose for Abraham during a conversation with angels: “For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him” [Genesis 18:19]. The statement explains what God expects from Abraham: in interactions with others and his household. In particular, the statement explains what God expects from Abraham in interactions with his children. He expects the same from every person.
The statement of what he expects from Abraham reveals what he expects from every person. He expects every person to keep “the way of the Lord” by doing what is right and just, direct your household to do the same, and bring up your children to do the same and replicate the behavior through generations. Fulfilling the expectation is necessary for God to fulfill his promise. He links fulfillment of the expectation to fulfillment of his promise: “…so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”
Keeping the Way of the Lord
Keeping “the way of the Lord” means “Living in the Image of God.” That is, living to fulfill God’s purpose that every person is his representative among other people, whereby every person is to others what God would be to them if he was with us in human form. Christ explained in more detail in the “Sermon on the Mount” and through direct teaching, parables, and real-life illustrations during his human ministry.
In our program, we seek to understand “Living in the Image of God” through Christ teaching and other information in the bible. Also, we seek to understand implications of “Living in the Image of God” for specific circumstances of human interactions. First, we will seek fundamental understanding based on the Sermon on the Mount and other Christ teaching. Then we will try to apply our understanding to specific aspects of human interactions; such as between husband and wife, parent and child, commercial and non-commercial relationships, people versus government, and other relationships.
Summary of What We Learned
God creates every person to represent him among others. He establishes provider-receiver relationships among people to distribute human service to points of need. He expects every person to keep “the way of the Lord” so that he will fulfill his promise. Keeping “the way of the Lord” means “Living in the image of God.”
Study Guide
Study guide available: Link to Study Guide