The Image of God

Girzone Depicts a Modern Jesus Image Prayer

The Image of God

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The LORD passed before him and proclaimed,

The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious,

slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness

(Exod 34:6)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

A few years back, my uncle John accompanied a delegation from the New York Council of Churches that visited with Hosni Mubarak President of Egypt to discuss the status of Coptics following a series of terrorist attacks (2011). During conversations with Islamic representatives, he was asked to explain the Trinity. He asked them: Do you believe that God is above us? Between us? Within us? They answered in each case yes. Then, he responded, you understand the Trinity.

The image of God in the person of Jesus comes to us from eyewitnesses to his birth, life, ministry, suffering, and death, as recorded decades after the resurrection. It is analogous to trying to piece together an account of submariners lost at sea during World War II by interviewing retirees in a naval retirement home today who knew them back then (Hecker 2024). There is no doubt that they lived and died heroically, but the details may be sketchy due to the passage of time. In the case of Jesus of Nazareth, we have multiple accounts of his public appearances, conflicts, and healings. These accounts are contextualized by the times and literary use, mediated by prophesy, and shaped by their retelling. No other person in human history has received this much attention—not even close.

Our creation in the image of a Triune God is one of the true mysteries of the Christian faith. In Jesus, this mystery is much less mysterious. Our image of Jesus is flexible, but not infinitely malleable. Jesus is Isaiah’s suffering servant (e.g. Isa 52:13–53:12). Suffering can take many forms; service implies availability and hard work. Death on a cross is a gruesome way to illustrate a sacrificial life. Yet, even in suffering, death, and resurrection, Jesus remained consistently gracious and concerned about the well-being of his disciples (Exod 34:6).

Our image of God in the person of Jesus is clearly not all about me. Jesus is the Great I AM, not the Great ME. Our narcissistic age is dialectally opposed to the image of God in scripture. Much like the snake-bit people surrounding Moses (Num 21:5–8), we need the image of God lifted up to remind us of who we are and in whose image we were created (John 3:14). Otherwise, our tendency is to fashion Jesus in our own image. As in the Apostle’s Creed, this is why the early church worked to retell the Jesus story.

With our eyes on Jesus, temptations and trials are less likely to snare us and we can life a fuller life.

References

Hecker, Jenna. 2024. “World War II submarine wreckage found off the coast of the Philippines: Wreckage discovery of the WWII submarine USS Harder has been confirmed by the US Navy.” Accessed: 27 May, 2024. Online:https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/have-you-seen/2024/05/24/harder-wreckage-found-submarine-world-war/73835662007.

The Image of God

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