Union with Christ: The Way to Know and Enjoy God

by Rankin Wilbourne

In his groundbreaking book, The Liberating Image, Richard Middleton shows that the term “image of god” was a familiar one in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. But the phrase had a specific meaning: the king was the “image of God” and no one else. The king was thought to be god’s representative on earth. So if you wanted to honor god, or the gods, you had better honor the king, the “image of god.” 6 Moreover, if a king reigned over larger regions than he could visit regularly, he would erect statues, images of himself, to represent his rule and reign to his subjects who could not see him in person. So in the ancient world, when a person heard the phrase “image of god,” that’s what came to mind—the king and his statues spread throughout his empire. 7 Do you see, then, how amazing, even revolutionary, the Bible sounded to those who heard it in this context? To those for whom the king, and only the king, was the “image of god,” to hear Genesis 1:27 say of all men, and women, “In the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” must have been astounding. They would hear the Bible saying that every one of you is created to be royalty, walking images of the true God, all over the earth. You. Me. 8