Someone’s Having Self Image Problems

Can you believe it’s almost Christmas?! Hey, it’s time to break out all your Christmas music and try to listen to each song at least once! But I promised to continue the self image topic today so I’ll save the Christmas post for next week… maybe.

Gotta go back to the beginning

Ok. So Genesis is the place to be if we want to understand a right self image (1:27).

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Three points about self image flow naturally from the text.

1. God created you.

You were God’s idea. He made you, and He did it because He wanted to. You’re not an accident. You’re not a cosmic mistake. Every detail of your being is God’s good idea.

2. You are an image bearer.

You are not original art. God didn’t come up with a new idea when He put your existence together. No, you’re a photocopy of God. Here’s what that does not mean:

• It doesn’t mean you are god.
• It doesn’t mean you are unaffected by sin and the curse.
• It doesn’t mean that God is limited in the ways you are.

Here’s what it does mean:

• It does mean that your fundamental existence is in many ways modeled after God Himself.
• It does mean that you are an eternal being.
• It does mean that you are different to and superior to all the animals and all other created things.

3. Your gender is part of God’s image in you.

Someone has said that the reason it takes the whole church to accurately reflect the glory of God is that no one person can reflect all of the many facets of His glory. An all male humankind would not do the job. It takes all of the differences of gifting, personality, and yes, even gender, to reflect the many aspects of Who God is. This is why in Scripture we see God alluded to both as a father and as a mother. “Male and female he created them” and that was on purpose.

So what does this do to you?

There are several things that should naturally follow when we understand these truths.

1. Your existence is full of purpose and meaning.
2. That meaning will only be found in the knowledge of the prototype Being.
3. God made you to reflect His glory in ways that no other human being can.

One application

In last week’s comments, Alen pointed out that the way to have a right view of self is to have a right view of God. A very insightful point and it makes sense when you understand that we are made in God’s image. The more we understand about Who God is and how He works, the more insight we will have on who we are and how we were created to function. That’s why A. W. Tozer said “All our problems are theological.”

But all of this leads to a dilemma. What do we do with all that depravity of man stuff then? Isn’t man a rebel at heart? You know, the whole tea bag/Jim Berg thing… That’s where I’ll try to pick up next time.

This week’s tidbits

• I’ve mentioned in some of my seminars the role music has played in terrorism interrogations. Now the musos are angry about it.
• There’s a very appropriate post for those having a rough time right now over at Truth Matters.
• And you husbands need to check out this video about the Doghouse before Christmas.

Christmas music plug

Back in 2005, I had the opportunity to meet Merilyn Aveling-Rowe at a music seminar hosted by Worship Music. Merilyn recently emailed a link to a new recording she and her son Stephen have put together to help raise money to help children in India. Please visit the site and consider ordering a copy of the CD or DVD. I’ll give you a clip here…