The Real Royal Family

Book excerpt: God made human beings in his image and that is what makes us so valuable. Yet there are vastly different ideas of what the image means and how sin affects the image, and each of those ideas impacts the claim that the image grounds human value. People have treated one another in either horrible or wonderful ways based on their theologies of the image. This book examines the logical implications of various image doctrines in the real world. Also, in Genesis 1:26–27, the image of God is closely tied to the first stated purposes of human life in Genesis 1:28. Yet such practical purposes seem remote from the private spirituality of the gospel story often heard in churches. To live out our part in God’s creation project, we need to understand the image of God within the unfolding story Scripture narrates from creation to new creation. This book builds a theology of the image of God by situating it firmly in the biblical narrative, harnessing the insights of biblical theology, and conversing with theologians past and present to form a coherent story of God, his children, and his creation in this age and the age to come.