You Can Change #5 (Chapter 1)

Chapter 1 of You Can Change is one of the longer chapters of the book, but don't let that discourage you. While we broke up some of the other chapters, this one seemed important to keep together. It's a lot of doctrine, but it serves as an essential foundation.

It might be good just to see the section headings of this chapter all at once in order to get the flow:

Created in God's Image

Broken Image

True Image

Re-created in God's Image

Seeing Glory and Reflecting Glory

The first section goes right along with the sermon for this coming Sunday. We'll be looking at the latter part of Genesis 1 as well as Genesis 2, focusing on what it means to be created in God's image.

Commenting on Genesis 1:27, Tim Chester explains,

We were made to be God's image on the earth: to know him, to share his rule over the world, to reflect his glory. The idea is probably that of a statue of a god that represents the authority and glory of that god. But we're not to make images of the living God precisely because we are his image. We're God's representatives on earth. We're God's glory, displaying his likeness.

If we don't understand this as the core of our identity, we won't realize how wonderful it is to be human, and how tragic it is that we fall so far short. Before we consider that aspect, let's think some more about the positive dimension of our creation.

How does being created in the image of God change your thoughts about yourself?

How does it change your estimation of other people?

How should it affect your attitudes and actions in everyday life?

What would be some examples of living your life as God's image in the world?