In a world that treats human beings as expendable, it feels more important than ever to talk about the doctrine of you.
Doctrine is not just for seminary professors; it is for people like you and me. People who love God and want to know more about Him. Doctrine helps us know what we believe and why we believe it. As we study doctrine, we study God. And as we study His identity, we actually learn more about ourselves, which leads perfectly into what I want to share with you today.
You see, doctrine is not just about God. It is also about who you are as a human being. No matter what this world may try to tell you, you are not a highly evolved ape. You are not only a product of morality, culture, or religion. You are a child of the living God, and He loved you so much that His Son died for you. His Spirit wants to live in you, and He wants to use your life for His glory.
Let’s look at three important questions every human being needs to know the answer to, using Genesis 1:26-27 as our reference passage:
“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
QUESTION 1: How did God make you?
ANSWER: God made you in His image, giving you divine dignity and distinct dominion.
Genesis chapter one tells us more than once that God created man in His own image. To bear the image of God is to be unlike any other part of creation and gives your life divine dignity. The word dignity means to carry great value, to be worthy of respect.
Knowing all of mankind is made in the image of God should have a deep impact on us. God's Word reveals our obligation to treat every human life with dignity, compassion, love, and grace. This means there is no version of biblical Christianity that allows for humans to intentionally take the life of other humans, whether it be an abortion in the womb or a medically assisted suicide. Every human life is valuable and sacred.
You can also personally hold firmly to the truth that God made you in His image, no matter how discouraged you become, no matter how invaluable you feel, no matter how many messages of unworthiness may come your way. You were made by Him and for Him. Nothing about you is accidental.
Along with divine dignity, Genesis 1:26 reveals we have distinct dominion. We are the apex of creation, and all creation was given for us to steward well. This isn’t just connected to how we treat the environment. Certainly, there is a difference between stewarding creation and exploiting it, and we are not called to exploit creation. But what about in your daily life? How are you doing at stewarding your personal dominion?
That sounds like a lofty question, but consider this: Do you care for your home? Do you care for your body? Do you care for your children? Are you stewarding your finances well? What about your marriage?
Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. None of us will reach the place of having a perfect life, but we are called to have a well-ordered one. A life where we take care of what God has entrusted to us. It is not good for Christian men or women to have whole areas of their lives that are not stewarded well. We should all ask the Lord which areas of our lives He wants to help us grow in managing better.
QUESTION 2: What did God make you?
ANSWER: God made you male or female.
Gender has come under heavy assault in recent days. Because of this, we must be reminded that Scripture teaches God created the human race in only two genders—male and female. God is involved in the creative act of every single life made in His image. That means gender is not a cultural construct that individuals are forced into. It is the design of our Creator, and another aspect of His glory.
Both the masculinity of males and the femininity of females bring glory and honor to God. Each should be celebrated. Yes, they are different, but their differences should not be used to make anyone feel vulnerable or inferior. The uniqueness of males and females should be celebrated as a reflection of God's full glory.
(NOTE: I wrote a series on gender several years ago. With each word, you will find a link to a blog post where you can learn what a man is physically, spiritually, sexually, paternally, missionally, and relationally, and what a woman is physically, spiritually, sexually, maternally, missionally, and relationally.)
QUESTION 3: Why did God make you?
ANSWER: God made you for His glory.
God did not make us because He was lonely. He did not make us because He's a tyrannical God who wants to send some people to heaven and some to hell. He did not make us because He or creation were somehow incomplete. God is complete in and of Himself. Wayne Grudem states it this way, “God’s independence is defined as follows: God does not need us or the rest of creation for anything, yet we and the rest of creation can glorify him and bring him joy. This attribute of God is sometimes called his self-existence.” We also find in the Westminster Shorter Catechism this question and answer: “Q. 1. What is the chief end of man? A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.”
You exist for the glory of God. You might feel like you are struggling. You might feel like a failure. You might struggle to forgive yourself for your past sins and failures. But that's not how God sees you. God made you for His glory, and this does two things. This sets the tone for your life, meaning that even in life’s lowest moments, you must remember you were made for His glory, and that all that you do must be for His glory. It also sets the assignment for your life. When you don't know what to do, you can back up and ask Him, "Lord, in this situation, what will bring You the most glory and honor?"
You were made in His image, created by Him and for Him. Build your life on this.