Violating the Image of God in Another
All people are created in the image of God. Understanding this not only can help you see the immeasurable worth in another person, but also the truly horrific nature of violence and abuse.
Transcript
SERIES INTRODUCTION
Last summer, our Leadership Team was heartbroken over another murder-suicide in the Hmong community. Someone asked, “Could we do our relationship series on abuse?” None of us had ever heard a church talk about this, and on that day, I decided we would. That was the birth of this new series: “When Love Hurts: Christian Perspectives on Domestic Violence.”
Before we dive in, I want to begin this with five things:
This is a sensitive and painful topic. And for some of you, it’s personal. 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have been in an abusive relationship. That means, for 30-40 of you, this isn’t an abstract idea. It’s been part of your life, and maybe still is.
There are four ways you can experience domestic violence—as a victim, perpetrator, observer, or community member. Our goal with this series is to allow God to speak into all of these areas.
There are many types of abuse—physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, economic, spiritual, and even digital. There’s more info on the back page of your bulletin. But for this series, we’ll primarily focus on physical and sexual violence.
Physical domestic violence is a broad category. It’s not just hitting. It’s slapping, shoving, grabbing, biting, pulling hair, throwing things. So, when we talk about domestic violence, we’re talking about a wide scope of behaviors, some of which you might even consider normal for your household.
Lastly, I want to give you permission. We’re talking about some really sensitive subjects, and if you ever feel overwhelmed or things come too close to home and you need to step out, that’s okay. If you’d like prayer after service, we’ll be here. If you want to reach out for help, there’s information for the National Domestic Violence Hotline in the bulletin. You have our permission to take care of yourself.
ABUSE AND THE IMAGE OF GOD
When we see or hear of violence, there’s one thing that seems to go through everybody’s minds. In fact, it’s a near-universal thought – “How could they do that?”
Another mass shooting – “How could they do that?”
Another murder-suicide in the Hmong community – “How could they do that?”
Even violence in your own family – “How could they do that?”
It’s even a question that haunts us in the aftermath of our anger turning violent: “How could I do that?”
The answer to that question lies in a common thread across all acts of violence—the dehumanization of another person. Once this happens, unspeakable horrors can be justified. We see this in mass shooters’ manifestos, white supremacist chants, government policies across U.S. history, and even in a spouse’s excuses for their violent behavior. Violence always begins with dehumanizing another person.
This idea of honoring another person’s humanity comes from Christianity. In fact, when we look at abuse through the lens of God’s creation, we see a core principle that we’ll return to throughout this series:
Abuse violates the image of God in another.
This is the heart of dehumanizing another person. People are created in the image of God. Therefore, when a person assaults another, they are, in fact, assaulting an image-bearer of God.
THE IMAGE OF GOD
So, what exactly is the image of God? If we want to influence the way we understand domestic violence, we must understand what is getting violated in members of our community, in our families, in our marriages, or even by our own hands.
What is the image of God?
That is a surprisingly complex question. Historically, there’s been a lot of disagreement about the image of God. Is it something we are, something we experience, or something we do?
We’ll begin answering this question with the foundational Bible passage—the creation account in Genesis 1:26-27.
“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
This is then echoed later in Genesis 5:1-2.
“This is the written account of Adam’s family line. When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them ‘Humankind’ when they were created.”
From these passages, two things are generally agreed upon about the image or likeness of God. (Those are synonyms, by the way.)
God’s likeness distinguishes humans from animals
The image of God is somehow connected to maleness and femaleness in humanity.
If we consider other passages in the Old and New Testament, there’s one more thing that stands out as possibly the most important implication of humans being made in the image of God. See if you can notice it in these verses, talking about murder, worship, and curses.
Genesis 9:6 – “6 Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.”
1 Corinthians 11:7a – “17 A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God.”
James 3:9 – “9 With the tongue, we praise our Lord and Father, and with it, we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.”
Did you see the common thread? Humans are inherently valuable because they are made in the image of God.
Why should you not kill someone else? Because they are made in the image of God.
Why should you take your hat off in church? Because you are made in the image of God.
Why should you not speak curses against another person? Because they are made in the image of God.
Three situations. One common reason. Humans are inherently valuable because they are made in the image of God.
Every human has dignity and worth bestowed on them by their Creator. Each person is valuable and deserving of respect and care, regardless of their background, gender, status, or ability.
And abuse violates all of that. Abuse violates the image of God in another.
So, the next time you want to yell, grab, shove, or throw, remember that that person standing in front of you, maybe even yelling back at you, has inherent worth because they are made in the image of God. And if you attack them in any way, you are attacking the divine nature in them.
3 WAYS ABUSE VIOLATES THE IMAGE OF GOD
Abuse violates the image of God in another.
Here are three ways that this happens—three ways the image of God gets violated, damaged, and distorted because of abuse.
But before I continue, I want to credit Pastor Chris Moles, an Alliance pastor in West Virginia and advocate for victims of domestic violence within the criminal justice system. He inspired me with these three ideas. They’re not original to me.
1. The Human Body is a Sacred Space
Our bodies are very important to God. In fact, 1 Corinthians 6:19 says that our bodies are a temple or tabernacle of the Holy Spirit. It’s where God’s Spirit resides. So, our bodies are both literally and figuratively holy.
So, abuse against another person, in any form, isn’t just violence; it’s the desecration of sacred space and the one who lives there. As Pastor Moles puts it, “When we neglect or harm our own bodies, or inflict harm or pain on another, we are in fact attacking the one whom our bodies represent.”
2. We are relational beings
God is a relational being. Therefore, we are relational beings. We are made for community. We are better together, just like our t-shirts say. But abuse prevents this. As Pastor Moles points out, “Domestic violence isolates the victim from safety and security, and the perpetrator from sources of accountability.”
Worse yet, abuse can distort our core understanding of relationships, with effects often lasting decades.
Children who are exposed to violence growing up are more than twice as likely to be physically aggressive.
Half of adults who were abused as children experienced abuse as adults.
Survivors of child sexual abuse are at twice the risk of domestic violence as adults.
Abuse damages our God-given relationality and replaces it with twisted, perverted views on self, others, love and relationships.
3. God created us for a purpose.
As God’s image-bearers, we have purpose, but abusing someone else hinders our ability to live out that purpose. Here’s how Pastor Moles describes it, “Consider how a Christian husband is fulfilling his God-given purpose of living for God’s pleasure while physically assaulting his wife, or how the victim is confined and restricted from being salt and light by a controlling spouse. Domestic violence has at its very heart a desire for control and the sinful abuse of power, constricting a relationship to the point of little or no meaning.”
Divine purpose is swapped out for fear and conformity, and truth is replaced with lies and manipulation.
CLOSING
Abuse violates the image of God in another.
Will you see clearly the image of God stamped upon each and every person, regardless of race, age, gender, sexuality, politics, or personality?
If your divine image is wounded by abuse, will you allow God’s gentle hand to hold you, heal you, and restore you as God’s beloved?
And the next time your anger escalates, will you see the person across from you as a divinely precious image-bearer of God with inherent worth and value?
Will you lean into these for me? For yourself? For God?
APPLICATION STEPS
First, we’re gonna take 2 minutes of silent prayer… because some of you need to confess some things to God. Perhaps your anger—whatever it has looked like—has hurt another image-bearer, and you need to confess to God and ask his forgiveness. And when you do, remember that he is faithful and just to forgive your sins and cleanse you of all unrighteousness.
Next, I want you all to stand up. We’re gonna try something that I hope will help you see the image of God in other people. As the band plays, I want you to look eye-to-eye at someone else, pause (even if it gets uncomfortable), and then say, “You bear the image of God.” Then, turn to someone else, and do it again. I want you to do this at least four times.
