The Holiness of God and the Imago Dei

THEHOLINESS
OF GOD &THE
IMAGO DEI
HIMLIKENONE

HIM
LIKE
NONEThe
Attributes
of God

THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD
1. THE GLORY OF GOD
2. THE LOVE OF GOD
3. THE GOD OF CREATION

THE
GOD
HOLINESS
OF
THE
IMAGO
DEI

OUR GOAL
1. What does it mean that God is holy?

OUR GOAL
2. What does it mean that Man is made
in the Image of God?

OUR GOAL
2. What does it mean that Man is made
in the Image of God?
3. How do these two ideas intersect?

HIMLIKENONE
1. WHAT DOES
IT MEAN THAT
GOD IS HOLY?

HOLINESS
“God’s holiness means that he is
separated from sin and devoted to
seeking his own honor.”
- Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology

FROM
SIN
SEPARATED
SEEKING HIS
DEVOTED TO
OWN
GOD IS GOD IS
HONOR

"“Speak to all the congregation of
the people of Israel and say to them,
You shall be holy, for I the Lord your
God am holy."
- Leviticus 19:2

"Therefore, preparing your minds
for action, and being sober-minded,
set your hope fully on the grace that
will be brought to you at the
revelation of Jesus Christ."
- 1 Peter 1:13

"As obedient children, do not be
conformed to the passions of your
former ignorance, but as he who
called you is holy, you also be holy
in all your conduct,"
- 1 Peter 1:14-15

"since it is written,
“You shall be holy, for I am holy.”"
- 1 Peter 1:14-15

HIMLIKENONE
2. WHAT DOES IT
MEAN THAT MAN
IMAGE OF GOD?
IS MADE IN THE

IMAGO DEI
“Man being made in the image of
God means that man is like God and
represents God.”

GOD
MAN
IS LIKE REPRESENTS
GOD
MAN

"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
- Genesis 1:26

and over all the earth and over
every creeping thing that creeps
on the earth.”"
- Genesis 1:26

"So God created man in his own
image, in the image of God he
created him; male and female he
created them."
- Genesis 1:27

“When God says, “Let us make man
in our image, after our likeness”, the
meaning is that God plans to make a
creature similar to himself.

Both the Hebrew word for
“image” (‫ֶם‬‫ל‬ֶ‫צ‬, tzelem) and the
Hebrew word for “likeness” (‫ְמּות‬‫ּד‬,
demut) refer to something that is
similar, but not identical to the thing it
represents or is an “image” of.

The word image can also be used
of something that represents
something else.”

"then the Lord God formed the man
of dust from the ground and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life, and
the man became a living creature."
- Genesis 2:7

"Then God said, “Let us make man in
our image, after our likeness.
- Genesis 1:26

"Then God said, “Let us make man in
our image, after our likeness.
- Genesis 1:26
"When Adam had lived 130 years, he
fathered a son in his own likeness, after
his image, and named him Seth."
- Genesis 5:3

FROM
SIN
SEPARATED
SEEKING HIS
DEVOTED TO
OWN
GOD IS GOD IS
HONOR
HOLINESS

GOD
MAN
IS LIKE REPRESENTS
GOD
MAN
“image” “likeness”
IMAGO DEI

1.
2.
3. 1. IMAGO DEI
Core Essence
2. PHYSICAL
Attributes
3. BEHAVIOR
Thoughts & Actions

HIMLIKENONE
3. HOW DO THESE
TWO IDEAS
INTERSECT?

WHATHAPPENS
WHEN WE FORGET
THE HOLINESS OF GOD
AND IGNORETHE
IMAGO DEI?

25-26.A lawyer
challenges Jesus
publicly
- “Lawyer” (scribe)
was an expert in the
Old Testament law
- Jesus responds
with a question

27.The lawyer
responds to Jesus
- Notice that the
“Greatest
Commandment”
includes both of our
themes: Holiness
and Imago Dei

29.The lawyer
challenges Jesus a
second time
- The lawyer is looking
for loopholes
- Jesus knows the
man’s heart, responds
with a parable (v. 30)

30.Jesus begins with
the Imago Dei
- He is simply “a man”,
a unique image-
bearer of God
- He is treated in a
way that he should
not be

The Road
from
Jerusalem
to Jericho

“This is a stark and desolate
seventeen-mile road, dropping from
over 2,500 feet above sea level in
Jerusalem to approximately 800 feet
below sea level at Jericho.
- Zondervan International Bible Backgrounds Commentary

It was a dangerous place, and
robbers often lay in wait for
unprotected travelers.”

30.Jesus begins with
the Imago Dei
- 1. He is simply “a
man”, a unique
image-bearer of God
- 2. He is not treated
in a way that an
image-bearer should
be treated

31-32.Jesus introduces
Judiasm’s best
- Priests and Levites
were the ones set
apart to maintain the
temple, teach the law,
and administer the
sacrificial worship of
God in the temple

“Touching a dead body rendered
priests and Levites ceremonially
unclean and so unable to fulfill
temple commitments.

The two who passed by may have
suspected the man was dead. For the
priest, however, this is a poor excuse,

since he is specifically said to be
“going down” the road and so
presumably traveling away from
Jerusalem after his temple service.

Many priests were also members of
the aristocratic elite and so would not
associate with commoners.

Jewish hearers may therefore have
expected such snobbery from these
two. Perhaps they would have expected
a local rabbi or a respected Pharisee to
come along next and help the man.”

33.Jesus cuts to the
heart of the issue
- 1. Samaritans were
people who had a
Jewish mother and an
Assyrian father
- 2.Jews despised
Samaritans

33-35.Jesus cuts to
the heart of the issue
- 1.The Samaritan was
the one who treated
the man based on the
Imago Dei
- 2.The Jews who
should have helped,
did nothing

36-37.Jesus crystalizes
what really matters
- 1.Again,Jesus asks
a question to reveal
the heart, and listens!
- 2.The lawyer can’t
even bring himself to
say “the Samaritan”.

"Strive for peace with everyone, and
for the holiness without which no
one will see the Lord."
- Hebrews 12:14

"For they disciplined us for a short
time as it seemed best to them, but
he disciplines us for our good, that
we may share his holiness."
- Hebrews 12:10

“For the LORD sees not as man sees:
man looks on the outward
appearance, but the LORD looks on
the heart”
- 1 Samuel 16:7

"He has told you, O man, what is
good; and what does the Lord
require of you but to do justice, and
to love kindness, and to walk
humbly with your God?"
- Micah 6:8

1.
2.
3. 1. IMAGO DEI
Walk Humbly
2. PHYSICAL
Love Kindness
3. BEHAVIOR
Do Justice

“If you love those who love you,
what benefit is that to you? For even
sinners love those who love them.
And if you do good to those who do
good to you, what benefit is that to
you? For even sinners do the same.
- Luke 6:32–33

And if you lend to those from
whom you expect to receive, what
credit is that to you? Even sinners
lend to sinners, to get back the
same amount.
- Luke 6:34

But love your enemies, and do good,
and lend, expecting nothing in return,
and your reward will be great, and you
will be sons of the Most High, for he is
kind to the ungrateful and the evil."
- Luke 6:35

"By this it is evident who are the
children of God, and who are the
children of the devil: whoever does
not practice righteousness is not of
God, nor is the one who does
not love his brother."
- 1 John 3:10

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/
george-ﬂoyd-and-me/

“As a Christian hip-hop artist, I’ve had
the privilege of proclaiming Christ in
my music for many years now. One of
the encouraging and surprising aspects
of that journey has been seeing how
the Lord has used music to make
connections across ethnic lines.
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/george-ﬂoyd-and-me/
Read the full article at:

Over the years, I’ve heard from many
people that they were affected by the
truth contained in my music, even
though hip-hop wasn’t their natural
cultural preference.
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

Whenever I heard this, I was struck by
the power and beauty of likemindedness.
It was clear to me that we were
likeminded concerning particular
emphases in the music—the glory of
God, the supremacy of Christ, the
centrality of the cross, and the
importance of biblical theology.
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

But one of the painful things I’ve
discovered over the last eight years…is
that it’s possible to agree on those
things and yet be in a completely
different place when it comes to the
issue of racial injustice.
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

In the aftermath of George Floyd’s
killing, my wife and I received an
email from a white sister in Christ. I
was hesitant to let her know how I was
feeling, for fear of being
misunderstood,
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

and, frankly, because of emotional
exhaustion. But as I began to write, I
poured out my heart in a way I’ve
never really articulated all at once. I’ve
been encouraged by some around me
to share this publicly.
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

Sister, I’m going to tell you how I’m
doing. And as I tell you, please
understand that I’m incapable of
completing this message without
weeping. There’s a part of me that’s
saying, “Spare yourself the pain, Shai.
It’s not worth it.”
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

But I’m choosing not to listen to that
part of me because I would be robbing
you of an opportunity to “bear one
another’s burdens” and “mourn with
those who mourn”—and I’m sure, as a
sister in Christ, you want to do just that.
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

Sister, I am heartbroken and devastated.
I feel gutted. I haven’t been able to focus
on much at all since I saw the horrific
video of George Floyd’s murder.
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

The image of that officer with hand in
pocket as he calmly and callously
squeezed the life out of that man while
he begged for his life is an image that will
haunt me until the day I die. But it’s not
just the video of this one incident.
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

This is about how being a black man in
America has shaped both the way I see
myself and the way others have seen me
my whole life.
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

It’s about being told to leave the sneaker
store as a 12-year-old, because I was
taking too long to decide which sneakers I
wanted to buy with my birthday money
and the white saleswoman assumed I was
in the store to steal something.
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

It’s about being handcuffed and thrown
into the back of a police car while walking
down the street during college, and then
waiting for a white couple to come
identify whether or not I was the one
who’d committed a crime against them,
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

knowing that if they said I was the one, I
would be immediately taken to jail, no
questions asked.
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

It’s about the exhaustion of constantly
feeling I have to assert my humanity in
front of some white people I’m meeting for
the first time, to let them know, “Hey! I’m
not a threat! You don’t need to be afraid.
If you got to know me, I’m sure we have
things in common!”
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

It’s about having to explain to my 4-year-
old son at his mostly white Christian
school that the kids who laughed at him
for having brown skin were wrong,
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

that God made him in his image, and
that his skin is beautiful—after he told
me, “Daddy, I don’t want brown skin. I
want white skin.”
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

It’s about having what feels like genuine
fellowship with my white brothers and
sisters who share the same Reformed
theology—until I mention racism,
injustice, or police brutality
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

at which point I’m looked at skeptically as
if I embrace a “social gospel” or am some
kind of “liberal” or “social justice warrior.”
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

It represents for me the fresh reopening of
a deep wound and the reliving of layers of
trauma that get exponentially
compounded each time a well-meaning
white friend says, “All lives matter.”
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

Of course they do, but in this country,
black lives have been treated like they
don’t matter for centuries and present
inequities in criminal justice, income,
housing, health care, education, etc. show
that all lives don’t actually matter like
they should.
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

So, brothers and sisters, in a nutshell,
I’m so thankful for Jesus. I deserve to
be consumed, but I’m not, because of
God’s compassion. That’s what the
cross and resurrection are all about.
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

My fear is that the attention garnered
by the protests will eventually die
down (as it always does), and then my
white friends will go right back to “life
as usual.” But I don’t have that luxury.
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

For me, “life as usual” means
recognizing some people perceive me
as a threat based solely on the color of
my skin. For me, “life as usual” means
preparing my sons for the coming
time when they’re no longer perceived
as cute little boys, but teenage “thugs.”
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

Long after George Floyd disappears
from the headlines, I will still be a
black man in America. And you know
what? I thank God for that! He knew
exactly what he was doing when he
made me the way he did.
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

Despite the real and exhausting
challenges that come with my outward
packaging, I know that I’m fearfully
and wonderfully made.
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

And I wouldn’t want to be anything
other than what I am: a follower of
Jesus Christ who has been saved by
grace and redeemed by the blood of
the Lamb, who also has brown skin,
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

and dreadlocks and does hip-hop.
And God has chosen, in his great
mercy, to leverage it all for his glory.
Praise be to him.”
“George
Floyd and
Me”
By Shai Linne
June 8, 2020

The Holiness of God and the Imago Dei

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (19)

Similar to The Holiness of God and the Imago Dei

Similar to The Holiness of God and the Imago Dei (20)

More from Bodie Quirk

More from Bodie Quirk (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

The Holiness of God and the Imago Dei