Many people will tell you that you are here on this earth by accident, and that there is nothing “special” about human beings.

The Bible declares a truth that is transformational – that you are created by God in the image of God.

The Bible affirms that human beings are one with creation – created “out of the dust of the ground” – and at the same time the Bible proclaims that human beings have a spiritual nature, a kinship with God. This truth – that human beings have a unique, higher, spiritual nature – is evidenced on many levels. For example:

Unlike other living things, you can create – not just building things, but creating entirely new things, and creating purely for the sake of beauty, creating the arts
Unlike other living things, you are a moral agent – you can understand and choose the good, and express deep love even for unrelated others
Unlike other living things, you can comprehend – you can raise questions and explore, and ponder the nature and meaning of existence
Unlike other living things, you have a profound religious sense – you can come to know God, and enter a relationship with God and worship God.

The Biblical truth – that we are “in the image of God” – makes sense out of all that we observe about ourselves.
When you take hold of the truth that you are created by God, it changes life. —Dr. David Palmer Click To Tweet Many voices today, of course, deny this truth, and want to insist that human beings are just physical creatures that randomly appeared on this earth. But when you take hold of the truth that you are created by God in the image of God, it changes life, in several key ways; for it means that . . .

You are of infinite value in God’s eyes.
You have a purpose in life– a destiny with God, and a place in God’s eternal design
You are called to care as a good steward for the earth that God has made
You are called to treat all other people as persons of sacred worth, for they are each in the image of God.

The first truth of the Bible, proclaimed in its opening verses, lays the foundation for all the rest. It is the truth about who you are, and why you are here. You are not just here by chance. You are here on purpose. You are created by God, in the image of God. When you lay claim to that truth, it changes life.

Sunday’s Scripture Readings:
Genesis 1:1–5, 11–12, 24–27
Acts 17:26–28

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About the Author

Dr. David A. Palmer has been the senior pastor at the United Methodist Church of Kent since 1995. He has a B.A. from Wittenberg University, a Master of Divinity from Duke University, and a Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary. A native of Wooster, Ohio, he has served three other churches in east Ohio before coming to Kent. He and his wife, Mavis, have three children.