The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Richard P. during the 2009-2010 League.
Mission: Research on the Sanctity of Life
Considering the value of life seems easier as I write this on Good Friday - especially remembering Christ, how He impacted the disciples, and how they gave their lives away for their faith. Their examples got me thinking of Genesis 1:27, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." I understood God creating man, as best as anyone can, and the fact that the woman came from the man; that too I grasp. The tricky parts were the phrases "in his own image" and "image of God."
The catch was this: God is invisible. Therefore, we cannot be physically made in his image. Despite years of hearing that I was made, physically, in God's image; this was Biblically incorrect. True, God did create us, so how are we made in his image? What is different about humans?
True intelligence and free will separate us from the rest of creation. Animals don't possess the ability to think and reason on an abstract level, the angels possess this ability; but lack true free will. I believe that these two traits are how we are made in God's image.
Unfortunately, we have fallen prey to our own gifts. We've abused our free will; starting with the fruit in the garden and lasting until 2010, we've perverted our choices in a meaningless rebellion against God. The Latin word intelligere means to "understand" or to "choose between." Certainly since eating of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil we've had the ability to choose between good and evil things, distinguishing right from wrong. Regrettably, we deny the possession of this knowledge and continue in our own twisted ways. I've heard that the "mind justifies what the heart desires" and see evidence of this on TV, radio and even in my own life. Yes, we abuse our gifts.
But what a wonderful thing when we sync the Imago Deo (Image of God) with the chief purpose of man, "to glorify God and enjoy him fully," then we really have something going. This is exciting. In fact, the people I see who work hardest for God are enthusiastic about their quest. The word enthusiastic is a special word. Breaking it down in the Greek the words are: "en" meaning "in," "theos" meaning "God," and "ism" which is "the quality or the state of something." So the word literally means the "state of being in God! To be made in the image of God and enthusiastic about doing his work is a powerful idea.
People are unique and special and each life has great meaning. Limiting our likeness to God to just physical means is a terrible mistake. It undermines our importance in life, our potential, and our understanding of God. It's childish to think that God would give us value based on our looks. Of Christ, the prophet Isaiah says, "He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him."
The beauty we have isn't necessarily physical - it's also in the ability to distinguish right from wrong and to act on our convictions. That's a beautiful thing. People may not have exquisite external beauty, but all can have perfect beauty in the heart. There's a huge difference. Being made in the image of God has nothing to do with our physical selves, it has everything to do with how we think, reason, and act. It deals with our soul, the very essence of who we are, and why there is sanctity in every life.
