The Image of God as a Moral Compass
What is wrong with drinking wine? What is wrong with dancing? What is wrong with watching violent movies? What is wrong with…?
Such questions kept on ringing in my ears since I responded to God’s call to become a pastor many years ago.
Introduction
Back then, such subjects were generally considered taboo within the Christian community; hence they were simply considered morally, out rightly wrong. However, these subjects are no longer considered moral issues nowadays; rather, they are preferential choices of individuals that should not be construed as right or wrong. In other words, to consider any of the above practices as ‘wrong’ has become, in most Western societies, unacceptable and often tantamount to bigotry.
Consequently, since these practices have evolved as social or individual right issues, the moral boundaries of ethical principles that characterise their true nature have somehow become blurred or indistinguishable. Even Christians have been taken adrift by this wave. Drinking, watching horror and violent movies, lotteries, disco dancing, among other “mundane” activities are now common pleasures enjoyed by many Christians.
What is wrong with…? In this short essay I aim to provide a theological perspective on the Image of God and Human Dignity as a barometer to measure the moral decency of such recurring questions. I propose that the best way to deal with these issues is to measure whether we are preserving human dignity, thus the image of God, or we are dehumanizing ourselves and others by our desired actions.
The Image of God
The Bible tells us that human beings were created in the image and likeness of God. Though Darwin and his adherents have widely accepted that homo sapiens came from the apes, this presupposition remains a theory and have not been scientifically verified. In other words it cannot be taken as a proven fact.
If humankind was created by God in His image, what comprises the image of God in humankind? Again this question has been the subject of many theological papers, debates and speculations. The image of God has been used to scrutinize the appearance of God as having eyes, ears and nose like humans, and conversely to dissect humans as having the will, goodness, divine spark and other attributes of the divine. Such erroneous speculations result from sin; indeed, a clear consequence of humanity’s sinful pursuit to reduce everything, including God, as an explainable or experimental object.
Each of us may come up with pretty decent interpretations and conclusions about the image of God, but still miss an important theological foundational wisdom that we may learn or gain through this passage.
The scope of this essay does not include a detailed explanation of humans being created in God’s image, but rather the author presupposes that one of the main metaphorical intended insights on the “image of God in humankind” is the preservation of human dignity amidst mounting human disgrace. Man was created in the image of God, His creator. Therefore, humanity must deal with their kind with dignity and honour. This is the basic framework of human behaviour and social relationships without which the earth indeed faces the risk of becoming – pardon the cliché – a “planet of the apes.”
Human Dignity
Human beings are the crowning glory of God’s creation. They were created with distinction amid a pompous ceremony. Unlike other creatures that were created by His mere command, the creation of mankind was elaborate and filled with passionate drama. The moulding of the clay, the breathe of God, the joy of God in beholding the first man, the creation of Eden, the loneliness of Adam, the magical slumber of Adam, the surgical creation of Eve from the rib of Adam, the first “love at first sight” story and the first marriage ceremony officiated by God – all these tell us of the primacy of human beings in the eyes of God.
The psalmist quipped with amazement,
What are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?
Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honour. (NRSV Psalm 8:4-5)
The psalmist was astounded to see the splendor of the sky, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established.” Yet he cannot fathom that above such grandeur and beauty, God has installed humanity in stately place and given dominion over all His creation. Indeed, what a privilege! This is human dignity.
This blissful state was interrupted when they went overboard by accepting a sinister idea that by themselves, without God, they can establish their own distinction and primacy. However, quite surprisingly, the Lord refused to act offensively towards humanity in spite of His anger and frustrations. Instead, He continued to treat them as people with dignity. Even in passing judgements against those who offended Him, the Lord followed the motion of judicial proceedings [1] (as in Adam and Eve, Cain, the deluge…) by treating the perpetrators with dignity.
God the Creator does not only honour human beings with such respect and dignity, He also commands us to treat each other in the same manner. Similarly, as individuals we must live and act worthy of the stateliness He has bestowed upon us. To disgrace others and to demean ourselves through inhuman behavior is to desecrate the image of God.
Human Honour
To honour is to give regard to the worth of a person.
All human beings regardless of their behavior are worthy of honour because they bear the image of their creator. The commands not to steal, not to lie, not to murder and not to covet in the Decalogue are all deterrents against acts that will dishonor men.
Individual worth is also appropriated according to God given roles. “Honour thy father and thy mother” is a call to esteem parents, whom God has chosen to nurture, mold and develop their children. Parents are worthy of honour because of the tasks that God commanded them to do. Thus, they deserve honour regardless if they were good or bad. We honour our friends, neighbors, bosses and teachers because of the special part they play in our lives.
A place of honour is ascribed by virtue of one’s called role in life and can be acquired through promotion, induction or succession.
To honour is to extend preferential or exclusive conduct or behavior towards the person being honored. Thus, it is a tradition to bow before a royalty, to make “mano” to older people, to address employers “sir” or “madam” and many other accepted ethical practices. In other words to honour is to treat a person above the ordinary. God is “holy” connotes that there is no other “gods” beside Him or like Him. For this reason the cultic ritual and lifestyle of Israel have to be distinct (holy) from their pagan neighbors to give the distinguish honour given to YAHWEH. In the same manner, God called His people to give distinct honour to one another according to their function and place in the community. The priests, the Levites, the elders, the parents, the widow, the children, the poor and even the strangers are to be treated with respect and dignity because of their specific places in life, thus no one is ordinary.
If to honour is to consider a person above the ordinary, to dishonor is to regard a person below the ordinary. This could mean asking an elderly person to carry your heavy luggage, abusing a poor widow, scorning one’s parent, child labor and maltreating an employee.
Preserving Honour and Dignity
The LORD commands us on one hand to regard one another with honour and dignity and on the other; He commands each one of us to preserve the dignity He afforded us. Like King Saul in the darkest days of his reign, He lost his dignity before God and man because of his own doing. As a result many deserted him. King Rehoboam, the son of King Solomon, caused the rebellion of the 10 tribes of Israel because he failed to honour and dignify the people suffering in hard labor.
Although positions and roles carried with it corresponding dignity and rightful honour, the person occupying such position and role is expected to act, speak and behave appropriately for such stature. A king must be just, a parent must be responsible, a pastor must be godly, a child must be obedient, poor people must be humble and so on. To behave otherwise as seen in the life of the people I have mentioned causes one’s downfall towards dishonor and disgrace. The list of qualifications written by the apostle Paul in Titus 1: 5-16, is a list of honorable distinctives worthy of honour for the position of a pastor or an elder. Thus, those who qualify for such honour must live and preserve such distinctions. To do otherwise brings shame and insult to such dignified position.
The Moral Indicator
Is it a sin to drink wine or alcoholic drinks? This subject matter has been a continuous nuisance among Christians from the 1st century. In the early days wine was the staple drink of families and individuals in the absence of efficient water purification system and an efficient distribution network. It was safer and healthier to drink wine than water taken from the river and water streams. Cisterns or wells were not readily available to most people at the time, thus wine juices were generally preferred by people as a beverage on a daily basis. However, grapes and other juices ferment and produce alcohol by natural process. Thus wine does become intoxicating.
Since this was the prevailing custom at the time, it is safe to presume that our Lord Jesus Christ, His apostles, His family, the apostle Paul and many others drank wine.
What concerns Paul and the apostles is not drinking wine but getting drunk. To be drunk is to lose one’s control of will, passion and emotion. It means going down the level of irrationality and degradation. Drunkenness causes dishonoring actions and consequences. Noah’s and Samson’s drinking patterns served a good illustration of the negative consequences of drunkenness.
In today’s society there are cultures that value wine drinking as elegant and part of merry making. In most western countries wine is part of their cuisine and formal dinner. The Jews at the end of the Feast of Tabernacle celebrate their thanksgiving to God by drinking wine. But again these cultures duly acknowledge that drunkenness is bad and dishonorable.
Paul’s statement, “we are the temple of the Holy Spirit” articulates the need for Christians and every human being to preserve human dignity and honour. We are not created as beast or animals; therefore we must not allow ourselves to behave like one.
How about dancing?
Dance is considered as an artistic expression like music. Cultural dances, folk dances, ballet and similar dances are expressions of human drama and experiences. Dances are also expression of one’s joy and excitement, just as King David danced at the procession of the ark.
However there are also dances that are used for sensual seduction, pagan sacrificial ceremonies and dances that simply aroused sensual passion and urges. The spirit behind these dances is to stir human passions causing dance rhythm without stories or honorable expressions. It leads to degrading passion. Sadly, most modern dances today fall under this category.
Therefore as a Christian, we must be discerning not to be carried away by such dissipation or indulgences. As the writer of the Hebrew said, “To use the tongue to praise….” We should not use our bodies to dance for dishonor and at the same time use it to dance for the Lord.
Violent movies
Again movie making is an expression of art that depicts the thoughts and mind of the writers, director and the actors and actresses. It is a modern substitute for watching a play or a theatrical drama like Romeo and Juliet.
However not all movies are enlightening or refreshing. Many movies have gone beyond the borders of censorship, and a very thin line now distinguishes between what is honourable and dishonourable, and what is entertaining and frightening.
Again there is a need to stress that human beings are created for dignity and honour. To depict and extol violence, sex, vices, revenge and abuses as normal events of life is insulting to the image of our Creator; supporting or watching such movies is not a lesser offense.
Conclusion
There are many similar issues and activities that require our spiritual discernment. These include popular TV dramas (soap operas), fashion shows and even the parties we organize or attend.
To decide on the usefulness and value of such tasks, habits or practices towards preserving our dignity and those of others, it is always prudent to ask ourselves, “Will I and others be honored with what I will do, what I would like to watch or what I will say?”
If the answer is no or uncertain at best, then it might be wise – even honorable – to re-consider, because in the final analysis, we mankind ought to honour God with the honour He had bestowed upon us.
[1] Judicial proceedings of inquest, presentation of the case, hearing, defence, pleading, verdict and judgement