Ask the Pastor 119

What are some implications of being in the image of God?

As was mentioned in the last article, the murder of another human being is of serious importance and has serious consequences. It is so important that in the Noahic covenant, capital punishment is decreed by the Lord God, “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man.” (Genesis 9:6). Inasmuch as every people group on the earth today descended from the three sons of Noah, nearly, if not all, people groups will execute those who commit murder. Yet, the common trait of mankind is that they are swift to shed blood (Romans 3:15-18). Everywhere we look, we see peoples at war; murder on the streets of our cities and in our fields; murder of the elderly and those who lack a quality of life (euthanasia); and murder inside the wombs of mothers (infanticide). True Christians, those who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, understand that all human life has value because they are created in the image of God. They also understand that human life is of more importance than animal life. It is backwards that there are more laws protecting the life of an eagle egg than that of a human embryo. Animals were given to mankind for food (see Genesis 9:1-3) and therefore can be killed and butchered. Cows are to be eaten, not worshipped. Therefore, our priority as a society, is for the needs of mankind to be met first and foremost even at the expense of species of animals. Then the highest priority of mankind is to worship the Lord our God, to know Him and to obey Him. To do that, we must place our faith in the Son of God our Lord Jesus Christ.

Have questions about the Bible? Send them to Dr. Greg Koehn at gak4850@gmail.com and read the answer here in this article.