Imago Dei

I have to make a confession. I am a sinner.

Yeah. That is the harsh truth for me. I'm a terrible Christian, so far as it goes. I do things I shouldn't and I don't do things that I should. I am confused on some points. I'm selfish. That's been a pattern in my life. I fail. A lot.

I've spent quite a bit of time writing posts here at As Bereans Did. I write because it helps me process what I've been through and because I hope you find some chunk in it that helps you, too. One thing I keep trying to process is what we call "the Christian walk". Discipleship. Holiness. Sanctification. Repentance. Forgiveness. These words are all part of the life a Christian should lead but usually fails to. At least I fail to. Maybe I shouldn't speak for anyone but myself. I am just assuming you go through the same struggles I do.

But what is the Christian walk anyway? Repentance to what, exactly? The expectations of how a Christian should live are very different in a Sabbatarian group like Armstrongism versus a mainstream Christian group.

For an Armstrongist, the Old Covenant law plays a central role. I oversimplify here, but if you Ten Commandments - and especially Sabbath - hard enough, and tithe and observe holy days just so, then you've done your part. Probably. One can never know for sure. If you mess up, you can repent back into law-keeping. (I will briefly mention the part where, back when Armstrong was still alive, we were told our entire duty was to pay tithes and pray for the work. "Pay, pray, stay" we called it.) In a nutshell, repentance is to Old Covenant law-keeping, and the Christian walk is Old Covenant law-keeping.
You could say much the same for a Catholic (and you might as well throw Orthodox in here as well). The Ten Commandments are still central, with Sunday replacing the Sabbath, of course, and there are a bunch of other rules and regulations besides. Similar to Armstrongism, in Catholicism, following the written rules is critical. What you do and when you do it are all part of the walk. There is confession and penance to readjust a person when they've strayed. In a nutshell, repentance and the Christian walk are both in rule-keeping.
For most Protestants, on the other hand, laws play a much less central role. Their focus is more on faith and love. You'll hear me go on and on about those two words quite a lot. In this way, the walk is less about what you do and more about who you are. This concept is entirely foreign to Armstrongism, and  a difficult one to grasp. You are a Christian because of what Jesus did/does, which is credited to you by your faith and oneness with Him. But even with all this talk about solas and grace, there are still actions you must do or not do. Each denomination has their own list. Repentance and the Christian walk are, well, going back to doing those things.

Believe it or not, this isn't a post on which of these systems is the right way. If you've read this blog, you've probably noticed that I think everyone has right and wrong parts. Rather, what I want to do is share something that helps me and might possibly help you. I share this in hopes it will spark an idea in your mind to make you a better ... whichever you are.

Imago Dei is Latin for "Image of God". It refers to us. It is a lot like the saying, "spirit and image." Like, when someone says, "That boy is the spirit and image of his father." We are in the image of God. Rather, we should be.
When Jesus walked this earth, He said these words:

(JON. 14: 7-9) 7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” 8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 

Jesus is the Word of God. He was the mirror image of the Father in human flesh. Such a perfect reflection that He was able to say, without any falsehood, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father." It's amazing!
THAT is what we are called to do, too. That is the very reason we were created to begin with.

(GEN. 1: 26a) 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...

The term Imago Dei refers to us. You might think it refers mainly to God, and yes God is there obviously, but the main focus of the phrase is us. How we image God. If Jesus is like the Father, and we are like Jesus, then we are like the Father. If A=B and B=C then A=C. Get it?

It's not your physical appearance that makes you an image of God. Herbert Armstrong would say things like, we know God looks like because He made us in His image and likeness. Perhaps. But perhaps not. What I believe this verse is referring to is what Jesus said. When Jesus said, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him,” He wasn't referring to physical appearance, or He would have said, "You've always known Him, because you look like Him. Go get a mirror." No, He was referring to the core of His being. He was referring to the nature of God. His love and mercy and patience and charity and sacrifice, etc. When we see how Jesus is, we see how the Father is.

Was He referring to Sabbathing hard enough? Doubtful. The Jews kept the Sabbath and holy days. The Pharisees kept them and Jesus called them "whitewashed tombs" (MAT. 23: 27).
         Some days I feel like a whitewashed tomb.
Jesus did not say, "He who has seen the Torah law has seen the Father."

The Catholic system has tried to map out the Christian walk in detail. Just follow the Catechism and you'll be fine. Have you ever seen a Catechism? It's huge! I get the motivation. Two thousand years of dealing with sinners will make you want to write it all down. I am not against a catechism per se. But I want to offer some constructive criticism. If I were to write down all the people who were bad to me in my life, most of the top ten very worst people on that list would be Catholics. I love the beauty of the Mass. It is beautiful! However, I find it difficult going because of some of the people. I am not the only one with this issue. I know because I have been told in confidence more than once. All those rules in the Catechism and the heart is still not changed. (I am not making a blanket statement about all Catholics.) Back in 2009, I wrote about a friend of mine who left the seminary after years of being on track to becoming a priest. He left, and I summarize, because it was so mechanical and prescribed. It had lost touch with core fundamentals. He remains Catholic but had to leave seminary to regain his humanity. That speaks volumes to me. (I am not making a blanket statement about all priests.)

I think the Protestant system affords too many people to get lost in grace. Or rather, the license they mistake for grace. "Jesus died for our sins and I can have confidence in salvation because I accept His gift." Great!! Don't stop! But, also, be the image of God on earth. There is an old saying, "so heavenly-minded you're no earthly good." There are Protestants out there who feel everything will get sorted out in Heaven. It will! But if that were God's focus, He wouldn't have planted us here on this earth. There are Protestants out there who feel they are saved and now they can do whatever they want. Jesus did not die for us so we can be Hedonists. The Old Covenant law may be gone but righteousness remains - a righteousness apart form the law. There is also an inherent contradiction in certain Protestant systems. Some Protestants say we cannot add anything to grace, meaning works. Works defiles grace, I suppose? Yet every one of them will be happy to let you know what they think sin is and who is going to Hell for their sins. Works enhance grace, I suppose? It can't be both.

Do you track with what I'm trying to get at here? Probably not, because I'm not being clear. Please, let me explain.

Which is the right way? Frankly, I feel they all have good points and bad. This isn't about systems, though, it's about individuals. Be the image of God, in your own life, as you are able. That is the right way. Be His hands and feet in this world. Repent to what? To being the image-bearer of God. Like-minded.

Why am I writing this? Is it because you have so much to learn from me? Pffft! No. Is it because I am such a good example? HA! Hardly! My hope is to point people to Jesus, not to me. If you want to use me as an example, may I suggest labeling it, "What not to do." I write this as a reminder to myself and as an accusation against myself. My own sins accuse me and they confess that God is holy and just. I have failed to be the image of God plenty of times. But there is hope for me yet. The first step is to admit your faults. If faults were money, I'd be filthy rich.

But let this world-weary sinner offer you some hard-earned advice. In whatever system you find yourself, be the image of God.

The Catholics have a prayer called the Confiteor, which means Confessor. I appreciate this prayer, even though I know one line in this will cause my readers to balk at it. (If that line bothers you so much, leave it out.) Do me this one kindness -- try to see the spirit and intent in these words:

I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do; through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

Is this not what James said? (JAS. 5: 16) "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."

The Orthodox have a prayer called "The Jesus Prayer", which goes like this:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

That's it. Short and sweet. Sometimes less is more.

Do you understand why I would share those prayers? It is not to get you to repeat them over and over.

Confess your sins, pray for each other, repent and go back to being the image of God on earth. Don't follow me, a sinner; follow Jesus, the very mirror image of God. I'll do the same. This is our Christian walk. In whatever system you are currently in, in whatever way you are able, be ....

Imago Dei

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It is important that you understand; Everything on this blog is based on the current understanding of each author. Never take anyone's word for it, always prove it for yourself, it is your responsibility. You cannot ride someone else's coattail into the Kingdom. ; )

Acts 17:11

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