SAINTS AND THE IMAGE OF GOD

For years I have heard pastors and theologians define "holy" as a word meaning "set apart for service to God". In the New Testament - although many today shy away from this term - the same word in the noun form is "saints" and gets applied to believers. 

The Apostle Paul was always writing his letters to "saints", like those in Ephesus: "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus." (1:1)

I guess we shy away from calling ourselves saints because we don't want to set too high of standards for ourselves.

But it seems to me now that speaking of a people "set apart for service to God" is simply acknowledging that God has now actively re-established what He intended from the start when He first created humans in His image. 

And if we resist the label of "saints", then we might not be ready to live up to what God is calling us to in Christ - being renewed in His image.

LOST SLEEP AND LATE NIGHT GUIDANCE

My dissertation project is shaping up as a retreat geared toward high school students and young adults who desire to think through the basics of Christianity and begin a regular habit of personal Bible study. 

Months ago I put a date on the calendar to motivate myself to make progress on my degree. At first, the retreat was going to be this coming weekend, Friday night to Sunday morning - at a really sweet Baptist camp not far from my church. 

But early in January, as Trudy's health was undeniably failing, I called the camp and pushed the retreat to their only other available weekend this spring: February 21-23.

Which is now just over three weeks away. 

And I don't have my curriculum in shape, much less all the adult help lined up. 

So last night, a growing anxiety stole several hours of my sleep, leaving only 3 and a half behind.

So today was rough. 

I think it might be good to take that as a sign. Maybe I am jumping the gun and need to postpone the retreat until the fall.

After all, I have gotten ahead of myself in two crucial areas. 

1) I have not even written my prospectus yet. Or rather, I have written it once and it has been rejected once - for good reason, I can now admit. I have reworked my thinking on the exact nature of my ministry model and my Scriptural undergirding, but I have not resubmitted my prospectus.

I have not even begun to rewrite it!

And so, on a related note ...

2) I have not yet finished processing my core ideas for my project. It's coming along, but not finished. Currently, for example, I am preaching on Paul's letter to the Colossians - which is my core text for the dissertation. But I am learning so much as I go. And I realize I have more to learn.

By the time I processed all my anxiety last night, I found the only "good" reason to not postpone the retreat was out of pride. I didn't want to look like a failure to my wife, the church, the youth, or the camp. 

But I think I might have found an inspired way to still pull a win out of this. Maybe I will keep the February 21st date and make this into a "Retreat Planning" Retreat. It could be very useful to find out what the teens currently believe, what they already practice, and theological questions they may already be wrestling with. 

Maybe it will be just overnight on Friday night. And I can keep it lowkey and easy and fun - and I don't have to have all my curriculum ready to go. 

In the meantime, I will get a fall date on the camp calendar and get going on rewriting my prospectus so I can do this in the proper order.  

JESUS THE IMAGE OF GOD

When you realize the centrality of humans being created in the ROLE of "image of God" as the starting point of the Biblical story, everything in the New Testament makes a whole lot more sense - beginning with the language used in describing Jesus, the Son of God. 

Jesus is described as the "image of the invisible God". (Col 1:15)

According to John 14:9, "Those who have seen Jesus have seen the Father". 

And Jesus repeatedly emphasized that "the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing". (John 5:19)

This is Jesus fulfilling the role of Image of God.

The author of Hebrews sums up Jesus in these terms: "On many past occasions and in many different ways, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets. But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word." (1:1-3a)

Jesus was "sent" by the Father to do the Father's will. 

And He did it perfectly. 

This is what we are called on to believe and this is the starting point of the gospel message. 

THE IMAGE OF GOD IS A ROLE, NOT A QUALITY

Early in his "Introduction to Biblical theology", Tracing God's Story, Dr. Jon Nielson briefly reviews a few of the most prevalent theories among scholars regarding the significance of humanity being created "in God's image" in Genesis 1. 

He writes:

• Some have equated the image of God with rationality - the fact that human beings are capable of higher thinking, and in this way are set apart from every other living creature on earth.

• Some, on the basis of Genesis 1:27, have equated the image of God with gender. They would make the case that the creation of human beings as male and female is a way that God has reflected the distinct roles and relationships within the Trinity in human relationships.

• Some claim that the image of God has to do with our ability to create - that our creative impulses reflect the God who made this world from nothing, and who values beauty, artistry, and order.

Nielson doesn't feel it necessary to evaluate the strengths of any of these possibilities. In fact, he concludes, "Most likely, the concept of the image of God in human beings is some combination of all these amazing truths."

"Probably the best way to summarize the concept of the image of God is to say simply that human beings "reflect" the character and reality of God in significant ways." (p.31)

At that point, I wrote in the margin of Nielson's book: "Maybe not". 

As far as I am concerned, Nielson has offered three explanations which all fall short individually and don't fare much better when combined. 

If we understand the image of God more as a role rather than a quality, we see how fundamentally important the concept is and the rest of Scripture makes so much more sense. 

Dr. Tim Mackie makes a case for the "image of God" signifying "royal human partners, the kings and queens of creation, ruling together in an abundant world during the eternal seventh-day rest."

"Created in the image of God", then, is the same as saying "Created to be God's representatives".

And that role for which we humans were created never gets rescinded! 

The Fall and the banishment from the Garden did not so much "break" or "soil" "the image of God", as is so often taught in our churches, as it compounded the difficulty of the role. 

When Adam and Eve determined they should make the call on what was good and what was evil for themselves, they violated the role for which they were created and thus moved themselves into darkness and death.

In God's time, Jesus Christ came as the perfect Image of God to be "the firstborn of a new creation" - a Kingdom where fallen image bearers would be cleansed, restored, and empowered to retake their proper roles. 

FILLED WITH KNOWLEDGE

9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.

I love these verses in the 1st chapter of Colossians.

I love that Paul is praying for a church he has never met.

     Churches sometimes operate under the impression that they are in competition with each other. But no - we are all on the same team.

I love that what Paul asks is that God would FILL the people of the church with the knowledge of His will. 

     We settle too easily for surface level knowledge of God and His will. I used to think of God's will only applying to those truly big life decisions - whom should I marry? what career should I pursue? should I take this job or wait for another? These days I understand God's will as functioning on a daily basis. I am starting to truly value beginning my day with prayer and I get some of my best actionable ideas during those times. 

I love that this filling Paul prays for involves spiritual wisdom and understanding. 

     In our rationalistic, scientific culture, we lean too heavily on material understandings and get a little nervous in the presence of the divine. Finding a proper balance takes some work and some time.

I love that the ultimate purpose of being filled with the knowledge of God's will is so that our walk is worthy and God is pleased.

     THIS is living out our purpose as the local Image of God - in our homes, our schools, and our workplaces. We were created for good works, for doing God's will.

And I love that as we act upon this knowledge of God's will, it generates further growth in the knowledge of God. 

It is an upward and widening spiral!

KNOWLEDGE IS KEY

Currently I am diving into Paul's letter to the Colossians. And killing two birds with one stone.

1) I am preaching a series on it. (Started officially last week.)

2) It is the key text for my dissertation. 

One of the big themes of the letter is proper Learning/Knowledge and its role in discipleship. 

From the opening lines of the letter, Paul speaks of the gospel "bearing fruit and growing" among the brothers at Colossae and how that growth started "the day you heard and understood the grace of God in truth". (Col 1:6)

When Paul prays for these believers, he asks God "to fill [them] with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding". (Col 1:9) 

Paul proclaims Christ with an eye to "admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom". Why? "So that we may present everyone perfect in Christ." (Col 1:28) 

He says his purpose is "that they may have the full riches of complete understanding". (Col 2:2)

He warns against being taken captive "through hollow and deceptive philosophy" (Col 2:8) and against basing actions on "human commands and teachings". (Col 2:22) 

And when Paul urges the Colossians to put off the old self with its practices, they are to replace it with the new self which is being renewed "in knowledge in the image of its Creator".

All this is very interesting in light of the original cause of all humanity's trouble was Adam and Eve eating from the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil". 

There is symmetry here. 

Our downfall resulted from forbidden knowledge. Our restoration is completed through God-given knowledge. 

A few weeks back, I observed that many speak of the Church as a body, an army, a bride, or a hospital among other metaphors - but nobody ever compares it to a school. Why not?

HARSH REALITIES

The harsh realities of life paused my daily writing habit during the first 3+ weeks of 2025. As Melissa's mother faced her final days of life, I had neither time nor energy to close my days for the sort of written reflection which had been a staple of the last three years.

Besides that, most of my usual subjects seem rather inconsequential while I was in the presence of a family member about to enter eternity.

Gertrude "Trudy" Opal Lucas fought a 20-month battle against colon cancer and succumbed on Sunday, January 12 just a few minutes before noon. The previous weeks were marked by significant "last times". 

Last time to drive. Last time to get out of the house for a special event. Last time to walk. Last time to sit up. Last time to eat. Last time to speak. 

Sarah was the last one to paint Grandma's nails - just an hour or so before the end. Trudy wanted to make sure her nails were purple for her burial.

When she took her last breath, Trudy was surrounded by family at her son Darin's house out in the country. Melissa was holding her hand at that moment. (This was all Melissa was asking of God in the end.) 

The visitation was a week later at a funeral home in downtown Columbus. Hundreds of people showed up to pay their respects - in spite of the bitter cold.

The funeral was the next day. And the cold was even more bitter. 

I was privileged to officiate the service and Trudy, who spent 44 years of her life working in emergency medicine, was honored with bagpipes, a "last call" over the walkie talkie, and an ambulance escort past the hospital, where dozens of co-workers gathered on the sidewalk to pay tribute to her. 

Our kids all made it back to town for the funeral - although Hannah was diagnosed with the flu that Thursday and I flew out to Myrtle Beach to drive her back to Columbus. 

We had one day together as a family after the funeral and yesterday the three oldest each made their way back to their new home states while Melissa went back to work (for a half day) and Sarah went back to school. 

Today was the first day of a return to normal for all of us - but it's a new normal with a Grandma-sized hole. 

FOCUS ON REMOVING THE OLD SELF AND ITS PRACTICES GO WITH IT

I am planning a sermon series on Paul's letter to the Colossians to begin the new year at Sardinia Baptist. It will be killing two birds with one stone: a number of sermons plus material for my dissertation.

Colossians as a whole - with Paul's emphasis on the interplay between knowledge and change in the Christian's life - is the Scriptural basis for my ministry project.

My key verse comes in Chapter 3:

9 Do not lie to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices, 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 

An initial observation:

"Practices" is a translation of the Greek word "praxis", which itself has been adopted directly into English, meaning deeds or actions. 

It's worth noting that, although most believers I know who take holiness seriously tackle bad behaviors one by one, Paul says we are to take off "the old self" as a complete unit - and the practices go with it. 

This is a major shift in framing.

We aren't just whacking away at the bad habits. Paul has already said in chapter 2 that various "religious" approaches appear to be worthwhile but don't actually rein in the "indulgence of the flesh". 

In other words, they don't get to the heart of the problem.

For the believer, the old self has been replaced by the new self - and that makes a world of difference.

Or at least it should.  

JANUARY IS FOR EXPERIMENTING

In the midst of small talk over the last few days, several people have asked me if I plan to make any New Year's resolutions.

I don't know how to answer because I don't really think in terms of resolutions these days. The connotation of that word "resolution" is of making a commitment and then screwing up the appropriate amount of willpower to follow through with it.

And it's common knowledge that the majority of the population has no interest in making resolutions and, of those who DO make resolutions, the majority of resolvers quietly wave the white flag by the end of January. 

So I have reframed resolutions for myself. I have had enough success with creating and sustaining new habits now that I view January simply as a good time to evaluate my life and determine what new habits could currently benefit me. 

And then I experiment to figure out what is most effective and sustainable.

This year I am focused on my morning routine. 

My problem is that these days the only truly consistent aspect of my morning routine is almost entirely negative: mindlessly scrolling online. 

To fix that problem, for Christmas Melissa gave me a bedside alarm clock. Now I can set morning alarms while leaving my phone in another room. It will no longer be the first thing I reach for. 

Beyond that, I know the categories which need some daily action - Scripture, prayer, exercise and writing - and now I need to experiment a bit with the best content and ordering of these. 

It may require getting to bed earlier. 

Without the pressure of some formal "resolution", I have the freedom to do some experimenting and it turns into a fun and interesting process.