Made in God's Image
Month 3: Creation & Science · Loving Others
Today's Scripture
Read together: Genesis 1:26-31
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Memory Verse
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”— Genesis 1:1 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Hebrews 11-13
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (The great "hall of faith" — heroes who trusted God — leads us to fix our eyes on Jesus.)The Heart of It
When God made the stars, the seas, and the animals, He simply spoke them into being. But when it came time to make people, something changed. God paused. Then He said something He said about nothing else: "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness" (). Then "God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (). Out of everything in the whole universe, only human beings are made to be like God. We can think. We can love. We can choose. We can create. We can know right from wrong. We can even know God Himself. That is why every single person matters so much. The smallest baby matters. The oldest grandma matters. The kid who looks different matters. The stranger across the world matters. Every one of them carries the image of God.
This is a "Loving Others" day, and being made in God's image is the very reason we love others well. If people were just clever animals or accidents, there would be no real reason to treat them with special honor. But the Bible says each person is a priceless image-bearer of the living God. That changes everything about how we treat people. We don't get to be mean to someone because they're annoying. We don't get to look down on someone because of their skin, their abilities, or where they're from. Every one of them is stamped with God's own image. Jesus tells us the second greatest command is to "love your neighbor as yourself" (). When you are kind to a person, you are honoring the God whose image they carry. When you bully or ignore them, you are dishonoring that image. To love people is to take God's handiwork seriously.
Around the Table
God made you special! You are made to be like Him in ways animals are not. And so is every person. That means everyone is worth being kind to.
Let's do it: Look in a mirror together and say, "God made me in His image!" Then name one person you'll be extra kind to today.
Being made in God's image is why every person matters. It doesn't matter how they look, where they're from, or what they can do.
Let's talk: How should knowing someone is made in God's image change the way you treat the kid nobody else is nice to?
The image of God is the foundation of all human dignity and human rights. Take it away, and there's no solid reason every person is equally valuable. Kindness becomes just an opinion that the strong can ignore.
Let's go deeper: How does "made in God's image" give you a stronger reason to stand up for the weak and the unborn than any other worldview can?
💬 Conversation Starter
Think of someone who is very different from you. Can you name one way God's image shines through them — something good, kind, or creative they do?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
When someone asks, "Why is every human equally valuable?" you can answer warmly: "Because the Bible says we're all made in God's image (). That's the strongest reason there is to treat every person with equal honor. It doesn't matter if they are rich or poor, healthy or sick, born or unborn." Said with the gentleness of , that truth dignifies people instead of dividing them.
For Dad · Go Deeper
The doctrine of the imago Dei is the doctrine of the image of God in every person. It is one of the most practical truths you will ever teach your children, and one of the most countercultural. It is the bedrock of human dignity. It is the answer to racism. It is the defense of the vulnerable and the unborn. And it is the reason "love your neighbor" is a command and not a suggestion. Help your kids see that without this truth, "be kind" is just a preference the powerful can override. With it, kindness is owed to every image-bearer as their God-given due. And watch your own life here. Your children learn what an image-bearer is worth by how you treat the waiter, the difficult relative, the person who can do nothing for you. A home that honors God's image in everyone is quietly making the strongest pro-life, anti-cruelty, neighbor-loving case there is.
Draws on: Sean McDowell, A Rebel's Manifesto.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You for making people in Your own image, including each one of us. Help us see Your image in everyone we meet. Help us see it even in people who are different or hard to like. And help us love them well for Your sake. In Jesus' name, amen."
Every person I meet is made in God's image. So loving them honors the God who made them.