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The Image of God as Language Users

The last few weeks we have been examining different views on what it means to be made in the Image of God. The first was the functional view, that being made in God's Image is a calling and vocation we live out. The second was the structural view, that what it is is how we were designed by God as both physical and spiritual beings. Last week we discussed the communal view, that being made in God's Image has to do with us being made for community, much as God is community in the Trinity.

This week we are going to talk about the last view, that we are made in God's Image by virtue of our use of language. Language is something unique to human beings in this world. While other animals communicate with one another none do so with the sophistication as human beings. It is this ability to communicate that some believe is, at least in part, of what makes us made in God's Image.

When God created the heavens and the earth the Bible specifies that he spoke everything into being. It is this special form of communication that only human beings share with God on the earth. God chose to communicate to human beings through the Bible, through language. In John 1 Jesus is called the "Word" or "Logos," a complex idea that has to do with rationale, reason, and linguistics. The Word then became flesh and dwelt among us as one of us.

It is language that lets us debate and discuss truth, which ultimately points to God. Our ability to use language gives us extraordinary powers to encourage, heal, and uplift people. When used wrongly words can be used to destroy, tear down, and hurt people. We are particularly susceptible to language and how we use it, both for good an ill.

This view contends that this is no accident. God made us language using beings to be able to express truth, goodness, and beauty in a way that no other creature could. We can praise God and commune with him far more deeply through our words than most living things. However, sin caused us to misuse this gift for harm. The serpent deceived Eve with words. Adam blamed Eve and lied. 

Jesus, being the perfect Image of God and also the Word of God, supremely embodies this view. He is the Word made flesh. He is perfect rationale and language made incarnate. He is truth, goodness, and beauty in the flesh. He only ever spoke with love and in truth. 

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