Christian Formation: An Integrative Approach - B&H Publishing Group

ChrIstIan FormatIon
Perhaps it is in this criticism that an answer is revealed. The imago
dei is not defined by its components, functionality, relational capabilities,
or its teleological dimension. Perhaps all of these views are, in fact, pieces
of the whole portrait of God’s image in humanity with our spiritual capacity
serving as the common denominator of them all. Could the imago dei,
in effect all of the above, reflect humanity’s special inclusion into Creation?
We are God’s image-bearer because, in our very essence, we were and are
simply made distinctive from the rest of creation – what Stanley Grenz calls
our “special standing” within creation. 15 It is an innate quality, which only
human beings possess. God’s image within humanity is what we are and,
in turn, is reflected in the components of our existence, relational capacity
with one another and God, in our function to fulfill God’s expressed
purpose for humanity, and even in the eschatological reality that awaits us.
(Figure 1.1)
Figure 1.1: Imago Dei as Humanity’s Special Standing
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