Prince Caspian - the honour & shame of being an image-bearer

[On Caspian being told by Aslan that he is descended from human pirates who entered the world of Narnia from "our world" generations before...]

“Do you mark all this well, King Caspian?”

“I do indeed, Sir,” said Caspian. “I was wishing that I came from a more honourable lineage”.

“You come from the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve,” said Aslan. “And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth. Be content.”

Caspian bowed.

(Prince Caspian, C.S. Lewis)

Church - Is it in part about image too?

“Ought I iron my shirts for tomorrow, or meet with a friend in the hope that an evangelistic opportunity might result?” “How do I decide whether to pursue paid gospel ministry, or to continue in my so-called “secular” job?”   As a church how can we most appropriately be a blessing to the community are part of?  Should Bibles and Barbells

The risk can be that we often set up a false-polarity between different types of work - evangelism and ministries of mercy, “spiritual” activities and “stewardship” activities... However, these false extremes are unhelpful. Few people would advocate evangelism to the exclusion of mercy ministries, or that all Christians ought to enter paid gospel ministry to the exclusion of “secular employ”. The question then becomes how to identify a scriptural balance. I wonder whether that balance is found by reference to God’s revealed character.

Evangelism is a right expression of the character of God, as the LORD who exercises his mighty arm to seek and save the lost. But His character also extends to caring deeply for the Fatherless and the widow, to the point of judging people on the basis of their treatment of the marginalised (Sheep & Goats - Matt 25v31-46).  He also displays spectacular creativity in creation... Wonderful order and predictability (and I would argue elegant beauty) in scientific laws... Abundant goodness in his generosity, right down to the rain failing on the wicked and the good... Ought we not to be imaging that as well?   Surely our Christian communities in the light of the gospel ought to be doing no less than Israel in drawing the nations through attractive and wise community life (Deut 4v6-7).

I wonder whether in failing to image God’s character and concerns in all its balanced richness, we inadvertently risk caricaturing God for the watching world...

What is a caricature if not taking particular true aspects of an image and over-emphasising to the exclusion/distraction of other aspects. A caricature of Mick Jagger follows a well-trodden pattern: The head is exaggerated to the exclusion of the body. Within the head, his lips are taken as the most prominent feature. The result - a tiny little body supporting a massive head with a huge mouth.

Now I know that no individual or even local church can do everything. Resources are limited. God doesn't gift his church is identical ways in every community.  But what do we talk about? What do we prize? What do we aspire to be, to influence and to change? What do we speak out for and against? Whose cause are we defending or prosecuting?

As the world looks on at the collective body of Christ, what distortions might it see of God’s image in the church?  Are we inadvertently caricaturing Him?  And isn't that a really serious thing?...

(I know there risks a slight mixing of metaphors here between individuals made "in God's image", and the church as "the body of Christ".  However, given it is mankind in community you are made in God's image and likeness, I'm not too worried about the gentle slight of hand!).

Work - Its all about image...

I’ve been struck recently by the connection that the Bible repeatedly makes between the purpose/role of human work and our identity as image bearers. 

A few disconnected thoughts...

1) Creation - The human “job description” is rooted in who we are as image bearers

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."  (Genesis 1v26)

As men and women, we have the awesome privilege of being created to be vice-regents of the King of the universe! He is given delegated authority to rule over the earth in a manner consistent with the will of the King. And to do so in a way that reflects the character the King has already displayed in His creative works…  To order and develop creation so that it might remain “very good”, and bring glory to God.  Uniquely man can reflect God’s character and represent/enact His will because man is made in God’s likeness to be His image-bearing representatives.

It is as God’s image bearers that humans are called to rule over the created order (a connection reiterated in the next two verses). 

So working and taking care of creation (2v15), filling and subduing it (1v28) is not a punishment for sin, but a right expression of man’s identity as image-bearing vice-regent. That role is worked out in a way that is consistent with the working, creator God whose character man images and whose will he is to represent.

 

2) Fall - Human sin twists the purpose of work and ruins our ability to carry it out.

When man seeks to exchange his vice-regency for autonomous rule, his identity as image bearer is forever distorted. His relationship with God broken, the controlling parameters for his work of filling and subduing become twisted. He proceeds ever eastward, bent on his own autonomy and glory (Cain, Lamech, Babel,...).

The mandate is preserved, but the context is distorted. After the flood, the cultural mandate is repeated (Gen 9v1-2), but the context for its outworking is now distorted. Whereas previously mankind was to “rule over” the other creatures1, now man inspires “fear and dread”. The picture is one of conflict inspired by claims to autonomy.

3) Redemption - Christ restores us as image-bearers to work

In Christ, we are renewed in the image of God: ...you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator  (Col 3v9-10, also 2Cor 3v17-18)

Work is to be done for the Lord (as vice regents): And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Col 3v17).

Work is to be characterised by service (in the image of the servant King): It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Eph 4v11) (also Matt 20v26-28, Eph 6v7-8, 1Pet2v16...).

4) Consummation - work is glorified

God’s image is perfectly recreated in God’s people: “...we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” (Phil 3v21).

The cultural mandate will be perfectly enacted through Christ & His people: “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth”. (Rev 5v10)