Does God Look Like Me?
(Archive Writings of the Late Pastor Jon D. Imme)
Everytime I look in the mirror and I see my face I’m reminded that God doesn’t look like me. Thank God! What a strange world it would be if my face was the standard for godliness!
It’s amazing how little importance God gives to physical appearance in His Word. The Bible covers several thousands of years of human history. That history includes many revered heroes. Yet we know very little about their physical appearances. We know Samson had long hair, Sarah was attractive as was Esther, Saul was tall, David was handsome, etc. Not much to go on.
God, in His wisdom, knew how the flesh can focus on the physical aspects rather than the spiritual. That is why the devil and Michael fought over Moses’ body. If the location of Moses’ body was found it probably would be lifted up as an idol by the community which he left behind. That is why in the Bible there is no description of Jesus’ appearance despite His being the most important figure in history. If we knew what He looked like then we would lift similar-looking people to a higher spiritual position than those who look like the rest of sinful man.
Well what does it mean then to be made in the ‘Image of God’? In Genesis 1:26–28 God states that we are made in His image and as such we are to rule over His creation here on earth. That is to say we are to reflect God to the fish, birds, livestock, and all creatures. We literally hold the power of life and death over them just as God holds the power of life and death over all of His creation including us. We only look at our own recent history to find a tragically long list of species which no longer exist because of their disastrous interaction with man. We can also look to our history to discover previously barren, lifeless areas which are now bursting with life. On an everyday level we can see starving stray animals walking our streets abandoned by their owners and read stories of horribly injured animals being tenderly brought back to health by human skill and compassion. Only man, of all of God’s creation, can accomplish such things because only man is made in the image of God and has such responsibilities.
That is why I have often been disappointed when I realize that few Christians are actively involved in any ‘environmental concern.’ We have allowed such responsibilities to be defined in political terms such as ‘green party’, or ‘eco-movement.’ People who place the environment as a priority are often considered to be radical. Christians should realize that to be actively concerned about the environment is not limited to politics or radicalism. It is part of our very being. It is part of who we are. It is part of how God defines our purpose.
We, as Christians, appreciate our surroundings as being much more than an environment. We appreciate it as God’s creation which was miraculously and lovingly made for His glory and our delight. To see the stars on a clear night or to walk across a creek on a hot summer day increases our insights into the beauty of the Creator, our Father. To smell flowers in a garden or in a valley, to see deer bounding in an open area of a forest fill us with deeper insights into the gentleness and perfection of the Creator, our Father.
Other people can certainly write more eloquently about the wonders of God’s creation and how that wonder deepens our relationship with our Creator Father. But you get the point. Does God look like me? No, thank God! Do I reflect God in my management of His creation? God, enable me to better do so!
