When Christians embrace their identity as God’s image-bearer, they discover what it means to embody God’s glory and goodness in every area of life. This is especially important for youth and young adults who are in the throes of identity-formation. By teaching them what it means to be iconic, we aren’t merely helping them answer “Who am I?” but “What am I?” The imago Dei isn’t  merely an academic idea—it’s at the very heart of discipleship.

Sarah is a high school senior who is passionate about Christ but wonders if she’ll lose her faith by studying science in college.

Graham is a college student who loves Jesus and is struggling to discern how to love his gay friends with compassion and integrity.

Madison’s grandfather was recently diagnosed with dementia and she’s struggling to make sense of “losing him” already, even while he’s living in the nursing home.

The doctrine of Imago Dei, or “the image of God,” is the missing link in the above scenarios. It addresses what it means for people to be created in God’s image and what it means for Christians to be conformed to Christ. When Christians overlook this message, they’ll struggle to integrate their Christian faith with “real life.” For example, Sarah would benefit from seeing how science flows from our God-given call to cultivate and care for creation; and Graham will be encouraged to remember his calling to embody God’s glory and goodness towards his gay friends in a way that genuinely loves them while calling them to embrace God’s created design for sexuality and fulfillment; and Madison finds great comfort in recognizing God’s image in her grandfather, even though he no longer resembles the man she once knew.

One of the reasons Christians often struggle to integrate their faith into daily life is that they sometimes miss the connection between who they are (identity) with what they are (image bearers). Another way of putting this is to talk about both being God’s image (what we are) and bearing God’s image (how we live). Even though our culture is filled with conversations about “Who am I?”, we may not be not asking the more foundational question: “What am I?” Understanding the Imago Dei enables Christians to be and bear God’s image faithfully in their world.

Not only does the image of God help youth and young adults discover their identity in Christ, it directly addresses the root question behind each of the most controversial issues in our culture today: sexuality and gender, racism, abortion, and more. When we understand that we have been created to bear God’s image in this world, it gives clarity to our purpose and provides a context for engaging questions of how we treat one another, who has authority over our lives, and how to build God-honoring relationships. Without this foundation, unpopular Christian teachings seem like little more than one person’s opinion against everyone else’s.

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