All life is valued because we are all made in the image of God.
Genesis 1:26-27 states, “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” ESV
We are not gods even though God made us in His image. When we have surrendered our lives to Christ, we become a new person (2 Corinthians 5:17). Therefore, we strive to live for Him. We are called to give glory to Him in all that we do and to keep His commands.
In the previous blog post I wrote about the incommunicable attributes of God. These attributes are how we can somewhat understand the character of God. Who He is and how we can trust Him.
There are attributes of God that we can strive for as we follow Him. We would call these relational or communicable attributes for God. These attributes are what we should work toward in our daily life. Attributes such as: Goodness, Justice, Wisdom, Mercy, Grace, Patience, Holiness, Peace, and Truth.
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.” Ephesians 5:1 ESV
Let’s look at holiness.
“There are divine principles we must adhere to if we are to have the kind of relationship with God that he wants for us as his children. The first and most fundamental of these is holiness” (Bray,2021)
“God’s holiness means that he is separated from sin and devoted to seeking his own honor” (Grudem, 1994)
In the Old Testament, God told Moses how He wanted Israel to live. He wanted them to be set apart from other nations. “The Lord also said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” Leviticus 19:1-2 NLT
Later in the New Testament, the apostle Peter tells believers to conduct their lives in an upright manner. “But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16 NLT
We should live in such a way that brings honor and glory to God. We are not to be proud or arrogant, thinking we are better than everyone else. Instead, we are to be loving, gracious, and patient to people around us, which are also attributes of God. As we live out this life on earth, it is essential to remember God and His character. His character and attributes affect what we believe and how we walk out our lives as believers.
“Lord, help us to remember your attributes. We are grateful for your holiness. Because of your holiness, you have given us grace through your love for us. Amen”
References
Grudem, W (1994) Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine
Bray, G (2021). The Attributes of God: An Introduction
