When God created human beings to live on the earth, in every nation and place, He did not make anyone inferior. As Acts 17:26 says, “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth.” Every person has value because every person was made by God in His image. Genesis 1:26-27 says, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him.” Humanity was the final part of creation, and that shows both honor and care. Psalm 8:4-5 reminds us, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him?… For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.”
At the same time, the Bible reminds us that our bodies were made from the dust of the ground. Genesis 2:7 says, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” We live on the same earth and depend on the same God who gives life and breath to all. Acts 17:25 says, “He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.” But we were never meant to live only for bodily desires. Scripture warns against becoming like the beasts that perish. Psalm 49:20 says, “Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.”
Human beings were made differently from everything else in creation. In us, God joined body and soul, earth and spirit. Scripture says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26), showing the special care and purpose behind our creation. We were made to know God, reflect His character, and live in a way that brings Him glory. Romans 11:36 says, “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.”
The image of God is seen especially in the soul. This does not mean we look like God physically. It means God made us with the ability to know right from wrong, to love, to think, to choose, to worship, and to live in relationship with Him and with one another. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him.” James 3:9 also reminds us that people are “made after the similitude of God.” In the beginning, mankind was made upright. Ecclesiastes 7:29 says, “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.”
Sin has deeply damaged that image, and we see the effects of it everywhere—in ourselves, in our relationships, and in the world. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” But this is not the end of the story. God still calls us back to Himself. He can renew what has been broken by His grace. Romans 12:2 tells us, “Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Ephesians 4:24 says, “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” May the Lord restore His image in us, shape our hearts to reflect His goodness, and help us live as people who remember who made us and why we are here.
Minister A Francine Green I May 2026