In the image

In the Genesis account of creation the image of God was given solely to mankind, no other created being was granted this honor. There are many different theories as to what exactly the image of God is in us, but we can conclude that whatever these particular attributes are, they are going to be characteristics that originate with God. God is love, so therefore whenever we love we are attempting to display a particular aspect of the image of God. God is the ultimate expression of forgiveness, and when we forgive, we are seeking to display the image of God.

However, our love, and our forgiveness are vastly inferior to the love and forgiveness of God. This is due to the fact that A) we are not God, and B) our sin nature infects, to some degree or another, every attempt to display the TRUE image of God. What we must be watchful for is when we seek to make God in our image. For example, if someone wrongs us and then asks for our forgiveness, as a Christian we are mandated to accept that forgiveness, and forget that it ever even happened. Nevertheless, in the back of our mind, we may feel that particular person is somehow indebted to us, and must work their way back into our good graces, because after all they are the ones who screwed up! Our tendency is to think that God forgives the same way. If we disobey God, and then confess and seek forgiveness, in the back of our minds, we may feel that we must somehow “make it up” to God, by doing some great deed, hoping that with this particular act we will “even the score”. Are we really arrogant enough to think that we can somehow work our way back into God’s favor, that we can repay God for His forgiveness? If we think that we can somehow earn back a right-standing with God, we are living an illusion created by pride. If that is our understanding of how God forgives, is it any wonder that we forgive people the same way? We need to seek to have God’s perfect image manifested in us, not our fallen image placed on God.