What our culture teaches about the nature of God fills a wide spectrum of belief from God is nonexistent or unknowable, to god is in all and we are all gods. What someone believes about the nature of God has a direct impact on what they believe about themselves and the nature of humanity. For example, if God is non-existent or unknowable, is an individual person of any real value compared with the mass of humanity? In this instance what gives value to a human being are the material possessions they accumulate or what they contribute to society. Those without a contribution may be neglected or disposed of. These kinds of ideologies have cheapened the value of human life in our culture and have made options such as abortion and euthanasia acceptable and even preferable for some.
Unlike our culture, the Christian worldview presents a very definitive answer to who God is and what he is like. Perhaps the strongest emphasis is placed on the truth that “God is love” (I John 4:16, New International Version). In fact, the very cohesion of the God-head, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is a result of their love for each other. In addition to God’s love nature is the attribute of his holiness. God’s holiness is often seen as being in tension with his love because his holiness demands that we also be holy if we are to approach him. Peter writes, “just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do” (I Peter 1:15, NIV). Because of the uncomfortable and seemingly impossible nature of this command, some Christian circles are reluctant to emphasize holiness. However, we must reconcile God’s love with his holiness, seeing these two aspects of his nature as complementary, not contradictory, if we are to understand the nature of humanity in the original design of God.
In the original design of God it was not a list of rules, religion or laws that governed the interaction between God and humanity or between Adam and Eve. Just as the character of God governs the relationship within the Godhead, it governed the relationship between God and mankind. It was the natural inclination of Adam and Eve to manage their choices in a way that allowed them to remain connected with God and fulfill the responsibilities he had given them. It is because of the loving and holy nature of God that he did not just give the command to be holy, but created in Adam and Eve’s nature the capacity for holiness. God’s desire was for relationship with mankind and he created them in his own likeness so that Adam and Eve could have communion with their creator. This impartation of the divine nature of God to Adam and Eve is what made them, and all those created in God’s likeness, valuable and deserving of life.
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