The Image of God Isn't What You Think | Image Bearer (Part 1)

Join us at Founded in Truth Fellowship this Saturday, June 27th, for worship at 11:00 a.m. EST. Come early for fellowship and a light breakfast starting at 10:00 a.m. This week we begin a brand-new series called “Image Bearers” with a message titled “The Image: What You Are Before You Are Anything Else.” Pastor Matthew Vander Els opens Genesis 1–2 and explores the oldest thing the Bible ever says about a human being: we are made in the image of God. In the ancient world, kings planted images of themselves in distant lands to represent their rule. Temples placed images of gods in sacred spaces to represent divine presence. But Genesis takes that whole world of statues, kings, temples, and idols and turns it upside down. The living God does not carve an image out of stone. He forms one from dust, breathes into it, and fills the earth with living images who carry His presence. In this teaching, we’ll trace the image of God from royal statues to Eden as temple, from Adam’s breath to human vocation, from work and worship to kinship and kingship. Being God’s image is not just a compliment. It is a calling. It means you were made to represent the King, serve and guard His world, and carry the family resemblance of God into creation. This is a message about human dignity, identity, work, vocation, worship, and what you are before sin, shame, failure, labels, or achievement ever enter the story. Join us as we begin the Image Bearers series and discover why you are not a broken accident or a forgotten statue in the sand. You are the living image of the living God. Some helpful study resources for this topic: Mouth Opening Ceremony on Images - https://library.biblicalarchaeology.o... Carmen Imes — Being God’s Image; Bearing God’s Name G.K. Beale — The Temple and the Church’s Mission John H. Walton — The Lost World of Adam and Eve; The Lost World of Genesis One J. Richard Middleton — The Liberating Image N.T. Wright — After You Believe Tim Mackie & The Bible Project — Image of God; Genesis 1–11 Genesis 1–2 — Read it slowly and watch what God says humans are before anything breaks.