LGBTQ+, Abortion, and Divorce Have Something in Common
Today, there are 7.8 billion image-bearers in the world. God’s image is peppered all over this planet. Image bearing is the single most sacred aspect of humanity. In Genesis 1:26, God said, “Let Us make man in Our image.” In Latin, this is referred to as the “Imago Dei,” the image of God. Here in Genesis, Moses is explaining that the Godhead shares His image in His creation of man, showing an expression of His prevenient grace and dignity on all of humanity. As image-bearers, we have a responsibility that requires man’s stewardship. Sure, all of creation declares the glory of God (Psalm 19:1), yet no other part of creation displays the image of God except for mankind.
Throughout world history, every insolent and narcissistic ruler has sought to destroy the image for various immoral reasons and means. This includes the likes of Hitler’s heinous passion to exterminate the Jews and the Islamic extremists who flew planes into buildings on 9/11. Satan is the sadistic dictator to this diabolical thirst for dominance and destruction—he is driving the bus. Satan hates God. Satan hates anything that reflects God’s image. This is why Satan has animated cultures to destroy the image and has sought the proliferation of idols over the millennia: to encourage man to display and worship another image.
Yet, idols have never been enough for Satan; he is hellbent on the destruction of the image of God. The Devil’s schemes are subtle as he bakes them into culture and society. His schemes become the slow rot of every society in the history of mankind. In John 8:44, Jesus told us that Satan is a liar. Satan takes what is deadly and destructive and wraps it in a banner of “progress and freedom,” convincing mankind, this is what God wants for you.
Satan’s slow and steady work has manipulated culture to mangle God’s image under the guise of progressivism—man’s rightful march to freedom from oppression. He has done this by assuring people they are the victims of their time or biology and they have the right to choose for themselves. Do what is best for yourself because the self is the primary king. In his book The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, Dr. Carl Trueman calls this movement “expressive individualism,” where every person builds their own kingdom.
Satan has used “expressive individualism” to destroy the very image of God. There are four crystal-clear attacks on God’s image that are at work in our culture today. They are divorce, abortion, gay marriage, and transgenderism. Each one of these schemes is a direct attack on the image of God.
DIVORCE
The first attack on the image of God was introduced with divorce. Marriage is a covenant which takes two individuals, male and female, and forges them together into what Scripture calls “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). This beautiful new union of the two that became one is a picture of one flesh, one body. This is why the penalty for adultery in the Old Testament was capital punishment. Think about that. Does this punishment fit the crime, so to speak? Why is the punishment for adultery the same as the penalty for murder? The answer is simple: the image of God. You see, they bear the image of God individually, and their marriage, one flesh, also bears the image of God. So, whether a person takes the life of another or commits adultery, both are the destruction of the image of God. One quickly learns that our God takes His image very seriously.
ABORTION
The life of a baby is the next target because that new life is a new image of God. If people are image-bearers, then all that needs to be done is to put a stop to having babies. This is accomplished through Satan’s lie called “reproductive care,” which shows no care and destroys the life and image-bearer before they ever have a chance to be displayed. The intentional murder of a human life inside the life of another human is a direct attack on the “Imago Dei.”. How do you get a culture to commit such an act? You convince them that abortion is just a choice of healthcare rather than the destruction of an image-bearer.
GAY MARRIAGE
Satan was not done with destroying marriage when he introduced divorce. He had a better idea than just taking the two that became one and making them two again. In June 2015, America legalized gay marriage, thereby destroying the image of God. Satan has convinced our culture that same-sex marriage is equal to that of a man and a woman in union, displaying the image of God as one. Nothing is farther from the truth. There is no such thing as gay marriage; there is only marriage. One man, one woman, as “one-flesh” for one lifetime. Gay couples cannot become one flesh, as it takes both a male and a female to create “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). This is hardwired into the biology of human reproduction. This new body of “one flesh” through marriage displays the image of God. The United States Supreme Court can interpret the law however they choose, but one day, every member of that court will stand before the Supreme Court, the Lion of Judah, and give an account for destroying the image of God.
TRANSGENDERISM
In the last five years, we now see Satan’s latest attack on the image of God. He has convinced the culture that gender is not fixed but rather fluid and can be chosen. Therefore, we now have a new “ism,” transgenderism. This is where a person is born one gender but then decides in their mind, they are one of endless alphabetical combinations. This new non-science is regarded as an authentic lifestyle of progress and freedom. This is another of the Devil’s lies, as transgenderism is the physical degradation and destruction of the image of God. The very image of God is displayed through gender. In Genesis 1:27, God made mankind male (XY) and female (XX). Biological sex and gender are fixed natural laws. Any desire to change gender does not come from science but rather from an immoral social construct. When a person seeks to alter their gender, it is not only biologically impossible; it is an attack on God’s image and His authority. The transgender person is seeking their own self-divinity: I decide who I am, not God.
Satan has placed the image of God in the crosshairs of his campaign to ultimately destroy mankind and overtake God. We must remember that we are not just biological meat here by a random accident of the universe. We were created by God himself, formed and fashioned in our mother’s womb with dignity and purpose. As Christ-followers, we have been reconciled to our creator, who knows the best way for human flourishing and will one day return to get each of us and then give us a new body that will forever glorify Him. We are called upon to bear His image well.
