Small group

Being God's Image by Carmen J. Imes

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Resources & Study Questions

Introduction

  • Before you begin, how do you understand Genesis 1:27, what does it mean that humanity is made in God's image?
  • Dr Imes discusses the distinction between "in" and "as" with regard to God's image, how important do you think this distinction is and how do youthink it should be handled?
  • Is the distinction between "being" God's image and "bearing" God's image important to you? Why do you think it matters to Dr. Imes?

Chapter 1- Pattern of Creation

  • What type of literature do you believe Genesis 1 represents? Why do you take this approach?
  • What guidelines do you think Genesis provides for our modern ways of thinking?
  • Dr. Imes interprets Genesis focusing on the "why" questions, have you encountered this kind of reading before? What did you think of her interpretation?
Digging Deeper Resources
Henri Blocher In the Beginning: The Opening Chapters of Genesis
Michael LeFebvre The Liturgy of Creation: Understanding Calendars in Old Testament Context 
Ray Lubeck Reading the Bible for a Change, Second Edition: Understanding and Responding to God's Word
John H. Walton The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate

Bible Project Videos
Heaven and Earth
Sabbath
Genesis 1

Chapter 2- Crown of Creation

  • What do you think of the language that God's image is "both kinship and kingship"?
  • How do the comparisons (and contrasts) between the Bible and ancient Babylonian texts help you to understand the Biblical stories, how do these concern you?
  • How do you think about issues like Creation Care in the light of being God's image?
  • How does this chapter help you understand the relationship between men and women?
Digging Deeper Resources
Catherine McDowell The Image of God in the Garden of Eden
J. Richard Middleton The Liberating Image: The Imago Dei in Genesis 1
Douglas J. Moo  and Jonathan A. Moo Creation Care: A Biblical Theology of the Natural World
 Ryan S. Peterson The Imago Dei as Human Identity: A Theological Interpretation
Sandra L. Richter Stewards of Eden: What Scripture Says About the Environment and Why It Matters

Bible Project Videos
Genesis 1-11
Image of God
Generosity

Chapter 3- Getting to Work


  • What is your theology of work, how do you see the importance of work in your daily life,?
  • How do you maintain Sabbath rest, how are Sabbath and work related?
  • What is the relationship between men and women, what does an ideal relationship look like and where do you ground that?
  • Dr Imes discusses the image of God as it relates to both poverty and enviromental issues, how does her discussion of justice issues impact your perception of humanity as God's image?
Digging Deeper Resources
Carolyn Custis James  Half the Church: Recapturing God's Global Vision for Women
John Kliner Dignity and Destiny: Humanity in the Image of God
Miroslav Volf Exclusion and Embrace, Revised and Updated: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation
Bible Project Videos
Eternal Life
Tree of Life

Chapter 4- The Human Project

  • When you consider the Cain and Abel story and the generations of Genesis 4-5 how do they help you consider the Image of God?
  • How do you understand the Flood story, what are the difficulties it brings?
  • How do you interpret the story of Babel and how does it make you feel about human building and construction?
  • Dr. Imes says that the danger of idolatry is that it is creation subduing us rather than us subduing creation, how does this concept impact you?
Digging Deeper Resources
Michael S. Heiser  The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible
Tremper Longman III & John H. Walton The Lost World of the Flood: Mythology, Theology, and the Deluge Debate
Matthew J. Lynch Flood and Fury: Old Testament Violence and the Shalom of God
 John R. Levison & Priscilla Pope-Levison Return to Babel: Global Perspectives on the Bible (José Miguez-Bonino "Genesis 11:1-9 A Latin American Perspective")
David Smith What hope after Babel? Diversity and Community in Gen 11:1-9, Exod 1:1-14, Zeph 3:1-13 and Acts 2:1-13.

Bible Project Videos
Spiritual Beings Series

Intermission: Being the Image and Bearing the Name

  • What do you think of idolatry diminishing our ability to reflect God?
  • What do you think it means to be a covenant partner?
Digging Deeper Resources
Carmen Joy Imes Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still Matters

Bible Project Videos
Blessing and Curse

Chapter 5- The Human Quest

  • Many Christians today seem to want to downplay the physical world as "not my home" and only look to the spiritual realm, how can phrases like "tummy told me" be incorporated in our conversations to help us respect the material world more?
  • How do you understand the notion of sexuality within the concept of being God's image, particularly the idea of celibacy?
  • How does the idea of wisdom teaching us how to live in the world help us develop our ideas about being God's image?
  • How does being God's image change or impact your ideas about prayer, specifically intercessory prayers?
Digging Deeper Resources
William P Brown Wisdom's Wonder: Character, Creation, and Crisis in the Bible's Wisdom Literature
 Sandra L. Glahn & C. Gary Barnes Sanctified Sexuality: Valuing Sex in an Oversexed World
Wesley Hill Washed and Waiting: Reflections on Christian Faithfulness and Homosexuality
Carmen Joy Imes Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends
Beth Felker Jones Faithful: A Theology of Sex

Bible Project Videos
Book of Proverbs
Proverbs 8
Psalm 8

Chapter 6- Human Suffering

  • How do you respond to the Teacher in Ecclesiastes who says, "life is meaningless" (or perhaps a better translation smoke ethereal)
  • How do you deal with suffering like the kind Job went through? 
  • What does it mean for us as God's image bearers to suffer?
  • How do we deal with having a limited perspective on suffering and grief?
  • How do we keep from being depressed or trite in the face of human suffering?
Digging Deeper Resources
Craig Bartholomew Ecclesiastes (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament)
Kelly M. Kapic You're Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God's Design and Why That's Good News
J. Richard Middleton Abraham's Silence: The Binding of Isaac, the Suffering of Job, and How to Talk Back to God
Susan L. Maros Calling in Context: Social Location and Vocational Formation
Vance Neudorf The Scroll: Bringing Ancient Wisdom to Life (the link is to the book's GoodReads page it seems to be out of print)
John Walton Job (The NIV Application Commentary)

Bible Project Videos
Book of Ecclesiastes
Overview: Ecclesiastes
Book of Job
Overview: Job

Chapter 7- Jesus the Human

  • What does it mean to you that Jesus was human? How comfortable are you with the idea that Jesus made mistakes?
  • What do you think about Mary as a person and her role within God's plan for salvation?
  • What do you think of the idea that God does not simply give us our needs but accommodates our desires? What does that mean in the light of Jesus knowing what it means to be human?
  • What do you think of Jesus' call for justice and how do we show passion about the injustices of our day?
  • What Jesus' healings meant to show and why do you think that not everyone is healed the ways we might want or expect?
Digging Deeper
Matthew W.  Bates, The Gospel Precisely: Surprisingly Good News About Jesus Christ the King 
Bethany McKinney Fox Disability and the Way of Jesus
Joshua M. McNall The Mosaic of Atonement: An Integrated Approach to Christ’s Work
Amy L. B. Peeler Women and the Gender of God
Matthew Thiessen Jesus and the Forces of Death: The Gospels’ Portrayal of Ritual Impurity Within First-Century Judaism

Bible Project Videos
John 1—The Word Becomes Flesh
Messiah
Overview: John 1–12

Chapter 8- New Humanity

  • What do you think about the idea that the Resurrection means creation still matters? Normally we think of resurrection and heaven going together, what does it mean for this world to be important in the Resurrection?
  • What do you think of C.S Lewis' depiction of the next world as more solid and more real? How does this relate to Jesus in his new human body?
  • The Ascension is about Jesus taking on the reign and rule of the Earth, what does it mean to you to know that Jesus is reigning over Earth?
  • Have you ever considered the Church's liturgical year and the holidays that go along with it, what does this way of approaching the year mean to you?
Digging Deeper Resources
Marc Cortez ReSourcing Theological Anthropology: A Constructive Account of Humanity in the Light of Christ
J. Richard Middleton A New Heaven and a New Earth: Reclaiming Biblical Eschatology
Patrick Schreiner The Ascension of Christ: Recovering a Neglected Doctrine
N.T. Wright Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church

Bible Project Videos
Heaven and Earth
Overview: John 13–21
Son of Man

Chapter 9- The Beloved Community


  • Consider the metaphors for Christianity that Paul employs, the body, citizens, etc which on stands out to you the most and why?
  • What does it mean that we embody Christ in the world, how do you live this out in your daily life?
  • How does the story and the statistics about racism in America even today impact you and your aim to fully embody being God's image?
  • Do you agree with the idea that Jesus is the true image of God because he is human? How does that idea speak to you.
Digging Deeper Resources
Lynn H. Cohick  The Letter to the Ephesians. NICNT
Bethany McKinney Fox Disability and the Way of Jesus
Haley Goranson Jacob  Conformed to the Image of His Son: Reconsidering Paul’s Theology of Glory in Romans
Kelly M. Kapic You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News
Bryan Stevenson Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
Richard WayneWills Sr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Image of God

BibleProject Videos:
Overview: Ephesians
Overview: Philemon

Chapter 10- 

  • How does your understanding of Jesus' return impact your mission in the world, and do you often think about the future of the Earth?
  • How does the reading of the Old Testament background to passages about the destruction of creation help you understand the passages better?
  • What does it mean to live like God will re-create the Earth?
  • What are the practical implications of being God's image in your daily life, what steps can you take to make that reality more apparent to yourself?
Diffing Deeper Resources
Matthew W. Bates Gospel Allegiance: What Faith in Jesus Misses for Salvation in Christ
G.K. Beale The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God. New Studies in Biblical Theology
Aaron Chalmers Interpreting the Prophets: Reading, Understanding and Preaching from the Worlds of the Prophets
Michael J.  Gorman Reading Revelation Responsibly: Uncivil Worship and Witness Following the Lamb into the New Creation
J Richard Middleton A New Heaven and a New Earth: Reclaiming Biblical Eschatology
N.T. Wright Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church

BibleProject Videos:
Apocalyptic Literature
Overview: Revelation 1–11
Overview: Revelation 12–22
Temple