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Christianity Today, July, 2009 |

To Kill or to Love—That Was the Question

Rethinking the image of God helped me to decide.

Brandon O'Brien | posted 7/17/2009 10:15AM

I entered my first semester of teaching confident in my ability and smug about my qualifications. After four years of study in biblical languages and English literature, I figured I knew my material. ...

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Lee	Posted: July 26, 2009 9:15 PM


I appreciate this struggle. This child sounds like a child with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. I work with many families who are frustrated by these kids who have behavior issues but blame others, probably because they are used to falling short. There is help.

Scoti Springfield Domeij

Posted: July 26, 2009 11:50 AM


It was painful for me to read the conversation that never took place. As a single mom whose sons who disparately longed their father after he chose to leave, it seemed clearly obvious to me that Stewart acted out of pain, desiring for a male to take a sincere interest in him as a person, not just as a student.

Karen

Posted: July 23, 2009 9:20 AM


Bless your heart! I was totally blessed by your article. And I mean TOTALLY!! God has deeply spoken to my heart and spirit through you words. Thank you.

Tesfatadelle

Posted: July 21, 2009 3:35 PM


May His annointing remain in full with you at all times in all places! Blessings In His Love and Mercy

Fritz

Posted: July 21, 2009 1:28 PM

God is gentile, God is kind: "Those whose hearts are ungodly are always angry. Even when God puts them in chains, they don't cry out for help. (Job 36:13 NIrV) There is one thing that I dislike and one thing that I detest. I dislike an unbalanced approach to the word of God. I detest a kinder gentler gender based nurturing bent to scripture even though God does say that He will create a new thing on earth — a woman will surround a man (Jer 31:22 NIV).

Eme	Posted: July 21, 2009 5:20 AM


God bless you for such an eye opening article. I have a help who is always getting on my nerves but now I have learnt that I potray the image of christ, it has helped me to deal with the anger and hateful things I say to her when she offends me, God bless you

Deepika, India

Posted: July 21, 2009 12:28 AM


What a thought-provoking article. Thank you, Mr. O'Brien for reminding me that I am the standard bearer of the image of God. I often tolerate difficult people by reminding myself that they are made in the image of God but forget that I am too! This was a good reminder to me be more Christlike by the grace of the Holy Spirit as a parent, wife, co-worker, friend and church leader.

Ronda

Posted: July 20, 2009 2:09 PM

I so appreciate the transformation that occus when I recognize who I am in the Lord and allow that to become the dominant influencer of my words and actions and motiviations, rather than keep on looking for how others are supposed to measure up to the image of God. Reminds of something Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount and a speck and a plank . . . . So, David -- I find nothing in scripture that describes as "little devils". Imperfect. Sinners. And sin is SERIOUS and DEADLY. But not "little devils." The scripture does say we are created in the image of God, and calls us to be the image bearers. We are not able to do this on our own. We need God oh-so-much, and I thank God for salvation and for sanctification. ------ Additionally -- David, Jesus said we can commit murder in our hearts -- very approp to this and many other situations. We are commanded to not murder. And in the end, God will CONDEMN untold numbers of unbelievers -- on the Day of Judgement.

Phillip

Posted: July 20, 2009 10:56 AM

It's funny how these comments always break along the lines of "Love Christians" and "Wrath Christians." The wrath Christians are always looking for a way to express their "righteous anger, condemnation and hatred" because, being made in the image of God, and, being born again, they believe they have the right to do so. Wrath is just as much a part of God's nature as love, they argue. There's only one problem with that. Love is NOT an attribute of God. Scripture is quite clear. God IS love. Show me a scripture that reads: "God is wrath" or "God is anger" and I'll concede the point that God is dualistic in essence. Remember, righteous, angry, wrathful christians that the "wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God." And remember that the fruits of the spirit does not include righteous anger and wrath as one of those fruits!

Eugene- Manila, Philippines

Posted: July 20, 2009 5:43 AM

Mr. O'Brien's article is q refreshing insight into the world of Stewarts we encounter as teachers. It is quite true that if we truly and seriously contemplate the need to apply into practice our convictions and if we wish to be a light indeed there will be opportunities to reexamine many of our beliefs as they seem to "conflict" with the realities of our world. I've been teaching for eight years and in that limited time I have seen the necessity of incarnating the image of God. This is of course as we know made possible by the grace of God and the Holy Spirit's empowering. On my own efforts alone I do not know if I could find the possibility of remaining in this profession without grace and strength.

David

Posted: July 19, 2009 6:27 AM


As far as our image... many have assumed the image of the Beast. We are not little gods, we are little devils in need of redemption. Once that has happened we are covered by the blood until transformed to be like Him.

David

Posted: July 19, 2009 6:24 AM


The properly translated bible says not to murder, instead of not to kill. God has clearly put righteous men and women in postitions where taking the life of another is/was the correct thing to do. It's all a matter of motive (yours or God's) and circumstances. In the end God will kill billions of unbelievers... and it will be good.

Gary	Posted: July 18, 2009 11:36 PM

Perfect timing. As a retired naval officer, I've taken on a new career to invest my experiences in young lives: I'm a newly minted certified "Professional Guest Teacher" (a "sub" to you). After a few warm up assignments, my wife and I landed in Utah for the summer to PGT at an adolescent youth ranch. I'm reeling after my second week. I've one class after another full of Stewarts. Then I get the special ed set asides. One 17 year old who's taken to me boasted as I tried to nourish her toward a meaningful future that she was going to be a porn star. Probably just to get my goat. Imago Dei. Seeing her in that holy light--and myself, for that matter--is my new assignment next week. Like, I knew this old concept, of course...but it took you and Stewart to give it life traction. Thanks.

Jeremy

Posted: July 18, 2009 8:05 PM

I don't think that's right; you're legalizing it. The whole point of the image of God is that it's something we possess _inherently_. It's not something we have to _do_. Yeah, your sanctification is positively or negatively impacted by the way you treat Stewart, but it has nothing to do with how much you bear the image of God. Christ's teachings and example of compassion are much more relevant in this case than _imago dei_, and because of them, there's no need to distort the doctrine.

Karen

Posted: July 18, 2009 3:24 PM


This article is a real blessing to me! You have put into words what I have been strugglling with most of my life -- trying to be Christ-like and genuine with regard to loving the unlovable and those whom I perceive as my enemies, yet still ending up distraught and judgmental. Your last paragrph is a real clincher -- and the Light appears! Thank you so very much!

Pete Benson, editor UNITYINCHRIST.COM

Posted: July 18, 2009 12:55 PM

Wow! My mother, whose dementia is getting slowly worse, has to have someone with her all the time at her summer home. My sister and I divided up the week, so she takes Monday through Thursdays, and I take Fridays through Sundays. Needless to say, that does away with church fellowship for 8 weeks. Also, like Stewart, she has problems. Without her realizing it, she has nasty sarcastic side to her, and by the end of the first weekend I felt like my T-shirts all had dart-boards stenciled on the back of them, and that they were filled with darts and daggers sticking out of them by the end of the weekend. Then I read your article. I intend printing a copy up and bringing it to Maine with me on the next weekend I have up there. According the God's Word, I can't throw her off a bridge, and I can't slander her. I love her, but not what she is. Stewart probably won't change for awhile, if at all. My mother isn't about to change either. I guess that means something has to change in me.

Richard Morgan

Posted: July 18, 2009 9:25 AM

A nice story, but incomplete to my mind.. Stewart would have spent much less time in detention if his teachers had "listened" to him and "heard" him. God hears our prayers and listens to our heart's needs. The words in our prayers are always inadequate - what a relief that a loving God listens to our hearts. Whe Stewart replied, ""Mr. O'Brien,guess what I did last night." he could have been saying any of the following, or something completely different. 1) I know I can never answer correctly, so I won't bother. I'll only be humiliated by being told I'm wrong again. 2) I need to talk about me and be heard. Why not now? 3) My personal needs and pains are so vast, Question 4 seems pathetically irrelevant. 4) If I get Mr O'Brien mad at me, at least I'll be keeping his attention. And so on... God always "hears" me perfectly. Perhaps we should be more God-like in our openness and listening. This way, we are firstly seeking Stewart's well-being, not our own comfort.

Dan	Posted: July 18, 2009 8:00 AM

A very well written article. As a pastor, it is sometimes hard to see the imago dei in congregants. One hopes to see them rise to the challenge of godliness, i.e., being like God but I am oft dissapointed. All too often believers cannot be trusted with even small responsibilities. Quick to gossip, ready to malign others but blind to one's own flaws they are confident in their own spirituality. Like the author I am often tempted to respond according to the behavior. If I do, I am doing the thing I find abhorrent. I am falling short of God's potential for my life. I think that the imago dei is an ill fitting garment we wear at present but which God, who is at work in our lives, wishes us to grow into.

Java	Posted: July 17, 2009 8:33 PM

Brandon, I enjoyed this piece. As an educator at a k-8 private school, I've found myself returning daily to Jesus' teaching on loving those that aren't my "best friends". Sure, children need discipline and consequences and guidance and structure, etc.; but, I've found that if I can somehow communicate that any discipline I have to issue is never a statement about my feelings for them as a person, I find I can make much more progress in my work with them. I don't always succeed, but I'm more convinced of this truth than ever as I work with both students and colleagues. If I am commanded to love my enemies--as Christ did/does towards us--how much more should I love those who are clearly not my enemies, but perhaps just rough around the edges, or who are struggling through other issues that they can't help but carry into the classroom or workplace. It is also significant (to me) that the early church seemed to be blatantly pacifist. May God give us His grace in this. God bless you.

Barb	Posted: July 17, 2009 7:10 PM


My impression was that Stewart's biggest need might have been to have someone to show they cared, listen to what he was trying to say and see if that might have helped him become more interested in learning.

Grace

Posted: July 17, 2009 4:24 PM


Thank you, Brandon, for this reminder of personal responsibility before God! It's so easy to get side-tracked and look at others' problems instead of realizing and dealing with my own.. I'm grateful the Lord refocuses my vision - today He used you!

Allan

Posted: July 17, 2009 4:23 PM

Because the church has been taught that God is only a God of love, we struggle with the true and full image of God. The wrath of God is not less important as His love, His judgments not less than His mercy, His chastisement and punishment not less than His blessing, His hatred of workers of iniquity not less than his longsuffering of the wicked, etc, etc. Therefore if we are made in His image and are being progressively transformed into His image by the Holy Spirit, then we too need to know, experience and express His righteous anger, righteous judgment, righteous hatred, as well as His righteous love, righteous mercy, righteous forgiveness, etc. If we don't then we serve a false image of God and Christ and thus fall into idolatry.

a question to dennis

Posted: July 17, 2009 3:51 PM


dennis why did you give the author only three stars, because he quite cleasrly was working very hard towards your point of view? So he does not have the knowledge you have, but remember, knowledge puffs up oneself while love builds up others. 1 Corinthians 8:1 "We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up."

dennis

Posted: July 17, 2009 3:42 PM

The late theologican, Stanley J. Grenz, wrote that "the divinely given image begins with his gracious gift of a special standing before the Creator...the divine image is ...a shared, corporate reality. It is fully present only as we live in...community" Thus, the imago dei is even seen in the profoundly disabled, the child born with only a brain stem and others who, alone can not pray, let alone speak.

Graham UK

Posted: July 17, 2009 3:14 PM


'righteous or despicable' - be careful when categorizing people my brother. It is behaviours we discern and the honesty in your writing shows how a mirror is held in front of us ALL. Force fitting Stewart into your ideal class environment was a strategic (or even tactical) error methinks! God bless our discernment always

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