The image of God in humanity is an essential part of the gospel – especially in a world that wants to reduce the level of human life to that of an evolved form of animal existence.
The gospel must have a high doctrine of man. It must know who man is/was created to be. It must know the heights from which he/she has fallen. It must know it’s utter helplessness – it’s powerlessness to save, to raise itself up. It must know it needs a Saviour, a Saviour who is God and Man. It must know God’s ultimate intention in redemption and restoration.
Such a gospel is able to look at the lost, however broken, and see something otherwise lost to human sight. To look beyond the fallenness, the brokenness, and see someone made in the image of God, by God, for God. Such a gospel is able to reach right down to such a man/woman and lift them from the mire, the depths, the depravity of their sin. Such a gospel remakes and renews humanity after the image of it’s creator. It reconnects him and her to the One with whom we were made to share and engage in life. It enlightens and enables him and her to live again and engage with God in seeing his kingdom come and his will being done.
It sees a man, saves a man, raises a man, makes and man, equips a man and sends a man! (man=men and women)
The Word 4 Life 