IMAGO DEISample

IMAGO DEI: Created to Connect

Scripture Focus:

“So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.”
— Genesis 1:27

In the past, the word toxic was rarely used outside of describing something poisonous, something that could destroy or lead to death. Today, this is a culturally loaded but more loosely held term; it’s a word we often attach to people and relationships: toxic friendships, toxic families, toxic workplaces.

But here’s a thought:
If we, as sinful and imperfect people, find our relationships with other equally sinful people toxic, then how much more would a perfect, holy, and pure God find a relationship with us toxic?
And yet, He chooses to relate to us. Why?

Because God in His very essence is relational — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The “Trinitarian Dance” is a metaphor rooted in the theological concept of perichoresis, a Greek term meaning “to give way,”“to make room,” or, as it sounds, “to dance around.”
It describes the eternal, loving, self-giving relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — a beautiful dance of unity, mutual honour, and joy. Each person of the Trinity perfectly indwells and relates to the others without losing His distinctness. Our God is Trinitarian — three Persons, one nature — in a seamless, perfect relationship. We are created in His image, and this divine interconnectedness forms the model for true community and healthy human relationships.

God’s Relational pursuit Revealed throughout Scripture… (Read More)

From creation to consummation, God reveals Himself as relentlessly relational:

• Creation: God made man in His image and communed with them in the garden.
• The Fall: Even after they sinned, God sought Adam and Eve —“Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9).
• At the Cross: Jesus turned to the thief and said, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43).
• At the Resurrection: “As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them.” (Luke 24:15).
• At Consummation: “I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:3).

From beginning to end, God calls us into relationship with Himself — a relationship that unites people of every tribe and nation in worship and love. Therefore, we are called to mirror that relational harmony in our dealings with others.

If we believe that we are created and bear the image of a relational God, we cannot continue to label our relationships as toxic and stop there. Instead, we are called to redeem our relationships — to let them reflect the character and love of God Himself.

No longer toxic relationships,
but God-reflecting relationships.

Reflect:

·In what ways have I allowed the term “toxic” to define or limit how I relate to others?

·How can I reflect God’s relational nature in a difficult relationship right now?

·What would it look like for my friendships, family, or workplace connections to become God-reflecting?