Regaining God’s Image

Many people struggle to trust the Bible because of the constant reinforcement of evolutionary ideas through modern education, catchy news articles, and popular entertainment.

Reminiscent of the bygone days when sideshow storytellers flogged tales of Lycanthropes, Lion Men, and missing links, many of today’s journalists won’t miss a chance to give an evolutionary shout out or spin to a story.

Cry Werewolf

For example, a pop science news article titled “Scientists Move Closer to Finding ‘Werewolf’ Gene” describes a family in Mexico with hair all over their face (similar to Julia Pastrani, Krao Farini, and others with similar conditions who were exploited as animal-human hybrids in the past).

Though they acknowledge that this Mexican family’s condition is the result of a mutated gene, they also referred to it as a leftover trait from our alleged ape ancestry. In the article’s own words, the werewolf condition “comes from an aberrant gene that runs through their large family, perhaps after reawakening from a long sleep during human evolution.”1

Just like the carny hucksters of yesteryear, this intellectual sleight of hand slips evolutionary interpretations among observational fact, despite genetic mutations leading to dysfunction, not evolution. The mutation changed the family’s amount of hairiness by damaging the genes controlling hair growth and distribution.

Consequences of Ideas

Evolutionist’s disregard for the Bible’s history and sanctity of life has been devastating.

Racist ideology; lack of compassion for the elderly, infirm, and unborn (all considered “less fit”); and dissolution of traditional marriage, family, and human identity all result from an evolutionary interpretation of human anthropology.

Like Dr. Jekyll’s counterpart, Mr. Hyde, humanity has grown comfortable seeing mankind as a civilized animal with bestial roots that resurface far too frequently.

Behaving like Animals

Popular portrayals of werewolves and man beasts were cinematized with the release of Universal Pictures’ The Wolf Man in 1941, starring the iconic Lon Chaney and Bela Lugosi, but the term Lycanthrope—a synonym for werewolf—originated in Greek mythology: Zeus punished the cruel tyrant Lycaon with a “werewolf” curse.

Modern psychiatrists clinical Lycanthropy a rare form of schizophrenia which causes victims to alter their behavior in accordance with their delusion, but of course, they don’t actually suffer the physical manifestations of looking like a wolf (or any other animal, though modern medicine has recorded people who sincerely thought they had become animals).

Daniel 4 records how the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar fell under a similar delusion because of God’s judgement on his pride. Nebuchadnezzar suffered what we might today call a mental breakdown:

That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws. (Daniel 4:31–33)

Although more like a cow than a wolf, he behaved like an animal for quite some time before he came to his senses and declared,

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down. (Daniel 4:37)

The moral is this: Whether by divine judgement, a medical malady, or manipulation of men, people who are convinced that they are nothing but animals tend to act as such and treat others accordingly. Our world desperately needs to understand that all human life is precious, specially created by God.

Regaining God’s Image

Scripture records a fascinating political skirmish between Jesus and the Jewish lawyers of his day who had concocted a plot designed to force Him into a no-win scenario of public disrepute. It didn’t go well for them:

Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.

Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away. (Mathew 6:15–22)

Christ’s question speaks volumes on the importance of human image:

God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)

From whom did God create all men?

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth. (Acts 17:26)

One man: Adam. Only the descendants of Adam can be saved by their kinsmen redeemer, Jesus Christ. Physical appearance isn’t a factor.

Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as a man sees: man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

There is only one race—the human race. There is no reason for anyone to think of someone else as worth less than another person, for God himself shows no partiality (Romans 2:11). Everyone, regardless of physical appearance, intelligence, or status among men, bear the image of God.

Julia Pastrani. Krao Farini. The Herero. Neanderthals. The Nazi’s. Me. And you.

All people are image bearers and as such have inherent value and worth—not because of their own goodness or merit, but because of the One who made them all. And we should all render unto God the things that are God’s.

However, all of us have suffered under the same burden—the crushing weight of our sin that separates us from Creator. And that sin came into the world when our first father, Adam, rebelled against God. In Adam, we all willingly sin as well, violating God’s righteous law. We did not render to God the glory He deserves.

We’ve lied, stolen, blasphemed God’s name, cursed mothers and fathers, coveted, lusted, and in some cases mistreated and murdered. We have not reflected the goodness of the One who gave us life and breath, and we can never understand the suffering Christ endured on our behalf to provide our salvation.

Jesus willingly suffered more indignity, shame, and physical abuse than any sideshow performer ever has. The Roman soldiers beat him, clubbed with a wooden staff, tore out his beard, flogged him with a jagged whip, punctured his skull with a crown of thorns, and crucified him on a cross.

The Messiah was beaten beyond human recognition, de-humanized into a freakshow that horrified those who beheld Him.

As many were astonished at you—his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind. (Isaiah 52:14)

But three days later, he rose from the grave in a glorified body, triumphant over sin and death. His victory is why Christians have the blessed hope that no matter what happens to us in this life, we will someday share in his resurrection.

Do we bear Adam’s marred visage, standing guilty before God by breaking the moral law he has written on our hearts?

Or do we stand clothed in the imputed righteousness of Christ, bearing the image of the Last Adam who has paid the penalty of sin and death for those who have trusted in Him as Savior?

He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:15–20)