Two Dreams, One Message: The Image of God and our Human Dignity
Welcome back, My Fidus Achates.
Last night, 7th October 2024, I had two dreams — different in setting but woven together by one divine message. Both reminded me that the very foundations of morality, human dignity, and freedom are inseparable from the Word of God.
Read along as I write on!
The First Dream: The Cold Crowd and the Forgotten Foundation
In the first dream, I found myself standing before a massive field here in the UK. The field was filled with young people — energetic, curious, yet strangely distant. A large stage had been set up for what seemed like a youth gathering or a crusade, and I had been invited to preach.
As I climbed onto the stage, I felt an overwhelming chill. The air was cold, but so were the faces before me — blank, unmoved, and indifferent. I began to speak, but it felt as though my words were falling to the ground. Then, something changed. I spoke with conviction, declaring,
“Even the dead make louder noise than this! Ask your Neighbour ‘are you dead or alive’?”
The crowd erupted in laughter and smiles, the ice melting from their hearts. As they responded, I began to preach freely and boldly.
I proclaimed that the very foundation of human dignity and morality is rooted in Scripture — that the Bible is not just a religious text, but the bedrock upon which our sense of right and wrong, justice and mercy, freedom and equality all stand.
“The Bible”, I said, “is the foundation of our concept of right and freedom. We speak of human rights and equality today only because those truths first found voice in Scripture.”
Just as I uttered those words, I woke up. It was around midnight. I prayed briefly, studied for some time, then went back to bed around half past four in the morning. Before falling asleep, I whispered half-playfully, “Lord, let me continue that dream.”
The Second Dream: A Question About the Image of God
When I fell asleep again, God answered — not with a continuation of the same dream, but with a new one that carried the same heartbeat. In this second dream, I was in an office, speaking to a woman who worked for the National Rail Service. After she answered an inquiry of mine, she turned and asked me a question:
“What does it mean when we say God created us in His image?”
I smiled and began to explain. I told her that theologians use the term Imago Dei — Latin for “the image of God” — to describe what Genesis 1:26–27 declares:
“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.’ … So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:26–27, NIV)
The Hebrew word Adam doesn’t refer only to a male individual, but to humanity as a whole — both male and female. This means that the divine image is not confined to one gender, race, or class, but shared by all humanity.
But what does it mean to bear God’s image?
Scripture tells us that “God is not a man, that He should lie” (Numbers 23:19), and that “God is Spirit” (John 4:24). So the image of God is not about physical resemblance. When the Bible speaks of God’s “hand”, God’s “finger”, or “eyes”, those are anthropomorphic expressions describing divine realities. By attributing human qualities to God, it becomes easier for us to understand the various divine functions associated with those attributes.
To be made in God’s image means to share in His nature — His will, moral capacity, relational love, and creative power. God created us as beings with moral choice, capable of love, justice, and imagination. Just as He willed creation into being, He gave us will and creativity to build, discover, and shape the world He entrusted to us.
The Bible’s Enduring Moral Influence
These two dreams—one public, one personal—converge on a profound truth: that the moral and ethical framework of our world has been shaped by Scripture, whether people recognise it or not.
Before the moral light of the gospel reached the world, ancient societies were often harshly patriarchal and unjust. The idea that every person bears God’s image was revolutionary. It dismantled hierarchies of worth and declared equal dignity for all.
When Jesus said, “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Matthew 22:39), He was redefining the moral order. When Paul wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28), he introduced a radical equality that the world had never seen before.
As historian Tom Holland argues, even modern secular humanism inherits its moral framework from Christianity [1]. Our ideas of justice, compassion, and human rights are echoes of the gospel’s transforming message.
Created to Reflect and Create
Genesis 2:2 tells us that God rested only after creating humanity. It’s as if creation wasn’t complete until His image was reflected in human form. Because we are made in His image, we are also called to create — to innovate, to build, to love, and to pursue truth.
The scientist Johannes Kepler once said he was merely “thinking God’s thoughts after Him [2].” That’s what it means to bear the divine image: to reflect God’s nature through our creativity, morality, and relationships.
The Message of the Two Dreams
The two dreams convey a single voice from God: Do not forget the foundation. The Bible is not a relic of the past — it is the source from which our moral rivers flow. Even in a modern world that often denies its Creator, the fingerprints of God remain on our laws, our compassion, our pursuit of justice, and our conscience.
Jesus Himself warned against empty religion, saying, “The letter kills, but the Spirit provides life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). His gospel is not about tradition but transformation.
Whether through a cold crowd on a field or a quiet conversation in an office, God was saying the same thing:
Remember who you are — and whose image you bear. Anytime you say “I am” before you mention your name, you are simply echoing and pointing to the magnificent rock from whom you were hewn.
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References
Comments:
Eunice Naa Acquaye
Remember who you are — and whose image you bear. What a word…God bless you Sir and thanks for sharing.
Dede Quarshie
Inspiring and insightful to read.
Thanks Odiii!
Kate
Thank you for availing yourself for God to speak through you to human kind. God bless you.