Each year, two important days fall within a week of each other: Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. Both are important occasions for us to draw out the implications of the Gospel for the broken world in which we live. After all, a Christian understanding of racial justice and Christian advocacy for the unborn both arise from a common theological root: the imago Dei (the image of God).
The Bible affirms that all human life is sacred because each human being is created in the image of God (imago Dei). We have dignity, worth, and value because God Himself has placed His image upon us all regardless of race, ethnicity, color, sex, age, size, ability, or stage of development. All human life, without exception, from beginning to end, is equally and infinitely valuable as it bears the image of God.
The imago Dei provides a bedrock theological foundation for pursuing real racial reconciliation and true biblical justice. The imago Dei also provides a bedrock theological foundation for protecting the life of the unborn. Both are issues of sanctity, for we are called to honor all human life as sacred. And both are issues of justice, for we are called to speak up for those whose voices aren’t being heard. Christians have long been at the forefront of advocacy for justice and life because of our commitment to the imago Dei. From D. L. Moody’s work with street kids in “Little Hell” to our Hope for Kids partners today, The Moody Church is committed to honoring the image of God in all people.
Because we are loved, more than we know!
