W. Robert Godfrey: The Imago Dei, Human Dignity, and the Present Crisis

Christians have a message of dignity and hope to give to a watching world in times of crisis. In this conversation with Ligonier’s President, Chris Larson, Dr. W. Robert Godfrey discusses the lessons we can learn from Scripture and church history as we seek to honor the Lord in troubling times.
Questions
1.What lessons can we learn from Christians who have faced plagues and pandemics before us? (2:12)
2.How did some of the heroes of church history handle periods of plague and distress? (4:07)
3.What is the source of human dignity? (7:07)
4.Did Adam continue to bear God’s image after he fell into sin? (9:42)
5.Can people lose all of their dignity? (11:18)
6.What is the “cultural mandate” or the “creation mandate,” and to whom is it given? (12:15)
7.What do the Ten Commandments teach us about God’s concern for human dignity? (14:33)
8.What does it mean that God made “from one man every nation of mankind” (Acts 17:26)? (16:02)
9.What implications do human dignity and value have for abortion and euthanasia? (17:21)
10. Does the image of God provide justification for capital punishment? (18:52)
11. How does the image of God frame the way we think about human sexuality? (20:35)
12. Do men and women bear God’s image equally? (22:50)
13. Can Jesus be truly human even though He never sinned? (23:47)
14. What does God mean when He says, “I am making all things new” (Rev. 21:5)? (25:20)
This message is from Made in the Image of God, our special online event in 2020: • Made in the Image of G...

[@KaraboMasemola6408]

These are great time for us to know more of the word through these fought times

[@norbertjendruschj9121]

What the church can learn from former plagues? Prayers are no help, science is.

[@sabam473]

I cant help thinking of Sproul these days when i think of the pandemic and for some reason my mind tried to imagine the moment the first virus entered patient zero.. I know God could have stopped that one virus from entering that first human. Because as Sproul used to say a lot “There are no maverick molecules”.

[@dagwould]

But God is not a determinist. Remember, this is a fallen world and fallen world things happen in fallen worlds! God doesn't intervene in 'patient zero' (surely patient one?) just like he doesn't intervene in stopping death here. That's all on the journey to the new creation.

[@JamesLJesus]

"Our rescue from tears, death, sorrow, disease, and sickness are all wrapped up in the cross, resurrection and presence of Jesus Christ. The "pain, sorrow, tears" language is indicative of pre-redemptive sorrow. The pain and tears come from the lack of fellowship with God.
Let's take death:
This is speaking of spiritual death. Jesus was obviously talking about spiritually dead men burying a physically dead man in Matthew 8:21-22 and Luke 9:59-60, when "another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead." Here are other examples that refer to death as a relationship to God, as separation from God, which is nothing short of deadness in sin.
Romans 6:13, "Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God."
Ephesians 2:1,5, "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)."
Colossians 2:13, "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;"
1 Timothy 5:6, "But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth."
James 5:20, "Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."
The whole point of these passages is to explain that, "the body without the spirit is dead" (James 2:26). So, today, we are alive from the dead, because death is swallowed up through the fullness of the New Covenant.
Let's take pain and sickness. They are related. Here are two passages which clarify this:

Isaiah 33:24, "And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity."
What is defined as not being sick? Being forgiven of sin. In other words, if we are forgiven of our sin, then, according to Isaiah, we are not sick. What kind of sickness? Sin sickness. This is crucial. This is fulfilled through Christ forgiving us. He heals our diseases:

Isaiah 53:4-5, "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."
There, Isaiah says that Christ carried away (on Himself) our griefs and sorrows. He healed us with His stripes. So are we healed or sick?
"

[@JamesLJesus]

"Finally, sorrow:
Why would Jesus say things like, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full" (John 15:11; 16:22,24; 17:13)? Why would Paul say, "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Romans 14:17)? Why would John say, "And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full" (1 John 1:4)? Why would Luke quote David saying, "Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance" (Acts 2:28)? When Christ and the apostles talked about fullness, was it just a temporary fullness or was it the true fullness of Joy anticipated even by David?
Our joy is fullfilled in Christ, and I cannot see that Paul would command us to rejoice always if we are still under a sorrowful dispensation. And if the futurists are right, then covenantally we must still be under sorrow. Now, imagine that: We are under the new and better covenant and yet still under sorrow? Why would Paul, Peter ("joy unspeakable and full of glory"), Luke, John, and Jesus speak of this great joy that we can have in this life and then John turn around and testify of something entirely different that would not take place for thousands of years? The prophets associated joy and glad tidings through the coming of Messiah. But specifically, look at what scripture associates with the removal of sorrow:
Isaiah 35:10, "And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."
Isaiah 35 speaks about the promise of the manifestation of God among men, and the miracles which Christ should work are explicitly mentioned. Joy and gladness and fleeing sorrow are associated with "ransom." Christ said He came to ransom His people. Paul spoke of ransom, so did the writer of Hebrews. The prophets continue:
Isaiah 51:11, "Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away."
Notice what is associated with everlasting joy and gladness and fleeing sorrow: "redemption." And isn't it interesting that everlasting joy is included? Paul wrote:
Romans 15:10, "And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people."
Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice."
1 Thessalonians 5:16, "Rejoice evermore."
"Rejoice evermore." "Everlasting joy." I would sware that Paul understood Old Testament prophecy. Now, why would he command them to do something that would really not be a reality until thousands of years later? If anyone understood Old Testament Scripture and would never want to mislead his readers or fool them, it was Paul. Continuing from the Old Testament:

Isaiah 52:9, "Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem."
Notice what is associated with this breaking forth into joy: "Redemption." God's covenant is associated with life, joy, and peace:
Isaiah 55:3,12, "Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."
Now, we both know that Revelation 21 takes from Isaiah 65. And most futurists would interpret these verses as still future. However, notice that Isaiah associates not hungering or thirsting with joy (Isaiah 65:13-19). Jesus did too:
John 6:35,47,51,58, "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever."
No more hunger. No more thirst? How? Through faith in Jesus Christ and everlasting life. This reminds me of Revelation:

Revelation 7:16-17, "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."
Revelation (written by John) associates no more hunger and no more thirst with living waters and no more tears. Jesus said:

John 4:10, "Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water."
Was Jesus saying He would give it to her two thousand years later?

John 4:14, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."
Jesus, Isaiah, and Ezekiel all explain this water to be the Holy Spirit:
John 7:37-39, "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified)."
Isaiah 44:3, "For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:"
Ezekiel 36:25-27, "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean...and a new spirit will I put within you...And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them."
Isaiah, speaking about the new jerusalem, related joy with Jerusalem:
Isaiah 65:18, "But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy."
The writer of Hebrews says:
Hebrews 12:22-23, "But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,"
The writer of Hebrews did not write that they "will come" to the heavenly Jerusalem two thousand years later. He wrote that they had come. And yet Isaiah relates this to joy. How many prophetic joys are there? How many prophetic Jerusalems are there? Well, according to Galatians, there are two:

Galatians 4:25-26, "For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all."
And we are now living in the Heavenly Jerusalem!"

[@dennisbartram1607]

JamesLJesus has m