What does it mean to be made in the image of God? Genesis 1:26–28 teaches that human beings bear God’s image and have a responsibility to represent him in the world. In the Christian understanding explored in this passage, your worth begins with God’s creative intention. It does not rise and fall with your productivity.
That is a timely question when so much of life is measured by output. We can compare our achievements, fill every hour, and wonder whether we are doing enough to matter. New technology can sharpen the question: if a machine can perform a task I once felt proud of, what makes my life valuable?
Pastor Jorge Solorzano’s message, “What Makes Us Human,” turns to Genesis for an answer. It follows three themes: bearing God’s image, finding rest in him, and being restored through Christ.
Your value begins before your achievements
Genesis 1 presents God creating humanity in his image, blessing human beings, and giving them responsibility within creation. The account includes both male and female in that declaration.
The order matters in the sermon. God identifies the goodness of what he has made before the first people build a record of accomplishments. Their value begins with the one who created them.
That gives us a different starting point for a working day. You can take your responsibilities seriously without asking your performance to prove that you deserve to exist. A successful week does not create your human dignity. A disappointing week does not erase it.
Think about the standard you use when you speak to yourself. If you make a mistake, do you describe something you need to address, or do you decide that you are worthless? Those statements are very different. The first can lead toward responsibility and growth. The second forgets the dignity Genesis gives to human life.
Bearing God’s image changes how we treat people
The sermon explains the image of God in terms of representing and resembling him. Human beings belong to God and are called to reflect his character in the life they share.
This has implications for how we view other people. The person who needs more time, the older relative who can no longer do what they once did, and the person whose abilities differ from ours still carry human dignity. Their value is not determined by how useful they are to us.
Begin with an ordinary interaction. Give someone time to finish a thought. Include a person who is easily overlooked. Speak respectfully when you disagree. Offer help in a way that preserves the other person’s agency and dignity.
These actions may look small, but they make a belief visible. If people bear God’s image, the way we address them, listen to them, and respond to their needs matters. It is worth asking whether our behavior reflects the worth we say they possess.
We are made for relationship
Another theme in the message is our need for relationship with God and with one another. Pastor Jorge connects this with Christian belief in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and with the relational life described in Genesis.
For us, this means making room to know people and be known. Useful tools can support communication, organize information, or help us complete a task. A human relationship also involves presence, responsibility, shared experience, and the willingness to care over time.
If your week is full of messages but short on meaningful connection, consider one conversation you could make room for. Ask someone how they are doing and stay long enough to hear the answer. Let a trusted person know what has been difficult for you. Join a setting where people can learn your name and see you regularly.
At Axis, community gatherings and Circles provide ways to explore that shared life while growing in faith. You can begin with one relationship rather than expecting to feel connected to everyone at once.
Ordinary work can carry meaningful purpose
Genesis gives human beings responsibility within creation. The sermon also points to Genesis 2:15, where the man is placed in the garden to work and care for it. Work appears within God’s good purposes for human life.
Pastor Jorge applies this to everyday responsibilities: teaching, fixing something, building a business, or raising a child. The question becomes how we carry out the work entrusted to us. Does it reflect care, honesty, patience, and responsibility?
This can change a task that feels insignificant. Preparing something carefully for another person, keeping your word, or doing a job with integrity can express love for God and neighbor.
There is an important balance here. Your work can have meaning without becoming the source of your worth. You can do it wholeheartedly and still acknowledge your limits. When something goes wrong, you can learn, apologize where needed, and try again without treating the failure as the final word about who you are.
Rest helps us remember we are more than our output
Genesis 2:1–3 describes God completing his work and setting apart the seventh day. The sermon draws attention to the place of rest in the creation account and invites listeners to receive time with God as a gift.
That can be challenging if being busy has become the main way you reassure yourself that you matter. Pausing may expose how much pressure you have placed on constant activity.
Start with a manageable space in your day. Put aside another task, read a short passage of Scripture, and speak honestly to God. Notice what you are carrying. Give thanks for something you received. Ask for help with the responsibilities ahead.
This practice is an invitation to attend to God. You do not have to turn it into another performance to evaluate. Alongside appropriate physical rest, quiet attention can help you remember the relationship from which your Christian life grows.
What about the parts of us that need restoration?
Recognizing human dignity does not mean ignoring sin, harm, or failure. The message acknowledges the brokenness in human life and turns to Colossians 1:15–17, which presents Jesus as the image of the invisible God.
The Christian hope described in the sermon is that Christ restores people. We can acknowledge what needs to change while continuing to believe that God’s image has not been erased from us. Repentance and trust in Jesus open a direction for growth.
This week, consider three questions: Where am I measuring my worth only by output? Who needs to receive greater care and respect from me? What would it look like to bring one part of my life honestly to Jesus?
You are welcome to explore those questions with Axis Church. Plan a Sunday visit in Severn, or watch the full message, “What Makes Us Human.”