In Front | Workbook: Dignity and the Image of God

Grab your Workbook Journal!

[Record your answers in the workbook provided at the beginning of this course.]

Charles Mack, an inner-city pastor in North Carolina, says it’s his job to reach inside everyone and help them see the image of God. This is every Christian’s job. We’re called to recognize and respect the image of God in ourselves and to help others do the same. 

A recent research project interviewed poor people all around the world to see what their needs were. The number one response, from one culture to the next, was not food or water or security, but dignity. These were people who were living on the streets, or living in slums. What these people were saying was, “I don’t need clothes first. I don’t need food first. I don’t believe in myself. I am ashamed.”

All of the work that charitable organizations do around the world is crucial, but if charity starts to chip away people’s dignity, if it fills them with shame, it’s counterproductive. As Christians, we’re called to bring the Word of God to people, but also to introduce them to one who can save them from shame, the Savior of their lost dignity—Jesus Christ.  

7. Recall a time in your life when someone helped you overcome shame. How did they help you recover your dignity, and what role did Jesus have in this?

8. What are some ways you can do this for someone else today, this week or this month?