Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Religions
Abstract
Scholars have connected Calvin’s idea of the imago Dei with the modern concept of inherent human dignity. Others have emphasized how Calvin tried to use the image of God to promote the significance of human dignity without connecting it with political theories. These arguments may be justifiable to some extent. However, my concern is that these scholars focus on the image of God in others rather than on how it transforms individuals who live out its renewal. For Calvin, the restoration of the image of God by the Holy Spirit aimed at enabling a holy and righteous life. In his thought, this life was marked by visible excellence, reflected in social virtues expressed toward others. Based on these insights, I show that, according to Calvin, treating others with dignity, honor, and love is not only made possible by recognizing them as bearers of God’s image but is primarily driven by the renewal of God’s image within those who display these actions and attitudes through the work of the Spirit. This fresh perspective on Calvin’s doctrine of the image of God and human dignity can be presented by analyzing Calvin’s pneumatological account of the imago Dei.
First Page
1
Last Page
12
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101162
Publication Date
9-25-2024
Recommended Citation
Ha, Sam Neulsaem, "Because of Who We Are: A Fresh Perspective on Calvin’s Doctrine of the Image of God and Human Dignity" (2024). University Faculty Publications and Creative Works. 734.
https://digitalcommons.calvin.edu/calvin_facultypubs/734
Comments
Copyright: © 2024 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).