The Face of God in Every Soul: Mercy Rooted in the Image of God (serm 10)
Dr. Randall Keaton- - 7/2/2025
Ministry: Men's Ministry
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What if I told you that the way you see others could change everything? Not just how you treat
people, but how you live, how you love, how you serve. Scripture tells us in Ephesians 4:24 to
put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. That one
verse opens the door to one of the most powerful truths in all of scripture.
Every human being bears the image of God. This isn't just a religious idea. It's the very
foundation for justice, mercy, and compassion in a broken world. Because when you realize that
every man, every woman, every child, rich or poor, seen or forgotten, is made in the image of
God, you can no longer look away. You can no longer walk past the wounded. You can no
longer ignore the cries of the vulnerable. You can no longer withhold mercy.
Genesis 1:27 says it clearly: So God created man in his own image. The truth alone gives every
person unmatched worth whether they live in a palace or on a sidewalk. Whether they speak
your language or come from a land you'll never visit. The image of God is stamped into every
soul and that changes everything.
It means mercy is not optional. Justice is not a side project. Compassion is not reserved for
saints or heroes. It is the rightful response of anyone who sees God in the face of their neighbor.
So what is the image of God, really? The Bible doesn't spell out the mechanics, but we can see
its fingerprints. It shows up in our capacity to reason, in our ability to choose, in our hunger for
justice and our ability to love. We reflect the character of our creator in ways that no angel or
animal can.
That's why the broken deserve restoration. That's why the poor deserve dignity. That's why the
outcast deserves to be embraced—because behind every set of human eyes is a soul that
mirrors the divine.
The image of God means that human life is sacred. Not because of what someone has done,
but because of who made them.
And here's where the gospel takes it even deeper: Not only are we made in God's image, but
through Christ, that image can be renewed. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "If any man be in Christ, he
is a new creature." The broken can be restored. The sinful can be made new. The rejected can
be welcomed as sons and daughters of God.
But even for those who have not yet believed, even those far from the gospel, scripture calls us
to honor the divine likeness they carry. Their pain still matters. Their story still counts. Their life
is still precious.
That's why mercy matters. That's why justice matters. Because every person is a mirror of the
Maker.
And here's the calling for the church: to let our theology of the image of God shape our mission.
We don't serve the poor out of pity. We don't seek justice to feel righteous. We act because we
see God's fingerprint on every human soul.
Mercy becomes our ministry—not just to the spirit