What exactly does being created in the image of God (imago dei) mean for us as humans today?
Of course, it means a lot of things. And a complete answer might take a book! But considering knowledge for a bit... how does knowing things make us better pictures of God's image?
As men and women we have the ability to think and reason-- to know and to want to know more. We desire to understand the world we live in, the ends and means and purposes of things, and the big "why" questions of reality. Children sometimes best demonstrate this by constantly asking "why" for seemingly every single action. This is a natural human desire that is a reflection of the God-like nature within us. God is reason and knowledge and philosophy and wisdom. He refers to Himself as true being or the great I AM, and his sovereignty reflects His presence in reality.
The pagan Greek philosopher Aristotle recognizes this truth. "The good life" according to Aristotle, is accomplished when man has the ability to pursue the "higher things." Man must have the time to live a life of contemplation in the truths of wisdom and philosophy. This kind of life is what makes us most divine which in turn, makes us most human.
Why then must we learn? Why is it good to read and write, to know history, and how to add and subtract? Because it makes us more human. We would acknowledge that both the literate and the illiterate individual are both human. But one is definitely more "human" than the other. One is using the God-like facilities inherent within him more effectively than the other. Thus by exercising the God-given tools that most resemble Him, we become better conformed to not only reality on earth, but true being in Him. We become more of who we were created to become. More God-like and thus more human.
Might there be a way of life that helps us become fine tune our instincts to true reality? If so, how? I think education is one of the best ways we can pursue this kind of life.
Not just any education, but a very specific type known as liberal education...
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To be truly human (which none of us will ever be in this life) is to be divine. In the here and now (you know...the metaxy and all that), we imitate the divine life insofar as we can.
"The free life is to the servile as the life of the gods (the living stars) is to that of terrestrial creatures. This is so not because the truly free man 'does what he likes', but because he imitates, so far as a mortal can, the flawless and patterned regularity of the heavenly beings, like them not doing what he likes but being what he is, being fully human as they are divine, and fully human by likeness to them. For the crown of life...is not 'being mortal, to think mortal thoughts' but rather 'to immortalise as much as possible' and by all means to live according to the highest element within oneself." -- C.S. Lewis, Studies in Words
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