In Christ’s incarnation all of humanity regains the dignity of bearing the image of God. Whoever from now on attacks the least of the people attacks Christ, who took on human form and who in himself has restored the image of God for all who bear a human countenance.

This approach to Christ’s restoration of the image of God in humanity does important theological and ethical work. It shifts the foundation for claims about the worth or dignity of humanity from what might be a shaky, damaged imago dei to a sturdier, restored imago Christi. Human life is dignified not just because of what it once was, or was long ago intended to be, but because of what God has done in Christ to reclaim it.

The church or Christians are not different in moral status before God, as if only those who are in the church or are actually making moral progress in conforming to the image of Christ are viewed as worthy human beings. The church is instead that community that goes ahead of the rest of humanity in seeing realities that others do not yet see and behaving accordingly.

One of these realities is that human dignity and worth have been restored in the saving work of Christ. So the church must be determined to treat all human beings with a dignity proper to what God has done on humanity’s behalf in Jesus Christ.