The dignity with which you live your life is in your own power. It is based on your personal ‘nobility’ and your nobility is, in turn, based on your origins and the degree to which you embrace them.

I want you to discover the awesome significance of your personal nobility and to live it to the full. So allow me to open up this subject with you here. I will doubtless wax lyrical about it in the future, so consider this post as the primer for future explorations.

The starting point of true nobility is the fact that – Man is made in God’s Image. That is man’s source of true Nobility.

I use the Latin term, Imago Dei, which means “in God’s image”. This term is anchored in the first chapter of the Bible, Genesis 1:27 – the historical account of God making mankind in His own image. This fact, that mankind is made in God’s image – ‘Imago Dei’ – gives unique definition to humankind. We differ from all other creatures because, we, like no other creature, are made in the image of God. We have something of the divine about us, indicating our natural potential and our spiritual responsibility.

So now, let me take you again to the notion of ‘nobility’. Dictionary definitions speak of nobility as: privileged birth or rank, thus a quality inherited or conferred, based on prominence or some elite status, such as being rare or of exceptional excellence. Nobility also speaks of the character qualities appropriate to one who is of high rank or station, involving elevation of mind and exaltation of character, ideals or conduct.

Allow me to cut through the clutter of concepts again and state simply that “Man is made in God’s image, so mankind has a special nobility conferred on it.”

That’s the theoretical basis for my discussion on nobility. Now let me take that notion of nobility, based on our being ‘imago dei’, and apply it to the way we choose to live.

Let me tell you where I am going. Mankind has been created for special relationship with God and special status within the whole created realm. That special place is our true nobility. We can only attain to the highest expression of that nobility when we pursue our obedience to God, worship of God and experience of God. When we choose to downplay our “god-ness”, the truth of ‘imago dei’, we also downplay or degrade our nobility.

In the extreme, a person who sees themself as nothing more than an evolved super-slime has lost all sense for true nobility. That person will live a degraded life, far below the nobility for which they were created. They will live like an animal, not like God. They will become slave to human appetites, instead of serving divine destiny.

Nobility, then, springs from our place of personal privilege. To be created in the image of God is an elevated status that confers impressive nobility upon us. However, if we choose to abandon our status and live like a slave or an animal, we also abandon our nobility. My call to you is that you embrace the awesome reality of your created status, as imago dei, and live in the full force of the nobility that is yours.

I want to tease this insight out further with you, so look out for further posts on the topic of nobility in the next week or so.