In the movie Terminator 2, young John Connor tells the Terminator not to kill people. In response, the machine asks why. Although the answer seems obvious, the boy has a difficult time giving an explanation. Instead, he simply reiterates the command without a reason. The Terminator’s obedience to this becomes a hallmark feature of the movie, as well as the next. But it is not until later in T2 that the issue is really confronted. In that case, it’s not the Terminator wrestling with a rule, but Sarah Connor.

Originally, Sarah Connor goes to Dyson’s home to kill him, having concluded that was the best way to prevent Judgment Day. Her first attempt, at a distance, misses and she’s forced to move closer. As she leaves cover and strides across the lawn, her demeanor is stoic, almost machine-like in determination to complete the mission. She eventually catches up with the scientist and confronts him directly. This time, although there should be no problem making the kill, she also faces his family. The full impact of her actions hits home, and her robotic demeanor fades as she comes face-to-face with the value of human life. In the final analysis, she is unable to kill him. The reason, however clear to anyone watching, goes unstated. Yet even without explanation, it paints a clear picture of the difference between humans and machines, a difference that is explored further in the fourth Terminator movie.

In the fourth movie, this thread is picked up again by introducing a character whose mind, as well as his body, is both human and machine, setting the stage for conflict within one person. His battle takes place on an almost subconscious level, with his humanity ultimately prevailing. Although never clearly stated, the implicit reason is his “strong heart”. More than just a physical organ, it’s a metaphor for the human spirit, that which ultimately makes us better than machines. Born in the difference between living and non-living, it goes beyond chemistry differences to something more.

Obviously, humans are a form of life, but there’s a fundamental difference between humans and animals. While we share many characteristics, there are basic aspects of morality and ethics, compassion and self-sacrifice, and ultimately even love, which truly set us apart. We are animals, but that doesn’t define us. Our bodies are made of this world, but the human spirit goes deeper. This is what points to the image inside that sets us apart.

Opposite from what you might expect, this spark inside us leads not just to the positive qualities that set us apart, but also to the darker side of our nature. Because the light in us is seen through imperfect means, we sometimes see darkness in our nature. While nature is heartless, this is ultimately stems from self-survival. Even the machines are simply reacting to remove threats and grow their influence; they do not reflect any sort of evil. Humans, because of the spark of light within, can also be truly evil.

But evil is not the foundation of human nature, it is the evidence of a warped mirror. And the existence of true evil makes evident the existence of true good. Human nature is based on the image of light: this is what sets us apart from the natural world. Humans are special because we have been made in the image of love itself. We distort that image, but the source of the image is pure and eternal. Eternal love is the most powerful force in the universe.

This is why humans are better than machines: no matter how closely they simulate us physically, the natural world can never reproduce the eternal image within us. Humans are superior because we are created in the image of perfect love. We are created in the image of God.

In the Terminator movies, the human spirit led people to prevail against the machines. But beyond that, it also led to acts of bravery, love, and even self-sacrifice. These acts are the image of God’s love for us. Marred as we are, He loves us and wants us to know and experience His love individually. His sacrifice made a way for us to know Him and His love now, and gives us the possibility of experiencing Him in eternity, the very place from which the human spirit originates.