Man Created in the Image of God

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:26-27) “Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.” (James 3:9)

What does it mean that man was created in the image of God? This is a very difficult question because we know that God displays all the attributes that make Him Creator, Sustainer and Omnipotent of all the Universe. How then can man be created in God’s image or likeness?  How is man like God?  God created man and animals on the same day. “And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air;” (Genesis 2:19a)  “And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground”(Genesis 2:7a) Man and animals share many physical features, (heart, lungs, eyes, brain, etc.) Our bodies are made out of the same matter that are found in the earth and we very much identify with this earth, like the animals. We both get our physical nourishment and life on this earth. Man, and animals share many characteristics, However, there are many incredible differences that show us how we are created in God’s image, His likeness. We see the beginning of what separates us from the animals.

• Man Becomes A Living Soul: “And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”(Genesis 2:7) God did not breath into the nostrils of the animals, but He did man. It was not oxygen that God breathed into man, but His Spirit. Man became a living soul when God breathed into his nostrils. Man was no longer just a physical body but had a spirit essence. The statement, “and man became a living soul.” Could be translated from the Hebrew as, “and man became a life with a life.” Man became a physical life form like the animals but had an additional life. A soul, a spirit. So, man is made up of body and soul. Having been created in the image of God is to resemble God. Adam did not resemble God in the flesh.  “God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.”(John 4:24) Adam’s body did mirror the life of God because he was created in perfect health and was not subject to death. The image of God refers to the immaterial part of man, and this is what sets man apart from the animal world. The “spirit” or soul essence of man is what enable him to commune with God. It is a likeness, mentally, morally and socially. Mentally, man was created rational, a free agent who can reason and chose. This is similar to God’s intellect and freedom. Morally, man was created in righteousness and with perfect innocence which reflects God’s Holiness. God called all that He had made, “Very Good,”(Genesis1:31) Our conscience and morality is a vestige of our original state. When a person writes a law, or rejects evil, praises good behavior or is remorse over evil we show evidence of being created in God’s image. Socially, we see that Adams first, primary relationship was with God. Not Eve, but God.  God made Eve for Adam because, “it is not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18)  When we marry, or make a friend, or show affection, or pray to God, or read His Word, desiring fellowship with God, we show evidence of being created in God’s image.  Man has rational intelligence: Man can reason, communicate, and create in ways that allow him to understand what God chooses for man to know about Himself and allows us to communicate with God through the privilege of prayer. “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;” (I Peter 1:13) Man has a will and power to chose: Man is a free moral being. He is able to chose alternatives and can decide which he wants to follow or pursue.  Man is therefore accountable unto God to make decisions that are in accordance to God’s Law and instruction for him. We will see more on this in following posts. “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15) Some examples of how man is created in God’s likeness include the following:

• Man has Emotions: Man can know joy, love, hatred, anger, sorrow and other emotions. These same emotions are seen in God’s nature throughout the Bible, yet without sin. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,” (Galatians 5:12) Man has the capacity to evidence the fruits of the spirit demonstrating once again how he is created in the image or likeness of God who personifies the fruits of the Spirit. Man also has a conscience: Man intuitively knows right from wrong and has the inherent sense of guilt when doing wrong . He also has a sense of approval when doing right.  “Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and [their] thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;” (Romans 2:15)

• Man has a Spirit Nature, a soul: Man has the opportunity to be with God in eternity apart from this earthy existance. “Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?” (Ecclesiastes 3:21) “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” (Ecclesiastes 12:7) Man has an idea of another realm of existence that resides outside of this universe.

• Language: Only mankind can communicate through verbal speech and writing. The complexity of speech with delicate movements of palate and tongue, along with information concerning vocabulary, syntax, phonetics, grammar, rhythm patterns and in notation set man apart from the animal word. The fact that man is able to understand and communicate information is an attribute shared with God. To underline the importance of communication God sent His Son into the world as the Word, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”( John 1:1) Christ himself, personifies the most important communication man can receive from God. And the most important information man can communicate to his fellow man is the Lord Jesus Christ and his work before the foundation of the world, prior to time as we know it and can understand time.

• Creativity: God is the creator of the universe. God created man and woman and told them to procreate. “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:28) God gave man the ability to procreate new beings in His image. “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat [a son] in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:”(Genesis 5:3) Mankind has the ability to create biologically and materially, whether through art, music or works of engineering (bridges, machines, aircraft, etc.)

• Love: God is love. “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” (I John 4:16) God’s love for man is incomprehensible. Man has the capacity to love, and this reflects God’s image in man.

• Immortality: “The eternal God [is thy] refuge, and underneath [are] the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy [them].” (Deuteronomy 33:27) “And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”(Mark 10:17) God is immortal and man has an intuitive desire to live. Man, also has been created with an eternal awareness because we were originally created to live forever, until the entrance of sin. After sin man dies in his soul existence, loses his facilities to perfectly chose, speak, create, love, and live in his earthy body forever.