Monday: In the Image of God
Read Genesis 1:26-28. What special attribute was given to humans that was not given to the animals?
Image © Rolf Jansson from GoodSalt.com
What exactly is “the image of God”? This question has generated a great deal of discussion, and opinions vary. But the verses provide some clues regarding the nature of the idea. First, note that to be made in the image of God implies that we resemble God in certain ways. One important aspect of the image of God is that God gave to humans dominion over the other creatures. As God is sovereign over all, so He has appointed to humans a share of sovereignty by giving them dominion over the fish, the birds, and the land animals.
Notice, too, that God purposed to make man in “our” image—that is, an image involving the plurality of the Godhead. Then He made humans male and female. The image of God is not fully expressed in an individual but in relationship. As the Godhead is manifest in three Persons in relationship, so the image of God in humans is expressed in relationship of male and female. The ability to form relationships is part of the image of God. Relationships, of course, imply responsibility and accountability, which means morality. Hence, right here we are given a strong hint at how morality finds its basis in the Creation story.
Read Genesis 9:6 and James 3:9. How is the idea of humans being made in the “image of God” clearly linked to the concept of morality?
Humans have wrestled for millennia with the question of morality. Even before one gets into what is the right kind of morality, the whole idea of morality itself raises a host of deep issues. Why should humans, as opposed to beetles, fleas, even chimps, have a moral conscience, a concept that distinguishes between right and wrong? How can beings, made essentially of amoral matter (quarks, gluons, electrons, and so forth) be aware of moral concepts? The answer can be found in the early chapters of the Bible, which reveal humans to be moral creatures made “in the image of God.”
(1)
god gave his image to human,why sin?
Addai, God created us in his image. What he gave us is the power to choose what we want in life. Your question connotes that God gave us sin which is not the case as sin came from the choice of Lucifer and also our first parents Adam and Eve chose the way of disobedience than the path of rightousness. God is love thats why he created us in his image and have Christ also come to die for us on the cross. In a nutshell,God did not odain sin neither did He gave it to humanity.
God could never be love if He were only one person. Back in the endless days of eternety, God must've had one to express his love. Once Godhead was creating man to his image according to his likeness, it seems obvious that man needed a fellow partner to share his love too. In love the deepest concept of morality is centered. We are moral matter. Quarks,hadrons, muons, leptons and whatsoever more can't think. Man made the image of God can. When I feed my dog, take care of my children, kiss my wife, reach out for the poor and helpless, when avoid evil, I am a bunch atoms expressing love just like my heavenly Father does.
God made us in His image. We are special because God made us! God loves us so much he made us so we could live. Aren't you glad that God was kind,so kind,He wanted to make us? Well,if you are,I'm happy that you are. God bless you!
We r a special created for a purpose, God took His precious tym to create us. All other creatures came in only by words,but we are specialy favoured. You and me, we are the image of God.
In the Image of God, "The image of God is not fully expressed in an individual but in relationship." I don't agree with this statement in the lesson.--We were made in the image of God and we don’t have to be in a plural relationship to be in the image of God. If a man is single, isn’t he still in the image of God? The animals were made with a male and female, but they are not in the image of God. Man was created in God's image before he had life, according to the statement below.
“In the creation of man was manifest the agency of a personal God. When God had made man in His image, the human form was perfect in all its arrangements, but it was without life. Then a personal, self-existing God breathed into that form the breath of life, and man became a living, breathing, intelligent being. All parts of the human organism were put in action. The heart, the arteries, the veins, the tongue, the hands, the feet, the senses, the perceptions of the mind—all began their work, and all were placed under law. Man became a living soul. Through Jesus Christ a personal God created man and endowed him with intelligence and power.” {CCh 74.4}
"...They had wrought together in the creation of the earth and every living thing upon it. And now God says to his Son, "Let us make man in our image."{1SP 24.2}
"...Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! —John 14:9 (NLT)
My understanding of the image of God from my studying would be as follows. We can all agree that Adam and Eve were created in God’s image. And when I think about it, the image I see shows a God with many of the usual characteristics we have like two legs, arms, and head. But as well I thought of then being created with a perfect character. But after the fall, they lost that image of God. Now we as fallen man when born still do not have that true image within us. But yet God so wanted His creation to reflect His true image that He allowed His son to come and die so that we could have the opportunity to be recreated into His image again. It is like 2 Cor. 3:18 says.
2Co_3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
When I look at this text it leads me to think that yes Adam was created in the image of God, that is the Glory of God, but after sin that image was lost. But God had a plan that called for the recreation of that glory within His created beings. The whole bible echo's the scene of God trying to recreate humanity from glory lost to glory restored.
Being made in God's image is that God made us as He is. But sin dethroned us from that image. I don't thing Adam and Eve could look like the way we look today. Their stature and character was more of God's character before the fall. But thanks be to Christ who came so that image can be restored. All what is written in the Bible concerning love, joy, peace and how we ought to live is given to us to restore that image in us. I think the image is more in character than in appearence. For it is said that God is spirit He has no blood and fresh as we are. So His image means being more like Him in what we do.
Could i say, "we were made in the image of God and after THEIR likeness"?
@ Michael Amoah...I don't think it would be right to say that "in their likeness" because in the first place if you say "in their likeness" it means God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have different images which is true thus to say Jesus Christ is in flesh but the Father and Holy Spirit have a different appearance... but note that the "IMAGE" mentioned here refers to God's image of Love, Merciful, Glorious, etc. thus to say it does not refer to physical appearance rather the nature of God.
This lesson has really got me confused. Morality has to do with knowing right and wrong right? Before the eating of the fruit our first parents had only the knowledge of good. True Education pg. 16. 1)How can one have only the knowledge of good and still disobey.
God created human being different from all other creatures, he created man with free will of choice to obey or disobey God's law. Because of this fact, Adam and Eve decided to use their freedom of choice to disobey God, despite the knowledge they had. We should pray God to give us wisdom on how to exercise our freedom of choice.
I kind of thought humans didn't know abt wrong n right till after the forbidden fruit. kind of confused, help please
since we were all created in the image of God and i believe so , how did different blood groups A, B, AB and O come about.