Sunday: The Image of God
The Bible says that humanity was originally created in the “image” (Gen. 1:27) of God. An image may be either two-dimensional, such as a mirror reflection or photograph, or three-dimensional, such as a statue or hologram. An image can also be intangible, such as a mental image, an idea that we have in our heads. What does the Bible mean?
Read Genesis 1:26-27. How does Scripture explain what being made in God’s “image” means? See also Gen. 1:31, Deut. 6:5, and 1 Thess. 5:23.
Image © Lars Justinen from GoodSalt.com
With the creation of our first parents, God set a new standard for life on earth: man and woman. They alone, among all the other creatures made during that time, were in God’s image. They were not evolved apes. As human beings, they and we are radically different from all of the other life forms on earth, and any theology that lessens this difference degrades humanity.
God “called their name Adam” (Gen. 5:2). That is, both of them, male and female, though different and distinct beings, were still one. Together, in their fullness and completeness, they represented the image of God.
The nature of God’s image is wholistic: “When Adam came from the Creator’s hand, he bore, in his physical, mental, and spiritual nature, a likeness to his Maker.” – Ellen G. White, Education, p. 15. (Italics supplied.)
The word for “image” in Hebrew is tselem; the word for “likeness” is demuth. These words can connote the physical (tselem) and the inward (demuth), which includes the spiritual and mental aspects of humanity. Ellen G. White recognizes this when she says man was made in God’s image, “both in outward resemblance and in character.”-Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 45.
Deuteronomy 6:5 mentions the various dimensions of the human being: soul (spiritual), heart (mind, mental), and strength (physical body). There is a similar pattern in 1 Thessalonians 5:23. A human being made in God’s image would naturally include all of these dimensions.
Though there’s much more to this idea of being made in “the image of God,” the Bible is clear: human beings are a distinct and unique creation here on earth. No other creature comes close. Why is it important for us to always keep this distinction in mind?
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How to explain what the image that God created is like, a look into the mirror at our reflection comes as close as we can get. We are different in that genetically speaking there are no two of us that are the same, as I understand. We are also different from the rest of all the created animals Gen.2:18 that were comparable but not the same. God chose all that He created because HE is God. Moses, the author of Genesis and the Pentateuch, had a special relation ship with the Father. That would be, as I see it, the reason for an accurate account of creation.
It is a blessing that I'm a true reflection of God. Amen. Does my character also reflect that?
Let us pray and read the bible (understanding it) so that Jesus's mercy is upon us so that we are always in his path.
Matthew 5:6 (NIV)
Blessed are those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
How incredible it is to think that man was created to look like his Creator! no wonder Satan hates mankind so much because whenever he sees man he sees the One he rebelled against.
It is so wonderful to know that we as humans were created in the imagine of God and that we did not evolve million of years ago from an ape. Hmm, the apes are still in their original created features, made from the Creator of this vast universe. My brothers and sisters may we daily reflect the character of God wherever we go.
Please explain soul [spiritual] and soul Gen 1:7 and Exo1:5 [body]
\"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.\" Gen2:7 KJV. My understanding of it is that breath + body = soul
Jackie That is my understanding as well. The Hebrew word for Spirit Gen.1:2 is Ruach: Roo'akh. The word for Breath, Gen2:7 is N'shamah: Neshmah. Both mean wind. Puff of air. Divine inspiration.
"Made in the image of God" is quite an audicious and awesome claim. Of all God's creation human beings were created righteous and holy; able to govern in righteousness and have dominion like God as well as endowed with volitional powers. (Refer to Psalm 8). In other words man was made to reason and choose. Part of being made in the image of God included the fact that Adam had the capacity to make free choices. As we all know this image was marred when Adam made an evil choice passing to us, his descendents the damaged (Romans 5:12). Indeed as James tells us (James 3:9) we still bear God's image and when Christ returns, Be will restore the original image of God by creating a "new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24). Furthermore, as human beings we are relational just like God. It is this capacity for a relationship with God that sets us apart from everything else God created. I think too to bear the image of God means to be completely dependent upon God for life and belonging to God's family.. God is going to restore His image in us one day. As the psalmist prayed one day, "Create a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10), that prayer will be effected when our Redeemer calls us to become children of God and fulfil the original roles given to us.
Sanctification of God`s image now and glorification then: In what relation do they stand to each other?
Winfried Stolpmann
How does this sound to you?
"And God [the Son] said [to God the Father], "Let us make man in our image [i.e. with the same basic character that We have], after our likeness [i.e. with our physical form; that is, with two arms, two legs, head, body, etc. and with a garment of light]." (Gen 1:26)
There were two quite distinct aspects.
1. The "image". (Character.)
Christ and the Holy Spirit are the only ones that possess the "express image" of the Father. (Heb 1:3 KJV/NASB) The "heavenly Trio" share, in equal measure, the full, infinite, glory of Divine character. Man was made with the same "glory" - his "glory" was of a lesser measure, but it was capable of continual development.
2.The "likeness". (Physical form.)
The Father and the Son BOTH have physical forms. Ellen White describes a vision in which she "gazed on Jesus' countenance and admired His lovely person. The Father's person I could not behold, for a cloud of glorious light covered Him. I asked Jesus IF THE FATHER HAD A FORM LIKE HIMSELF. He said He had, but I could not behold it, for said He, "If you should once behold the glory of His person, you would cease to exist." (Early Writings p.54)
So the Father and Son each have 2 arms, 2 legs, etc. and that is the reason why humanity has the physical form that it does.
A very lucid explanation there. Thank you so much.
The last two lines that Stewart brings out I agree with, as well as Gen 2:7. What ever may be added to what is believed, is often opinion as well as lacking in context.
Stewart, while Scripture makes frequent references to God as having eyes, arms, ears, feet, face etc. I don't think the concept of God that you ended with is entirely accurate (you said, "So the Father and Son each have 2 arms, 2 legs, etc. and that is the reason why humanity has the physical form that it does."). Scripture teaches that God is invisible (1 Tim 1:17; Deut 4:12; Col 1:15). Is it just that His 2 arms and 2 legs etc are invisible? Would we then have to clarify what is physical versus what is invisible? If God has a "physical form", would it complicate or clarify that BOTH male and female (Gen 1:27) are made in His image? How might conceptualizing God to be "physical", negatively or positively impact prophecies relating to Jesus' promised physical appearance? (Mt 2:5; Gal 4:4).
It might be more beneficial to focus on the restoration of the image of God in humanity (Eph 4:23-24). Man was intended to be like God, in whose image the non-physical (spirit) part of man was created. Like God, it is man's spirit which permits him to exercise dominance in the Earth (Gen 1:26; Deut 4:15-16). With our spirits enslaved to another, humanity becomes incapable of reflecting his Creator's true nature (Jn 4:24; 1 Jn 4:7-8; Ex 33:23; 34:6-70.
I appreciate your comments here Lynrol.
Perhaps the best known Bible text (at least among SDA's,) relating to the Father's physical appearance, is Daniel 7:9, where the whiteness of the "hair of His head" is mentioned.
But I am wondering now, whether the idea of invisibility (especially in the New Testament books) might relate to the concept of not being able to be seen. This view seems to be accommodated in Thayer's Lexicon of the New Testament, where the word (#G517 normally translated "invisible") is defined -- "unseen, or that which can not be seen, e.g. invisible". This suggests to me that "in-visible" can simply mean "not visible". It does not necessarily imply complete transparency, or something devoid of physical substance.
And if that is a correct definition of the Greek word, then it finds full expression in that part of Ellen White's vision from which I quoted earlier :
"...The Father's person I could not behold, for a cloud of glorious light covered Him. I asked Jesus if the Father had a form like Himself. He said He had, but I could not behold it, for said He, "If you should once behold the glory of His person, you would cease to exist."
The Father's person was definitely in-visible.
Stewart, the thrust of my response to your post was to encourage you to look away from the concept of God's "physical form" and focus instead on His non-physical appearance, which He initially shared with humans at our creation. If you cling too tightly to the concept that you outlined when you wrote, "The Father and the Son BOTH have physical forms.", you could conceptualize your way into a conundrum. This concept caused you to arrive at the conclusion that, "So the Father and Son each have 2 arms, 2 legs, etc. and that is the reason why humanity has the physical form that it does.". Based on Gen 1:27, one would then have to ask which gender reflects God's "physical form" most accurately? Male, female or hermaphrodite?
I believe at least one testimony from the OT (Deut 4:15-16) and one from the NT (Jn 14:8-9) de-emphasizes human interest in God's "physical form". Instead, God's response to His servant's curiosity was to emphasize His disposition or character (Ex 33:18-20; 34:6-7). I believe that it is God's sworn intent (Isaiah 14:24-27) to relieve human suffering by addressing our non-physical oppression and its source (Isaiah 14:3-8; 2 Cor 4:4), thus fulfilling His Covenant to restore His disposition or image in humanity again (Heb 10:16; Mt 22:37-39; Jn 14:23).
Deut 4:15-16 Has been understood to mean that God has no physical form, thus Israel was forbidden to make a carved image of God be it male or female. "You saw no form" is not to be understood that God is invisible but that God has no physical form, thus the prohibition of making an image in any physical form as we can not and should not compare God to any of these. Isaiah 40:18
My 2¢: God made man in His image and likeness. God walked in the garden in the cool of the day with the creatures made in His likeness. We are physical, mental and spiritual in our nature, thus is God, who made us "like" Him. Whatever God might be beyond our likeness is not revealed, but in our being we can know how we are like Him.
The book "Education" has some good thoughts for any who are interested. There is no real mystery as God's word is quite simple and direct. God can make anyone/anything invisible as He wishes, but this does not remove the physical properties possessed.
Robert, can you please clarify this statement? You said, ""You saw no form" is not to be understood that God is invisible but that God has no physical form", which appears to be a contradiction of Scripture ( Col 1:15; 1 Tim 1:17). Jesus taught that "God is Spirit..." (Jn 4:24) and in the context of the account in Lk 24:36-43, taught something regarding the nature of spirit beings ( Lk 24:39).
The word "invisible" describes only the limitation of the visual senses of humans. We know that there are many things that exists outside of our visual capability. Deut 4:12, 15-19 is God's attempt to warn humans regarding one, of the many, dangerous tendencies of our fallen human minds to imagine things our eyes can't see. Our fallen minds imagine and then gives birth to things that dishonors and offends our Creator. Had His people heeded His warning regarding their spirit, there would have been no such unfortunate record in Deut 9:16, 21.
God created man in his "own" image.Amen ...so your body is God's Temple.
My bro wat are u trying to say by quoting genesis 2:18
I do not know if any other beings in the universe was created in the image of God but I know that man was made in God's image as stated by God in Genesis 1:26. it suggests to me that man was physically, emotionally, spiritually, intellectually and otherwise designed by God like God albeit with human limitations. We were made in His image to be like Him and to have dominion in this Earthly realm that we were placed.
I believe that being made "in the image of God" does not refer primarily to physical image, though that may be included. For instance, gorillas and monkeys also have two arms and two legs, yet I don't believe they are made "in the image of God."
What sets us humans apart from animals is precisely the fact that humans are made in the image of God and animals are not. Because we are made in the image of God, we can communicate with their Creator. We have a spiritual dimension that animals lack. There are other ways that I believe we share some of the qualities of the Creator. While I believe there are other sentient beings who communicate with the Creator, only humans have the power to procreate. In this way God shared some of His power to create with humanity.
Not only do we have the power to procreate, but we also have the power to imagine and create a host of things - from soaring architectural creations to sculptures, paintings and symphonies. We can generate ideas that grow into the production of new things. Thus human creativity is one of the ways in which we are made "in the image of God."
God particularly designed that we should be like Him in character - with all our actions motivated only bey self-renouncing love. But character cannot be bestowed at creation. That's what made it necessary for Adam and Eve to be tested to see whether they would make selfish or self-renouncing choices. And we know the rest of the story.
The work of redemption is not only to restore what was lost in Eden but to go beyond that - to develop in humanity the image of the Creator's loving character. As with Adam and Eve, it is a process of growth, and it means we need to have chances to make choices, which we could call tests. We get to choose whether we truly want to reflect our God's character of self-renouncing love or not.
Inge, I agree that gorillas and monkeys were not made in the image of God... even though they closely 'resemble' our physical form (and God's physical form!). But I would suggest that the terms, "image" and "likeness", referred to in Gen 1:26, do not constitute an example of linguistic repetition. I suggest that the words point to two different things. The "image" refers to character, while the "likeness" refers to the physical form.
Hi Stewart,
While what you suggest could be a possible interpretation, based on the text, I believe the evidence is too weak to make a strong statement. I think it's best to just recognize that God created men and women in His image, based on characteristics observable in Scripture and in real life.
Considering the prevalence of linguistic parallelism in the Hebrew Scriptures, the burden of proof would appear to be on you to demonstrate that that tselem and dĕmuwth are not biblical parallelism in this instance. Both words appear to be translated similarly in other passages.
I'd like to think that the "likeness" or "image" would include some form of bodily likeness, but I know of nothing explicit to tell us just how similar in form humanity is to divinity. If it were really important, God would have told us. 🙂 I do know, however, that Jesus Christ has a human body for eternity. What condescension, that the infinite God would condescend to become truly Immanuel, One with us!
Inge, I am glad to see that someone here seems to understand this. The Hebrews never understood the word Tselem in this passage to refer to the physical but rather the spiritual. I could be said and is said our physical bodies are a reflection and representation of the spiritual nature of God. But to say that God has a physical body would be heresy to the Hebrews, they steadfastly maintain that God is Spirit and incorporeal.
From a Christian perspective Jesus came down; took on a human form and dwelt among us in a human body. He thus apparently did not have a physical body before. One of the early Christian creeds states that Jesus had the divine Spiritual Nature from His Father and the human physical nature from His mother something He was born to. Secondly if God has always had a physical body, this creates a problem. A physical form needs space and time to exist in, thus space and time would have to preexist or at least be co eternal with God, and this would be theologically problematic. God through the Son created all things including both space and time, they can not preexist God or be co eternal with God. Thus God’s true nature must be Spiritual and as it is written God is Spirit and for us to be created in the image of God must refer to God’s spiritual nature not a physical nature. All we can say is that our physical body is a physical representation of the Spiritual, but it is our neshomah (soul) that sets us apart from primates as they do not have a God breathed soul within them. It is our neshomah that really is the Tselem as it is a helek HaShem, the part which God breathed into us.
Seems it will be a surprise to some that God indeed will be found to be a physical being, without the limitations our physical being. He created a physical universe and speaks of His own physical attributes. If we get too exact on trying to understand a language that scholars today don't fully comprehend, we can lead ourselves astray. God speaks in language that we can understand within it's context and we should be content with what is revealed clearly, leaving the rest to that day when HE answers our questions on that which remains a mystery today.
The image of God seems to consist of two aspects. One aspect is spoken of by the apostle Paul: "And we all with unveiled face beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another..." (2 Corinthians 3:18 RSV) This glory obviously denotes what we call "character", the transferable characteristics of God within (Exodus 34:6) are becoming visible in outwards actions as fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22). Thus, glorification of character has to do with daily life (1 Corinthians 6:20), being tantamount to sanctification, growing out of justification. Sanctification seems to be glorification of charakter now. Again, Paul is speaking of the "glory of Christ, who is in the likeness of God". (2 Corinthians 4:4) Hence, being in Christ means to partake of God`s image as revealed in Christ. Growing in Chist would mean growing in God-likeness of Christ, which is not the work of a moment, but of a lifetime during the time of probation. There will be a point in time when this process of character development and character glorification is terminated at the close of probation (Revelation 22:11). When the stone, coming down from heaven, is smashing the image and breaking all into pieces (Daniel 2:44), creating all things new, ushering in the eternal kingdom of God--- that stone does not change our character, nor does death, nor resurrection from the grave at the second coming of Christ. This change of character has to be effected now as a change of mind (Ephesians 4:22-24).
On the other hand, Paul is pointing out that the outward form of the body has to be changed at the coming of Christ, as flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of eternal glory. The perisable is going to be changed into an impershable body (1 Corinthians 15:50).
It seems to be that the image of God, consisting of transferable attributes of God, has to be restored now during the time of probation,while the visible form of the image of God is going to be changed at the second coming of Christ. There are two aspects of glorification, one present, the other in future. The fact of the visibility of God is revealed in Christ the son of God. Christ as the express image of the Father demonstrates the personality of God, which we as sinners now have no acces to (1 Timothy 6:16). Being a person and having compassion with us, God is wiping away our tears on that unspeakable day (Revelation 21:4); which an impersonal spirit would be unable to do.
Winfried Stolpmann
Great comments from all the brethren on the image of God. May someone shade more light on Genesis 5vs2 on the part that'...He called them Adam.'
Lynrol Beckford, my statement that the verse in Deut 4 regarding "you saw no form" is not to say God is not invisible, obviously if God has no physical form or being, He is invisible. The emphasis of the text however is not on God being invisible but rather He has no physical form to which anyone could fashion an idol to.