If these things enable man to bear God’s image but are not the image itself, then what does it mean to be created in God’s image? I believe that what it means for man to be created in the image of God, first mentioned in Genesis 1:26-27, is further expounded upon in the rest of the Bible.įirst, according to Deuteronomy 6:4, “The LORD our God, the LORD is one ” and in God, “there is no variation or shadow due to change” (Jas 1:17). By himself, absent from community, man has no one to bear forth God’s image to. ![]() Without intellect and free will man cannot truly worship God. In the words of Douma, “God has equipped man with various capacities (understanding, will, a unique body) needed to function as God’s image” but these “conditions for being the image of God are not the image of God itself ”. These qualities man possesses do not in and of themselves make man the image-bearer of God but they do enable man to bear God’s image. Man freely chooses to sin and disobey God, and he constantly puts his other relationships above his relationship with God. During the Enlightenment man’s reason and intellect were used to reason away the existence of God. I will limit my discussion of the topic to what it looks like for man to live as the image of God and how the law God gives points to what it means for man to be an image-bearer of God.įirst I will say that man’s intellect, reason, free will, or relationships cannot in and of themselves constitute what it means to be the image of God because they can all be used sinfully. In doing so, I will be forced to neglect discussing the extent to which the image of God is lost in the Fall, as well how it is restored in Christ. I would like to explore what it means for man to be created in God’s image. In the answer to this question of the meaning of man being created in God’s image is found man’s purpose and meaning in life. Identifying what it means for man to be created in God’s image, therefore tells man what he is set apart to. Now, this question of what exactly it means to be created in the image of God is important because it sets man apart from the rest of creation. Because God created man male and female, Barth says, He enables man to live in community and in relationships. More recently, Karl Barth has put forward the idea that the image of God is found in his relationships. ” Calvin holds that the image of God is not found in some quality man holds such as intellect or free will, but in the righteousness he held before the Fall, and that is restored by the regeneration of the Spirit. For Calvin, the image of God is found in, “the light of the mind, in the uprightness of the heart, and in the soundness of all the parts. For Thomas Aquinas, being created in the image of God, meant that man was created intelligent and that the mind houses the image of God. Later theologians would come to understand image and likeness to be the synonyms and not referring to two different things, but they would maintain with Irenaeus that part of the image of God in man was lost in during the Fall. Irenaeus, distinguishing between image and likeness, held that man as the image of God is found in his reason and free will, and likeness of God in man is found in the “robe of sanctity” which was given to man when he was created and then lost during the Fall. These real-life stories are written by and for people just like you, and it’s amazing to see what God does through them.Historically, what it means for man (“man” is used to denote all of mankind in this paper not just males) to be created in the image and likeness of God has been interpreted in a number of different ways. ![]() The free ebook, Start With Generosity, has been an excellent resource for others hoping to learn more about how God approaches generosity. We’re often tempted to take credit for precious moments of comfort, care, tranquility, and victory in our lives, but it’s important to recognize the loving hand of God’s providence in our lives. David recognizes elements like God’s provision (I shall not want), spiritual renewal (he restores my soul), his discipline (your rod and staff, they comfort me), and his protection (you prepare me a table in the presence of my enemies). It’s also a powerful reflection on God’s goodness.Īs a Thanksgiving Bible verse, Psalm 23 identifies many wonderful elements of the Lord God’s care that we might normally take for granted-or fail to recognize. It’s no surprise that this is one of the most recognized passages in all the scriptures.
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