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    The Image of God

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    Gideon Ampah
    God created humanity in His own image, both physically and immaterially, uniquely giving people rational minds, moral compasses, and a social nature for fellowship. This image reflects God's intellect, holiness, and relational nature. However, when Adam and Eve rebelled, they marred this image and humanity now bears the effects of sin. But through faith in Christ, God begins restoring His image in people as He redeems them.

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    The Image of God

    Uploaded by

    Gideon Ampah
    858 views2 pages
    God created humanity in His own image, both physically and immaterially, uniquely giving people rational minds, moral compasses, and a social nature for fellowship. This image reflects God's intellect, holiness, and relational nature. However, when Adam and Eve rebelled, they marred this image and humanity now bears the effects of sin. But through faith in Christ, God begins restoring His image in people as He redeems them.

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    It gives details about what makes up God as man relates with him

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    God created humanity in His own image, both physically and immaterially, uniquely giving people rational minds, moral compasses, and a social nature for fellowship. This image reflects God's intellect, holiness, and relational nature. However, when Adam and Eve rebelled, they marred this image and humanity now bears the effects of sin. But through faith in Christ, God begins restoring His image in people as He redeems them.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    858 views2 pages

    The Image of God

    Uploaded by

    Gideon Ampah
    God created humanity in His own image, both physically and immaterially, uniquely giving people rational minds, moral compasses, and a social nature for fellowship. This image reflects God's intellect, holiness, and relational nature. However, when Adam and Eve rebelled, they marred this image and humanity now bears the effects of sin. But through faith in Christ, God begins restoring His image in people as He redeems them.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    On the last day of creation, God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness”

    (Genesis 1:26). Thus, He finished His work with a “personal touch.” God formed Adam
    from the dust and gave him life by sharing His own breath (Genesis 2:7). Accordingly,
    humanity is unique among all God’s creations, having both a material body and an
    immaterial soul/spirit.

    Having the “image” or “likeness” of God means, in the simplest terms, that we were
    made to resemble God. Adam did not resemble God in the sense of God’s having flesh
    and blood. Scripture says that “God is spirit” (John 4:24) and therefore exists without a
    body. However, Adam’s body did mirror the life of God insofar as it was created in
    perfect health and was not subject to death.

    The image of God (Latin: imago dei) refers to the immaterial part of humanity. It sets
    human beings apart from the animal world, fits them for the dominion God intended
    them to have over the earth (Genesis 1:28), and enables them to commune with their
    Maker. It is a likeness mentally, morally, and socially.

    Mentally, humanity was created as a rational, volitional agent. In other words, human
    beings can reason and choose. This is a reflection of God’s intellect and freedom.
    Anytime someone invents a machine, writes a book, paints a landscape, enjoys a
    symphony, calculates a sum, or names a pet, he or she is proclaiming the fact that we
    are made in God’s image.

    Morally, humanity was created in righteousness and perfect innocence, a reflection of


    God’s holiness. God saw all He had made (humanity included) and called it “very good”
    (Genesis 1:31). Our conscience or “moral compass” is a vestige of that original state.
    Whenever someone writes a law, recoils from evil, praises good behavior, or feels guilty,
    he or she is confirming the fact that we are made in God’s own image.

    Socially, humanity was created for fellowship. This reflects God's triune nature and His
    love. In Eden, humanity’s primary relationship was with God (Genesis 3:8 implies
    fellowship with God), and God made the first woman because “it is not good for the man
    to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). Every time someone marries, makes a friend, hugs a child,
    or attends church, he or she is demonstrating the fact that we are made in the likeness
    of God.

    Part of being made in God’s image is that Adam had the capacity to make free choices.
    Although they were given a righteous nature, Adam and Eve made an evil choice to rebel
    against their Creator. In so doing, they marred the image of God within themselves, and
    passed that damaged likeness on to all of their descendants (Romans 5:12). Today, we
    still bear the image of God (James 3:9), but we also bear the scars of sin. Mentally,
    morally, socially, and physically, we show the effects of sin.
    The good news is that when God redeems an individual, He begins to restore the original
    image of God, creating a “new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and
    holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). That redemption is only available by God’s grace through
    faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior from the sin that separates us from God (Ephesians
    2:8-9). Through Christ, we are made new creations in the likeness of God (2 Corinthians
    5:17).

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