We live in a society that degrades humankind with cursing people, promiscuously sharing our bodies with various partners, doing drugs, and other dehumanizing things. God calls us to something higher.

He calls us to the image of God that was partially lost. The whole “God project” for all of humanity is to restore his image in us through Christ.

Here is what this means in a fuller teaching from Scripture.

I. Bible Word Studies

A. Old Testament

1.. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew (and Aramaic), and here is one noun for image that is relevant to this post.

2.. The Hebrew noun ṣelem

It is pronounced tseh-lehm, and the -ts- is pronounced like the -ts- in bits).

Human beings are created in God’s image, including man and woman (Gen. 1:26-27). Seth, Adam and Eve’s son, was made in Adam’s image (Gen. 5:6). Now humans, male and female, can create people in their image (Gen. 1:28). But this likeness is not physical, but moral and spiritual. “In contrast to animals, human beings can develop a relationship with God and can worship him” (Mounce, p. 352).

B. New Testament

1.. The New Testament was written in Greek, and here is a key noun.

2.. The noun eikōn

It is pronounced ay-cone, like the “a” in acorn, and it means image in the broader sense, like an image on a coin (Matt. 22:20) or images of birds and reptiles (Rom. 1:23), where pagan humanity degraded God in making him in those images.

Most importantly, it can refer to humankind made in the image of God (1 Cor. 11:7; Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor. 3:18).

Now let’s look at Scripture more closely, in sequential stages in the story of humanity.

I use the NIV in this post. But please click on biblegateway.com for many more translations.

II. Original Creation and a Problem Enters

A. Humankind was created in God image.

In Genesis 1:26-27, the inspired author of those verses repeats emphatically that God created male and female in his image, without evil or sin.

Genesis 5:1-2 repeats the ideal condition of humankind.: God created them in his image, and it says specifically “humankind” or ’adam, which literally means “humankind,” not a male or female, but men, women, and children together, as a unit.

When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. ² He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind”^[a] when they were created. (Gen. 5:1-2)

Even though it is a biological fact that humans have a mammal nature, where the sin nature resides, they used to be able to relate to God in their innocence. He was still knowable.

See my post:

Is Our Sin Nature Embedded in Our Mammal Nature?

B. Humankind broke fellowship with God.

In humankind’s primitive state, God was humankind’s conscience and guide (Gen. 2). Humankind did not yet know the difference between good and evil, at least according to Scripture.

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” (Gen. 2:15-17)

In Genesis 3:1-13, the serpent, which Christian Scriptures reinterpret as Satan, tempted the woman to eat of the tree knowledge of good and evil (or moral law). She did, and their eyes were open. They then had a human conscience built on knowledge of the moral law, without the same intimacy with God in a permanent, open lifeline to their Creator. Yes, God searched for them, but they were kicked out of the garden, which came to symbolize this intimacy, where God visited often.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

² The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, ³ but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

⁴ “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. ⁵ “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

⁶ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

⁸ Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

¹⁰ He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

¹¹ And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

¹² The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Gen. 3:1-13)

Once again, see my post: Is Our Sin Nature Embedded in Our Mammal Nature?

III. Result of Broken Communion with God

A. The image of God was partly retained.

Paul speaks before the Aeropagus Council in Athens and quotes a pagan poet who said that in God we live and move and have our being.

²⁷ God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ²⁸ ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.^] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ (Acts 17:27-28).

The above verses reflect a true statement, which speaks of God’s immanence, or his connection to the universe and humanity, without being part of it, as if the universe owns him. No, he owns it.

B. Even after Flood, humankind is still made in image of God.

After the Fall, God still proclaims that humankind should not be murdered, and murderers should be executed, because humankind is still made in God’s image. The moral and spiritual image was broken, but not obliterated, nor did it disappear.

⁶ “Whoever sheds human blood,
    by humans shall their blood be shed;
for in the image of God
    has God made mankind. (Gen. 9:6).

And we should not curse humans because they are still made in the image of God

⁹ With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.(James 3:9).

C. We are still spirit and soul.

Despite the Fall, we still have a soul and spirit, and morality and conscience, so the image of God is still alive in us in a broken form.

²³ May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thess. 5:23)

¹² For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  (Heb. 4:12)

D. Illustration: broken mirror

Think of a cracked mirror. Sometimes people live such a degrades life that they image is broken in many places, multiple fractures on the soul. But God can still save and restore them as well as he does the “good girl” or “good boy.”

E. Husbands and wives and the image of God.

Paul says that womankind is made in the image of mankind, so she should wear a head covering. This is a matter of culture and theology mixed together. The apostle is searching for a reason that it was a custom for a woman to wear a head covering in the Jewish synagogue, and it should be that way in the earliest churches.

⁷ A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. (1 Cor. 11:7)

E. Custom and theology are difficult to sort out.

However, when we have a mixture of custom and theology, we need to be careful about transferring the verse to our modern world, which has different customs, much like not transferring every culture-laden verse from the Old Covenant Scriptures to the world today.

F. This husband-wife imagery is after the Fall.

Further, this reinterpretation of the image of God is built on the Fall.

¹⁰ He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

¹¹ And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

¹² The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” (Gen. 3:10-13)

G. After the Fall it is stated a husband shall rule over his wife.

¹⁶ To the woman he said,

In Christ, however, the full image of God is being restored for both mankind and womankind, so customs such as commands from the first century, like head coverings, are irrelevant.

This discussion puts a fresh perspective:

Being God’s Image (with Carmen Imes)

IV. God’s Solution to Our Brokenness

A. The image is being restored in Christ and his salvation.

In Romans 8:29 believers are predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.

²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. (Rom. 8:29)

2 Corinthians 3:18 teaches us that when we contemplate with unveiled faces the Lord’s glory, we are being transformed into the image with ever-increasing glory.

¹⁸ And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Cor. 3:18)

Colossians 3:10 says that when we are saved, we are called to put on the new self, the new creation, which is being renewed in the knowledge of his of the Creator. As we come to know the Creator through Scripture and prayer, we look more like him.

¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (Col. 3:10)

Ephesians 4:24, which parallels Col. 3:10, says that the best way to grow in his image is to walk in holiness and righteousness. God has those attributes or characteristics, so should we, but only by the power of the Spirit.

²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Eph. 4:24)

For now, we will never experience the image of God fully restored, but we are in a process.

B. Look to Jesus for the image of God fully restored.

The Bible teaches that he is the highest image of God.

2 Corinthians 4:4 says that Satan, the god of this world, has blinded the minds of unbelievers from seeing the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

⁴ The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Cor. 4:4)

Colossians 1:15-17 says that the Son of God is the image of the invisible God. This means that we see God in Christ.

¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Col. 1:15-17)

The next series of verses in the Gospel of John teach us that Jesus reflects his Father.

¹⁸ No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. (John 1:18)

⁴⁴ Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. ⁴⁵ The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. ⁴⁶ I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. (John 12:44-46)

⁹ Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? (John 14:9)

Hebrews 1:3 proclaims that the Son is the exact radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.

³ The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.  (Heb. 1:3)

When we contemplate Jesus, we become more like him and reflect God’s image more clearly.

C. In heaven the image of God will be fully restored.

1 Corinthians 15:39-44 teaches us that as we bear the image of humanity in Adam, so we shall bear the image of the heavenly one, Christ Jesus. The tense is in the future.

³⁹ Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. ⁴⁰ There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. ⁴¹ The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.

⁴² So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; ⁴³ it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; ⁴⁴ it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. (1 Cor. 15:39-44)

1 John 3:2 reiterates the same truth that we don’t know exactly how we will be like in heaven. The details have not been made known. The one truth is that we shall be like Christ, again the future tense.

² Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. ³ All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. (1 John 2:2-3)

V. Knowing God better through the Image of God

A. Our God-given dignity

You are made in the image of God. You have dignity. You have his glory. You have free will to a significant degree.

B. Warning against degradation

Do not waste your life by inking yourself or sleeping around or destroying your brain with drugs or alcohol, including marijuana.

C. Forgiveness is available

If you have or are doing any of those things, you can repent and receive forgiveness from God, who gives it gladly.

D. Now you live a new life in Christ.

You are born again. His Spirit comes into your mind and heart, and now you have power to overcome the power of sin. You stop doing those things (if you have tattoos, you can either leave them on or take them off—your born-again conscience and the Spirit’s leading is your guide).

E. After you repent

Now it’s time for you to reflect the image of God with saving knowledge.

F. Fix your gaze and mind on Jesus.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  (Col. 3:1-2

³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Heb. 12:2).

G. Walk in the Spirit

You can do this by walking in the Spirit, who helps you walk in holiness and righteousness.

²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.(Eph. 4:24).

H. No cursing, but blessing

You can do this by not cursing humans, but by blessing them.

⁹ With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. ¹¹ Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? ¹² My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. (Jas. 3:9-12).

I. Be careful whom or what you worship

We must not worship any man-made image—or in our culture, a pop star, but in some cultures, like Hinduism, real images of gods must not be worshipped

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. (Exod. 20:4)

²⁹ “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.  (Acts 17:29)

²² Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. (Rom. 1:22-23)

J. Jesus is the exact representation of God

For believers, we just focus on Jesus, the exact representation of God’s being.

³ The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (Heb. 1:3)

SOURCES

Works Cited