Created in God’s Image
God
|
Man
|
Comments
|
Trinity – Father, Son, Holy Spirit
|
Soul, Body, Spirit
|
Genesis 1:26, 31; 2:7-15; 9:6; John 4:24
|
Love
|
Can Love
|
Matthew 22:37-39
|
Rational
|
Can be rational
|
Romans 1:18-20
|
Reasons
|
Can reason
|
Romans 1:18-20
|
Moral
|
Can make decisions based on God’s Word.
|
Matthew 18:21-35, 21:28-32, 22:15-22
|
Spiritual
|
Has a spirit that never dies but rather goes to Heaven or Hell for eternity.
| |
Personal
|
Has a personality that differs in detail from all other personalities.
|
Observation of various disciples and people.
|
Relational
|
Forms relationships vertically with God and horizontally with each other.
|
Matthew 7:1-5, 9:9-13
|
Emotional
|
Can exhibit a wide range of emotions. Unlike God man’s emotions are not always appropriate to the circumstance.
|
Matthew 14:13-14, 17:5-6, 26:75; Mark 16:10; John 11:35; Matthew 22:7; Mark 3:5
|
Creative
|
Can create art, music, literature, etc. Unlike God man cannot create from nothing but uses what God has already brought into being.
|
Observation.
Acts 9:36-39
Romans 16:17
|
Two peoples, Jew & Gentile
|
Two hands, two legs, two eyes, two ears, two arms, two nostrils
| |
5 Gifts of Ministry
|
Five fingers on each hand. A hand on each arm. Again 2 with the gifts of ministry for Jew and Gentile.
|
1 Sam. 17:14
Eph. 4:8-14
|
12 tribes of Israel plus 12 original apostles.
|
24 ribs
|
Medical, man has 24 ribs, 12 on each side.
|
Seven
|
2 eyes + 2 ears + 2 nostrils + 1 mouth = 7
|
Just a thought. I find it interesting our senses and how we express what we sense (our mouth) add up to 7, God’s perfect number. It would seem we are to use our senses and mouth to praise Him in all things and bring His light to others.
|
Question: What does it mean that humanity is made in the image of Y__H?
What does “image” mean?
Does image mean physical appearance?
What is Y__H’s image?
What does Christ say about Y__H’s image?
What does Christ say about how our image should look?
“God created man in His image.” Everything that follows this statement in Genesis 1:26, including the distinctive male/female relationship, is a secondary element to the fact that man and woman each already bear the image of God and reflect the nature of God. When God said “Let us make,” the declaration of mankind in God’s image was made before man was alive to experience a relationship as image bearers.”
When Y__H says, “image and likeness” He is referring to the attributes of man such as love, personhood, emotions, etc. We do not physically look like God since God is Spirit and physical looks do not apply nor are they relevant. Despite our continuing to sin, which is abhorrent to Y__H, we are still made in His image and likeness. When we see people we see their character, are they loving, are they greedy, are they caring, are they self-centered? Over time we “see” they true person, not just their appearance but who they really are inside. This is their image.
As already noted, when we consider being made in the image of God our appearance is not relevant. Christ made this point when He said in John 7:24 “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” There are many places in the Gospels where Jesus says it is the hear that matters not appearance or “religious” acts.
Attributes such as love, self-awareness, justice, grace, and mercy are distinct from attributes associated with animals. People like to transfer these attributes to animals but they are not a part of the being of an animal, except perhaps in our imaginations. They are however part of the very being of humanity.
Being in the “image and likeness” of Y__H we have the need to and the capacity love, “…love is the core value that defines the essence of God, as well as the essence of the human experience of life.” (Christian Fruit Jewish Root, John D. Garr, Ph. D. pg. 153) One aspect of the image and likeness of God is “…the power of reason and the free will to act on what is reasoned.” (ibid. pg. 231) We have body soul and spirit, our soul lives forever (in either Heaven or Hell) and we are alive because of Y__H’s breath of life in us.
John tells us that Jesus became flesh to show us God’s glory (John 1:14). This is the glory that mankind was meant to reflect when we were created in God’s image. Adam and Eve were creaturely (they were creatures of God but they were not animals), as evidenced in their human body. They were image-bearers, as evidenced in their very being. The image of God is primarily a distinctive privilege of inexpressible value that mere animals cannot and do not share.
“The Bible teaches mankind is created in God’s image (Genesis 9:6; James 3:8–9). Sin did not change that although sin has devastatingly affected the image of God in man (Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1–4). It is only through Jesus Christ’s atonement and Resurrection that mankind can be forgiven, transformed, and conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:28–30; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:5–10; 2 Corinthians 3:18).
The spirit of man, the seat of human intellect and the power of reason, is the one element that distinguishes man from the rest of the earthbound creatures and indeed gives him dominion over them. It is the factor in the totality of man’s being that causes him to be created in God’s image.
Man’s physical features are not what reflects the image of God. Otherwise the great apes would share that image. In reality, God has no physical appearance, and the various anthropomorphisms and theriomorphisms that are ascribed to him in Scriptures merely enable men to understand God clearly and understand Him more fully.” God’s Lamp Man’s Light, pg. 78, John D Garr Ph.D. Th.D (https://www.hebraiccommunity.org)
There is a way that our appearance is in God’s image and that is in our structure. God recognizes two peoples, Jew and Gentile. These two together make a whole. We have two halves to our bodies and together they make a whole. Romans 2:9-10) God gave five ministries to fight, and through the Holy Spirit, slay sin. We have five fingers on each hand to do His work and lead people to Christ. (1 Sam. 17:14; Eph. 4:8-14) We have 24 ribs that give the core of our bodies form and protect our critical organs. God gave the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles to do the same for the church. (Genesis 17:20; Matthew 19:28; Revelation 7:4-8; Revelation 21:14) We have one hear that is critical to our being alive physically. Y__H is one and is critical to our temporal and spiritual life. We have two lungs which give us breath. Y__H’s Holy Spirit worked and works throughout history in both the old and new covenants. Finally, at least for this writing, our head has a set of seven, two eyes, 2 ears, 2 nostrils and 1 mouth. I find it interesting our senses and how we express what we sense (our mouth) add up to 7, God’s perfect number. It would seem we are to use our senses to perceive and appreciate Y__H and our mouth to praise Him in all things and bring His light to others.
Genesis 1:26-28; “Let us create man in our image”
Genesis 2:7-15; Man was created from dust of earth and woman taken from man.
John 4:24; God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
Genesis 1:31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Matthew 22:37-39 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Genesis 9:6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.
Romans 1:18-20 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the 1creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Ephesians 4:23-32 ……and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness…….
2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Roman 8:29 For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Habakkuk 1:12 Are you not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof.
Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Colossians 3:4–14 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you:……
References:
Holy Bible (NKJV, NIV, ESV)
https://answersingenesis.org/genesis/what-is-image-of-god/https://www.gotquestions.org/image-of-God.html
Christian Fruit Jewish Roots, John D. Garr Ph.D., Th.D.
The Table above is quite interesting! 👍🏻👍🏻
ReplyDelete