…then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. ~ Genesis 2:7
Often, one of the most misused terms of theology is the image of God in humanity. The proper theological term is the imago Dei in humanity. The way it is often misappropriated concerns the viewpoint of sin in peoples’ lives. The thought goes something like this: “Because that person is created in the image of God, they are God’s child, and we must love them by allowing them to continue in their sin(s). To treat them any differently is a matter of hating them, and God tells us to love everyone.” This post will biblically address the imago Dei in humanity and its implications for practical living.
When a Christian speaks about the imago Dei, the image of God in humanity, they must immediately go back to Genesis and the creation account in chapters one and two. There, Genesis 1:26 says, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” Concerning this verse, one notes that God explicitly states He desired to make humanity in His image and after His likeness. The Westminster Confession of Faith explains the account this way: “After God had made all other creatures, he created man, male and female (Gen. 1:27), with reasonable and immortal souls (Gen. 2:7, Eccl. 12:7, Luke 23:43, Matt. 10:28), endued with knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness, after his own image (Gen. 1:26, Col. 3:10, Eph. 4:24); having the law of God written in their hearts (Rom. 2:14-15), and power to fulfill it (Gen. 2:17, Eccl. 7:29): and yet under a possibility of transgressing, being left to the liberty of their own will, which was subject unto change (Gen 3:6,17)” (WCF 4.2) And the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks and answers: “How did God create man? God created man, male and female, after his own image (Gen. 1:27), in knowledge (Col. 3:10), righteousness, and holiness (Eph. 4:24), with dominion over the creatures (Gen. 1:28, Psa. 8)” (WSC Q. 10).
Helpfully, The Study Catechism: Full Version gives four important implications for humanity’s creation in the imago Dei. Provided are the quotes then a brief comment.
Quote one: “What does it mean to say that we human beings are created in the image of God? That God created us to live together in love and freedom — with God, with one another, and with the world. Our distinctive capacities — reason, imagination, volition and so on — are given primarily for this purpose. We are created to be loving companions of others so that something of God’s goodness may be reflected in our lives (Gen. 1:26-27)” (TSC Q. 16). One must recognize the irreconcilable conflict God’s Word has with evolutionary theories. An all-wise, powerful, and holy God created humanity for His glory. Also, He has an eternal plan for humanity. It did not come about by chance. This non-coincidence does not mean that human beings have a physical appearance like God or even a spark of divinity within them. It does mean that some things in humanity’s nature are like God’s nature. Humanity has some characteristics and attributes found in God, such as the ability to think, speak, love, and have fellowship. Other aspects of this implication include that before the fall, there was the ability to discern good from evil properly and act according to a plan and purpose.
Quote two: “What does our creation in God’s image reflect about God’s reality? Our being created in and for relationship is a reflection of the Holy Trinity. In the mystery of the one God, the three divine persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — live in, with and for one another eternally in perfect love and freedom (Luke 3:21-22; John 1:18, 5:19, 17:21-22)” (TSC Q. 17). Here is where current culture gets sideways and call “evil good and good evil” (Isa. 5:20). Living in perfect love and freedom does not equal accepting sin such that the current confused and lost culture would have one believe. There are two issues to note.
First, notice that God created both male and female in His image. Gordon Reed explains, “There is a basic equality between the sexes. The idea that either man or woman is qualitatively superior to the other is not biblical. The biblical teaching of spiritual leadership that God has given to the husband and father may be, and often is, distorted into a non-biblical male chauvinism thinly veiled as the ‘Reformed view.’ On the other hand, a radical feminist position which denies the role of headship to the husband and father is off base as well” (Gordon Reed, Plain Talk on Christian Doctrine, 21). It is sad to say many marriages and families are broken because of an improper view of God’s image in humanity.
Second, notice the affirmation of distinction between the sexes. Again, Reed teaches, “The Bible repeatedly makes the point that there is a distinction between the sexes, and that God built this distinction into the nature of [humanity], both male and female. A clear understanding and affirmation of this Biblical truth would go a long way towards refuting some of the most serious errors gaining acceptance in our society today, such as homosexuality and radical feminism” (Reed, 21). God never puts one of His attributes against another. In other words, just because God made humanity in His image, that never indicates that His attribute of love (1 John 4:8) trumps His attribute of hating sin (Prov. 6:16-19). And this idea that God hates the sin but loves the sinner contradicts two Psalms (Psa. 5:5; 11:5).
Quote three: “What does our creation in God’s image reflect about God’s love for us? We are created to live wholeheartedly for God. When we honor our Creator as the source of all good things, we are like mirrors reflecting back the great beam of love that God shines on us. We are also created to honor God by showing love toward other human beings (Psa. 9:1; 1 John 4:7,11; Matt. 5:14-16)” (TSC Q. 18). Scripture teaches that God loves those who obey Him (Psa. 25:10, 62:12). And one’s obedience is an aspect of one’s spiritual act of worship (Rom. 12:1; 1 Pet. 1:15-17). This fact does not justify that one is saved by works, but it does suggest that God’s love for His covenant people pervades their life, and His common grace-love sustains creation (Psa. 36). So, a Christian’s reflection of His love is found in the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). However, the reflection of God’s love also includes the hatred of sin. As John Frame states, “The fact that ‘God is love’ does not require that his love be distributed equally to everybody and everything in creation. God’s punishment of Satan and his followers show the greatness of his love to the saved” (John Frame, The Doctrine of God, 462). This teaching means that God cannot love goodness without hating evil, and God cannot love His chosen people He is in covenant with (Eph. 2:4) without hating those who are outside the covenant (Mal. 1:3, Rom. 9:13). Those who claim that loving others is the only expression of righteousness because the imago Dei is in humanity completely misunderstands the objects of God’s love and the type of love in view.
Quote four: “As creatures made in God’s image, what responsibility do we have for the earth? God commands us to care for the earth in ways that reflect God’s loving care for us. We are responsible for ensuring that earth’s gifts be used fairly and wisely, that no creature suffers from the abuse of what we are given, and that future generations may continue to enjoy the abundance and goodness of the earth in praise to God” (Psa. 24:1, 89:11; Gen. 2:15, 1:26; Isa. 24:5; Rom. 12:2). This aspect of the imago Dei in humanity indicates that of dominion. God created humanity with both the ability and the mandate to rule over creation as God’s steward. God trusts humanity with this stewardship as a practice for more extraordinary things to come. Christians will one day be restored to a perfect position of dominion (Joel 2:25-26; Rev. 21:1-5) as “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17).
Andrews PCA 