Imago Dei

The Bible says we are created in the “image of God” (Imago Dei, Genesis 1:27). The value of a single person is multiplied by this short statement. What does it mean to be an image bearer of the Creator?

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:27

To understand the implications of Genesis 1:27 we see that God is spirit (John 4:24). He does not “wear” flesh as do we. This is true based upon John 1:18 where Jesus, who is God (John 1:14), took on flesh (Philippians 2:7). That is, he acquired flesh in order to die for men’s sins. If flesh were the usual habitation of God, there would be no need to take on flesh. Indeed, this moment is the Incarnation when God entered the world to partake in man’s suffering and in death in order to save us eternally.

So, to say we are created in Imago Dei, is not to say we look like God. However, we do possess certain attributes like God. We are spirit-beings in flesh, and we possess a soul which will live eternally somewhere. This is not to suggest we are demigods as Ovid suggested in Roman poetry. But we are a unique creation embodying characteristics different from anything else created.

The Implications of Imago Dei.

Imago Dei Means Humanity is Very Special

Notre Dame Professor Abigail Favale rightly notes that human beings stand at the apex of God’s creation. God pronounced his work as “good” (Genesis 1:3, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25). But it is not until after mankind is created that God says all is “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Thus, it is reasonable that humanity stands at the apex of all creation.

Only of man does the Bible speak of a divine consultation in Heaven. “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness…” (Genesis 1:26). No bacteria were made in God’s image. There were no birds that bore the image of God. Even the most intelligent mammals were without the imprint of Imago Dei. Only man is made in his image.

In the same verse, mankind is assigned the task of governing all of creation, “and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.” Indeed, all of creation is given to man (Genesis 1:27 – 30)

The best comes next. Animals roamed the earth, birds flew, and fish were swimming, but Man alone was given the “breath of life” (Genesis 2:7). This may have been not just the animating force of life, but the moment man was given his eternal spirit. James Montgomery Boice says, “The reason why it is possible for men to call on God for renewal or even to remember that God remembers their origin is that they are more than dust. They are also spirit…”  Despite sharing so much of our genetic code with the apes, we possess something they never will: a divinely given, eternal spirit.

We are very special.

Imago Dei Means We Are Created in Perfection

Perfection? Yes! Perfection as in without flaw or defect in our spirits. Even our physical bodies were created without defect in the beginning. Satan and sin changed all of this. But in the beginning, there was no defect, spiritual or physical, in humanity.

To be created in Imago Dei is to be created free from sin. I know this flies in the face of Calvinism, but it is the incontrovertible conclusion of Scripture. It is also another discussion for another article. But if we are created in the image of God, we must not be created with sin. To say otherwise is to claim that the image of God includes sinfulness, which it cannot. God is holy. His eyes are too pure to look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13).

However, our own experience demonstrates sin on every hand. Vile, putrid corruption is everywhere. The Bible itself declares the sinfulness of mankind, although not at first. Adam and Eve both knowingly and deliberately violated God’s plain command. Thus, both sin and its consequences invaded the pristine world God had created.

The indictment of the Psalmist, the Apostle, and  the Prophet is clear:

“They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 14:3)

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23)

“The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.” (Ezekiel 18:20)

But God didn’t make his world this way. Nor did God make you that way.

It is false, even blasphemous to blame God for our sinful behaviors or lifestyles. God did not make you a liar. He did not make you a gossip or troublemaker. God did not make you immoral.

When Adam and Eve were confronted with their sins in Genesis 3, they tried to blame God. Hear Adam’s voice: “The woman whom you gave to be with me…” (Genesis 3:12, emphasis mine). Blaming God for our sin didn’t work then, it won’t work now, and it certainly will not work at judgment!

Just like the first couple in Genesis 3, we make our own choices. God has given us the freedom to choose right or wrong. We love or hate freely. We obey or we disobey freely. The result of those choices either purifies or putrefies the God-imaged soul placed into everyone of us.

Remember, “I am somebody cause God don’t make no junk” ~ Ethel Waters

Imago Dei Means I Have No Excuse

How did something so lovely become so vile? The answer is so simple; the results so catastrophic. The answer is sin.

I Have No Excuse for Sin

Sin taints every corner of our world. God created man with choice, for a world with choice is superior to one without. Inherent in that decision is the possibility that people would choose wrongly. Clearly, that is exactly what has happened.

James describes the birth and evolution of personal sin. “…each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death” (James 1:14, 15).

Temptation Is Common

We have all been tempted and likely will continue to be for a very long time. But be encouraged! Temptation is not the same as sin. It is not a sin at all! Even Jesus was tempted (Matthew 4, Mark 1, Luke 4). It is possible to be tempted without sinning (Hebrews 4:15).

This is a critical point; temptation does not come from God (James 1:13). Why would God want us to sin? Would he want his created beings to fail? What would that say about God? We are created in his image. It is that image that God wants us to maintain. Even in the Edenic failure, God immediately sought to restore us to our original glory (Genesis 3:15). If temptations do not come from God, and they do not, from whence do they come? Temptation comes from a Satan-broken world that desires counterfeit joys to supplant the ultimate joy found in Christ.

Temptations are unique, and they begin with our own internal desires (James 1:14, 15), which grow into sin against God. If our desires are righteous, we will succeed (Matthew 5:6). If our desires are for sin we will also succeed. We get what we most desire.

Our Response to Temptation Must be Strong and Swift

We can move toward Imago Dei.

Because God has given us choice and free will, we can choose to defy sinful temptations, thus short-circuiting the desire-tempt-sin cycle.

Remember, God, in Christ, will draw near to us as we draw near to him (James 4:8; c.f. Hebrews 7:25; 10:22; 11:6).

I’ve always loved this passage from Isaiah 1:18.

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

As we deliberately move closer to God, he moves closer to us (James 4:8). We don’t just reject temptation, we seek to understand it and thus avoid it. We ask, what circumstances tempt me? Who tempts me? When am I tempted? Once answered, we then know how to move away from both the temptation and the sin.

Whatever you do, do not give in to sin and soothe your conscience by saying, “God made me this way.” He made you pure and in his image. Do not surrender but seek the restoration of Imago Dei in your life.

I would be most grateful if you would leave a comment below. Any applause, criticism, thought, or request would be appreciated.