Created in the Image and Likeness of God
The first and most foundational truth about man before the fall is that he was created in the image and likeness of God.
This is not a minor detail. It is the cornerstone of biblical anthropology, the lens through which everything else about humanity must be understood.
"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." —Genesis 1:26-27
Notice the language, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.”
The plural here is the first hint of the triune nature of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit consulting together in the work of creation.
And what they determined to create was a being who would carry their image, who would reflect their nature, who would represent their authority in the earth.
The image of God in man is not a physical resemblance. God is Spirit, and He does not possess a physical body.
The image of God refers to the intellectual, moral, and spiritual qualities that make man capable of relating to God, of reasoning, of choosing, of creating, and of exercising dominion.
It means that man was created with a rational mind, a free will, and an immortal spirit.
It means that man was designed for communion with God, for friendship with his Maker, for a relationship of love and trust and mutual delight.
No other creature received this honor. The angels were created as servants. The animals were created according to their kinds. But man, man alone was made in the image of God. This set him above every other created being in the universe, second only to God Himself.
David, reflecting on this truth, burst into worship:
"For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet." —Psalm 8:5-6
That is the original man. Crowned with glory and honor. Made to have dominion. Created in the image of the living God.
The first and most foundational truth about man before the fall is that he was created in the image and likeness of God.
This is not a minor detail. It is the cornerstone of biblical anthropology, the lens through which everything else about humanity must be understood.
"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." —Genesis 1:26-27
Notice the language, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.”
The plural here is the first hint of the triune nature of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit consulting together in the work of creation.
And what they determined to create was a being who would carry their image, who would reflect their nature, who would represent their authority in the earth.
The image of God in man is not a physical resemblance. God is Spirit, and He does not possess a physical body.
The image of God refers to the intellectual, moral, and spiritual qualities that make man capable of relating to God, of reasoning, of choosing, of creating, and of exercising dominion.
It means that man was created with a rational mind, a free will, and an immortal spirit.
It means that man was designed for communion with God, for friendship with his Maker, for a relationship of love and trust and mutual delight.
No other creature received this honor. The angels were created as servants. The animals were created according to their kinds. But man, man alone was made in the image of God. This set him above every other created being in the universe, second only to God Himself.
David, reflecting on this truth, burst into worship:
"For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet." —Psalm 8:5-6
That is the original man. Crowned with glory and honor. Made to have dominion. Created in the image of the living God.
Created in the Image and Likeness of God
The first and most foundational truth about man before the fall is that he was created in the image and likeness of God.
This is not a minor detail. It is the cornerstone of biblical anthropology, the lens through which everything else about humanity must be understood.
"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." —Genesis 1:26-27
Notice the language, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.”
The plural here is the first hint of the triune nature of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit consulting together in the work of creation.
And what they determined to create was a being who would carry their image, who would reflect their nature, who would represent their authority in the earth.
The image of God in man is not a physical resemblance. God is Spirit, and He does not possess a physical body.
The image of God refers to the intellectual, moral, and spiritual qualities that make man capable of relating to God, of reasoning, of choosing, of creating, and of exercising dominion.
It means that man was created with a rational mind, a free will, and an immortal spirit.
It means that man was designed for communion with God, for friendship with his Maker, for a relationship of love and trust and mutual delight.
No other creature received this honor. The angels were created as servants. The animals were created according to their kinds. But man, man alone was made in the image of God. This set him above every other created being in the universe, second only to God Himself.
David, reflecting on this truth, burst into worship:
"For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet." —Psalm 8:5-6
That is the original man. Crowned with glory and honor. Made to have dominion. Created in the image of the living God.
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