Phil Gons

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The Image of God, Part 1

I delivered this message at Spring Creek Bible Church on October 18, 2015, as part 4 of The Doctrines of Man and Sin series.

Prefer what I actually said? Read the transcript (lightly edited for readability).

1. Introduction

This is part four of our ten-part series on the doctrines of man and sin. We’re going to focus today on what the Bible teaches about the image of God. Next week we’ll continue our study of the image of God and talk about the implications of this doctrine for our lives.

This is one of the most important doctrines to understanding who we are as humans. It gets at the heart of why we exist, and it has implications for how we live: how we view ourselves; how we view and treat our spouses, our kids, other believers, unbelievers; how we work, and so much more. It’s a profoundly practical doctrine.

2. Review

In our first class we introduced the doctrines of man and sin and talked about why it’s important to study systematic theology in general and these doctrines in particular.

In our second class, we looked at the origin of man, where we came from and why we were created.

Last week we talked about the nature of man.

We learned that

  1. We must interpret the God’s general revelation in light of his special revelation.
  2. We must acknowledge the effects of the fall on our minds and hearts as well as on the minds and hearts of those who reject God’s authority.
  3. The most foundational thing about us is that we’re God’s creatures, owned by him, owing him obedience and allegiance, entrusted by him with everything we have, and living in constant dependence on him and his inexhaustible provision.
  4. We are made up most fundamental of two parts: material and immaterial, body and soul. And while our body cannot live without the soul, the soul can live without the body.
  5. The Bible uses a variety of terms in the OT and NT to refer to our material and immaterial parts. Those terms aren’t equivalent to our English terms and aren’t easily compartmentalized. We should be careful forcing a particular meaning into a text.
  6. The Bible doesn’t directly tell us precisely where our souls come from. We know he ultimately created them. It seems most likely that he creates them at the moment of conception.
  7. God created Adam and Eve with complementary roles and relationships before the Fall. It’s by his design that men and women function differently in the home and the church.

3. Class Schedule

Let’s review our class schedule:

  1. 9/20: Introduction
  2. 9/27: The Origin of Man
  3. 10/11: The Nature of Man
  4. 10/18: The Image of God, Part 1
  5. 10/25: The Image of God, Part 2
  6. 11/8: The Fall
  7. 11/15: Original Sin
  8. 11/22: The Nature of Sin, Part 1
  9. 11/29: The Nature of Sin, Part 2
  10. 12/13: Modern-Day Issues

4. Outline

Here’s what we’ll cover today:

  1. The meaning of the words for the image of God
  2. The key Bible passages about the image of God

5. The Meaning of Words for the Image of God

Last week I asserted that the most fundamental thing about us as human being is that we’re creatures. Coming in at a close second is the fact that we’re in God’s image.

Being creatures highlights how we differ from God.

  1. He’s creator; we’re creature.
  2. He’s owner; we’re owned.
  3. He’s giver; we’re receiver.
  4. He possesses authority; we owe him obedience and allegiance.
  5. He’s infinite; we’re finite.

Being his imagers highlights how we’re like God.

It’s important that we fully affirm both the differences and similarities between us and God. We do ourselves and God’s glory a disservice by minimizing one or the other.

The Terms

There are two main word groups for the image of God. In English we see them as image and likeness. The two Hebrew terms are tselem (צֶלֶם) and demuth (דְּמוּת).1 The two Greek terms are eikon (εἰκών) and homoioma (ὁμοίωμα) / homoiosis (ὁμοίωσις).2

Unlike our study last week where the words for the material and immaterial parts of man (like soul, heart, mind, etc.) didn’t correspond between Hebrew, Greek, and English, the words for image largely correspond with each other as do the words for likeness.

The words for image and likeness have slightly different shades of meaning, but they are synonyms and are used interchangeably. You should think of them as two sides of the same coin.

Hebrew Terms

The two Hebrew terms, tselem (צֶלֶם), image, and demuth (דְּמוּת), likeness, occur 40 times in 35 verses in the Hebrew Old Testament.

Tselem (צֶלֶם)3

Tselem occurs only 15 times in 13 verses in the Old Testament. It’s basic meaning is image or visual representation. Its verb form, tsalam (צלם), doesn’t occur in the OT, but based on other semitic languages we know it has the idea of chopping, hewing, cutting, carving, sculpting—to make an image.

Where

It occurs in 7 OT books:

  1. Genesis: 5x (1:26, 27 [2x]; 5:3; 9:6)
  2. Numbers: 1x (33:52)
  3. 1 Samuel: 3x (6:5 [2x]; 11)
  4. 2 Kings: 1x (11:18)
  5. 2 Chronicles: 1x (23:17)
  6. Ezekiel: 3x (7:20; 16:17; 23:14)
  7. Amos: 1x (5:26)
How

It’s used in several different ways:

  1. Image of God: 4x (Ge 1:26, 27 [2x]; 9:6)
  2. Image of Adam: 1x (Ge 5:3)
  3. Idol: 6x (Nu 33:52; 2 Ki 11:18; 2 Ch 23:17; Eze 7:20; 16:17; Am 5:26)
  4. Statue: 3x (1 Sa 6:5 [2x]; 11)
  5. Picture: 1x (Eze 23:14)
Examples
  1. Genesis 1:27: So God created man in his own image [צֶלֶם], in the image [צֶלֶם] of God he created him; male and female he created them.
  2. Genesis 5:3: When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image [צֶלֶם], and named him Seth.
  3. Numbers 33:52: then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images [צֶלֶם] and demolish all their high places.
  4. 2 Chronicles 23:17: Then all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down; his altars and his images [צֶלֶם] they broke in pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.

In each case it’s a visual representation of something else.

Demuth (דְּמוּת)4

Demuth (דְּמוּת) occurs 25 times in 22 verses in the OT. It’s basic meaning is likeness or similarity. It’s the noun form of the verb damah (דמה),5 which means to be like, resemble.

Where

It occurs in 7 OT books:

  1. Genesis: 3x (1:26; 5:1, 3)
  2. 2 Kings: 1x (16:10)
  3. 2 Chronicles: 1x (4:3)
  4. Psalms: 1x (58:4)
  5. Isaiah: 2x (13:4; 40:18)
  6. Ezekiel: 16x (1:5 [2x], 10, 13, 16, 22, 26 [3x], 28; 8:2; 10:1, 10, 21, 22; 23:15)
  7. Daniel: 1x (10:16)
How

It’s used in several different ways:

  1. Likeness of God: 2x (1:26; 5:1)
  2. Likeness of Adam: 1x (5:3)
  3. Model: 1x (2 Ki 16:10)
  4. Statue: 1x (2 Ch 4:3)
  5. Characteristic: 3x (Ps 58:4; Is 13:4; 40:18)
  6. Appearance: 15x (Eze 1:5 [2x], 10, 13, 16, 22, 26 [3x], 28; 10:1, 10, 21, 22; 23:15)
  7. Form: 1x (Eze 8:2)
Examples
  1. Genesis 5:1: This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness [דְּמוּת] of God.
  2. 2 Kings 16:10: When King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, he saw the altar that was at Damascus. And King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a model [דְּמוּת] of the altar, and its pattern, exact in all its details.
  3. Psalm 58:3–4: The wicked . . . have venom like [דְּמוּת] the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear . . . .
  4. Ezekiel 1:10: As for the likeness [דְּמוּת] of their faces, each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle.

In each case it refers to one thing that is like another thing, in appearance or attributes. The emphasis is more on the similarity and less on the visual form.

Greek Terms

The three Greek terms, eikon (εἰκών) and homoioma (ὁμοίωμα) / homoiosis (ὁμοίωσις), occur 30 times in 27 verses in the New Testament.

Eikon (εἰκών)6

Eikon occurs 23 times in 20 verses in the New Testament. It’s the most common translation of the Hebrew word tselem (צֶלֶם). It’s basic meaning is image or visual representation. Its verb form, eoika (ἔοικα), occurs twice in the NT and means to be like or resemble. You can probably hear our English word icon, which comes from eikon.

Where

It occurs in 9 NT books:

  1. Matthew: 1x (22:20)
  2. Mark: 1x (12:16)
  3. Luke: 1x (20:24)
  4. Romans: 2x (1:23; 8:29)
  5. 1 Corinthians: 3x (11:7; 15:49 [2x])
  6. 2 Corinthians: 2x (3:18; 4:4)
  7. Colossians: 2x (1:15; 3:30)
  8. Hebrews: 1x (10:1)
  9. Revelation: 10x (13:14, 15 [3x]; 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4)
How

It’s used in several different ways:

  1. Engraving: 3x (Mt 22:20; Mk 12:16; Lk 20:24)
  2. Idols: 11x (Ro 1:23; Rev 13:14, 15 [3x]; 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4)
  3. Jesus as God’s Image: 2x (2 Cor 4:4; Col 1:15)
  4. Man as God’s Image: 1x (1 Co 11:7)
  5. Man as Adam’s Image: 1x (1 Co 15:49)
  6. Man in Jesus’s Image: 4x (Ro 8:29; 1 Co 15:49; 2 Co 3:18; Col 3:10)
  7. Form: 1x (Heb 10:1)
Examples
  1. Luke 20:24: “Show me a denarius. Whose image [εἰκών] and inscription are on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied.
  2. Romans 1:22–23: Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images [εἰκών] made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
  3. 2 Corinthians 4:4: 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 [εἰκών] of God.
  4. Colossians 3:10: and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image [εἰκών] of its Creator.

In each case it’s a visual representation of something else.

Homoioma (ὁμοίωμα)7 / Homoiosis (ὁμοίωσις)8

Homoioma (ὁμοίωμα) occurs only 6 times in the NT; homoiosis (ὁμοίωσις) occurs only once. These synonyms have the meaning of similarity or likeness. They’re the most common translation of the Hebrew word demuth (דְּמוּת). Their verb form, homoioo (ὁμοιόω), has the idea of making like or comparing.

Where

They occur in 4 NT books:

  1. Romans: 4x (1:23; 5:14; 6:5; 8:3)
  2. Philippians: 1x (2:7)
  3. James: 1x (3:9)
  4. Revelation: 1x (9:7)
How

They’re used in several different ways:

  1. Appearance: (Ro 1:23; Re 9:7)
  2. Characteristic: (Ro 5:14; 6:5)
  3. Likeness of Jesus to Man: (Ro 8:3; Phil 2:7)
  4. Likeness of God: (Jas 3:9)
Examples
  1. Revelation 9:7: The locusts looked like [ὁμοίωμα] horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces.
  2. Romans 5:14: Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like [ὁμοίωμα] the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
  3. Philippians 2:7: but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness [ὁμοίωσις] of men.
  4. James 3:9: With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness [ὁμοίωσις] of God.

In each case there is a similarity and likeness between two things. In some cases, though, there’s a likeness closer to identity (i.e., Jesus’s taking on human flesh). In others there is a likeness of similarity, but difference.

Summary of the Terms

The terms fall into two basic groups, and there’s nice correspondence between English, Hebrew, and Greek.

Here’s how they relate:

EnglishHebrewGreekCore Idea
imagetselem (צֶלֶם):x15xeikon (εἰκών): 23xvisible representation
likenessdemuth (דְּמוּת):x25xhomoioma (ὁμοίωμα): 6xhomoiosis (ὁμοίωσις): 1xsimilarity in appearance or attributes

If there’s a subtle difference, it’s this: Image/tselem/eikon usually refer to the image itself. Likeness/demuth/homoioma/homoiosis often refer to the relationship of similarity between the representation and what it represents. You can see this most clearly in Romans 1:23, where the two words are used together.

Romans 1:22–23: Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images [εἰκόνος] resembling [ὁμοιώματι] mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

A literal rendering of the Greek (ἐν ὁμοιώματι εἰκόνος φθαρτοῦ ἀνθρώπου) is with the likeness of an image of perishable man.

Illustrations of the Image of God

To understand what the Bible means by the image of God, it may be helpful to use some illustrations. I can think of several ways to illustrate the concept.

Best Analogies

  1. A child. The most helpful illustration is that of a father and his children. Scripture itself makes this comparison for us in Gen 5:3. Whatever it means for us to be in the image of God, it must mean something similar to Seth being in the image of his father, Adam. A child is both like his parents and different from his parents—in body and soul. A child represents his parents. A child is given responsibility by his parents.
  2. A picture. Whether a photograph or a painting or a drawing, a picture illustrates what it means to be in the image of God. The picture is like the person. The picture represents the person. Lovers value pictures of their lover. Parents value pictures of their children. Those pictures aren’t the people themselves, but they represent them and are a likeness of them.
  3. A mirror.

Less Helpful Analogies

  1. A logo or icon. A logo is a symbol that stands for something else. It represents it in a short-form sort of way—usually a product or a company. The likeness here is more abstract and not as helpful for thinking about how we image God.
  2. A flag. Similarly, a flag often represents a country or other group of people. But there’s very little likeness between the flag and the people it represents. It’s far more symbolic, and not a good comparison for how we image God.

6. The Key Passages about the Image of God

Now that we’ve laid the foundation with the key terms for image and likeness, let’s look at the relevant passages together and see what the Bible teaches about the image of God.

The Passages

Man in God’s Image

Genesis 1:26–27

Let’s read the passage together:

Genesis 1:26–27: Then God said, “Let us make man in our image [בְּצַלְמֵ֖נוּ / κατʼ εἰκόνα], after our likeness [כִּדְמוּתֵ֑נוּ / καθʼ ὁμοίωσιν]. And let them have dominion [רדה] over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image [בְּצַלְמ֔וֹ / -], in the image [בְּצֶ֥לֶם / κατʼ εἰκόνα] of God he created him; male and female he created them.

There are a few noteworthy things in this passage:

  1. The first verse uses both Hebrew words, tselem and demuth.
  2. The second verse uses the Hebrew word for image, tselem, twice.
  3. God speaks in the plural when he says “Let us”.
  4. The image seems to be tied to dominion.
  5. It also seems related to both male and female genders.

We’ll come back to these observations at the end and address them more thoroughly next week.

Genesis 5:1–3

Genesis 5:1–3: This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness [בִּדְמ֥וּת / κατʼ εἰκόνα] of God. 2 Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. 3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness [בִּדְמוּת֖וֹ / κατὰ τὴν εἰδέαν], after his image [כְּצַלְמ֑וֹ / κατὰ τὴν εἰκόνα], and named him Seth.

There are a few noteworthy things in this passage:

  1. This passage largely repeats the first one.
  2. It uses the second Hebrew word, demuth, for our being in God’s image/likeness.
  3. It makes the connection again to both male and female.
  4. It shows Adam imaging God by procreating and having a son in his likeness and image.
Genesis 9:6

Genesis 9:6: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image [בְּצֶ֣לֶם / ἐν εἰκόνι].

There are a few noteworthy things in this passage:

  1. Murder is wrong because man is in the image of God.
  2. Even fallen man is in the image of God.
Psalm 8:3–8

This passage doesn’t mention the image of God explicitly, but it describes it and is one of the most important passages.

Psalm 8:3–8: When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings [מֵאֱלֹהִ֑ים / ἀγγέλους] and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have given him dominion [משׁל] over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

There are a few noteworthy things in this passage:

  1. God made man a little [or for a little while] lower than elohim. This is the main Hebrew word for God. The Septuagint translates elohim as angels, which is quoted in the NT in Hebrews 2:6–8, which confirms that this understanding of elohim as angels is correct.
  2. This passage emphasizes dominion again, the authority man has to rule over the earth.
1 Corinthians 11:7

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

Observations:

  1. This passages ties image and glory together.
  2. Paul doesn’t mean to suggest that women aren’t in the image of God, only that there’s an order.
James 3:9

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

Observations:

  1. It is wrong to curse another human because that human is in God’s image: he represents God and is like God. It makes no sense to express praise to God and then curse his image.
  2. All humans, even though who have rebelled against God, are still in his image.

Man in Adam’s Image

Genesis 5:1–3

Genesis 5:1–3: This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness [בִּדְמ֥וּת / κατʼ εἰκόνα] of God. 2 Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. 3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness [בִּדְמוּת֖וֹ / κατὰ τὴν εἰδέαν], after his image [כְּצַלְמ֑וֹ / κατὰ τὴν εἰκόνα], and named him Seth.

Observations:

  1. Seth was in Adam’s image and likeness just like Adam was in God’s image and likeness.
  2. This is presumably true of all Adam’s children.
  3. Our children are also in our image and likeness.
  4. Procreation is the best analogy for helping us understand what it means to be in God’s image. We’re like God our Father similar to how we’re like our father Adam and our immediate father.
1 Corinthians 15:49

1 Corinthians 15:49: And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.

Observations:

  • Like Seth, we are in Adam’s image.

Fallen Man Still in God’s Image

The Bible doesn’t stop talking about man as God’s image even after the Fall (Ge 9:6; 1 Co 11:7; Jas 3:9). He continues to image God, though he does so imperfectly.

Genesis 9:6

Genesis 9:6: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image [בְּצֶ֣לֶם / ἐν εἰκόνι].

There are a few noteworthy things in this passage:

  1. Murder is wrong because man is in the image of God.
  2. Even fallen man is in the image of God.
1 Corinthians 11:7

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

Observations:

  • There’s no indication here that Paul has only believers in view.
James 3:9

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

Observations:

  1. It is wrong to curse another human because that human is in God’s image: he represents God and is like God. It makes no sense to express praise to God and then curse his image.
  2. All humans, even though who have rebelled against God, are still in his image.

Jesus as the Perfect Image

Jesus, the second Adam, does what Adam failed to do. He perfectly images God (Jn 14:9; 2 Co 4:4; Col 1:15; Heb 1:3).

John 14:8–9

John 14:8–9: Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” 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’?

Observations:

  • This passage doesn’t explicitly mention the image, but it conveys the idea: Jesus as the perfect image of God reveals the Father.
2 Corinthians 4:4

2 Corinthians 4:4: In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Observations:

  1. Here’s an example of Greek word for God being used for one of the angels.
  2. Jesus is the perfect image of God.
Colossians 1:15

Colossians 1:15: The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

Observations:

  1. Jesus is God’s image.
  2. Jesus makes God visible.
  3. Jesus is the preeminent image among images.
Hebrews 1:3

Hebrews 1:3: 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.

Observations:

  • This passage doesn’t explicitly mention the image, but it conveys the idea: Jesus as the perfect representation of God and his glory.

Jesus Became Like Man [Incarnation]

Jesus, the second Adam, comes in the image and likeness of man (Jn 1:14; Ro 8:3; 2 Co 3:18; 4:4; Php 2:7; Heb 2:17).

Romans 8:3

Romans 8:3: For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh,

Observations:

  1. Jesus came in the likeness of man.
  2. Jesus’s flesh/body wasn’t sinful.
  3. Jesus didn’t just have some merely like human flesh, but something less than that.
Philippians 2:7

Philippians 2:7: rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

Observations:

  1. Jesus came in the likeness of man.
  2. This doesn’t mean that Jesus was merely like a human; he was a human.

Man Being Restored to God’s Image [Sanctification]

God is at work in us restoring us to his image (2 Co 3:18; Eph 4:22–24; Col 3:9–10).

2 Corinthians 3:18

2 Corinthians 3:18: 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.

Observations:

  1. There’s a connection between image and glory. One’s image conveys their glory.
  2. God is transforming us into the image of Jesus.
  3. He does this as we look as Jesus’ glory, as revealed in Scripture.
Ephesians 4:22–24

Ephesians 4:22–24: You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Observations:

  1. God is transforming us to be more like himself.
  2. He does this through our minds.
  3. It consists in righteousness and holiness.
Colossians 3:9–10

Colossians 3:9–10: Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Observations:

  1. God is renewing us to make us like Jesus, the perfect image of God.
  2. He does this through knowledge.

Man Perfectly Imaging God [Glorification]

Eventually the image of God will be fully restored and we will perfectly image him for all eternity (Ro 8:29; 1 Co 15:49; Phi 3:21; 1 Jn 3:2).

Romans 8:29

Romans 8:29: 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.

Observations:

  1. The aim of God’s foreknowledge, election, and predestination is to make us like his Son.
  2. The aim of making us like his Son is to magnify his glory as the preeminent one among many lesser copies.
1 Corinthians 15:49

1 Corinthians 15:49: And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.

Observations:

  • God will one day make us perfectly like Jesus, in soul and body.
Philippians 3:21

Philippians 3:21: who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Observations:

  1. Our bodies will be made like Jesus’ body.
  2. Imaging God includes our bodies, not just our souls.
1 John 3:2

1 John 3:2: 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.

Observations:

  • There is again a physical aspect to our glorification.

Summary Statements on Image of God

  1. Man was made in the image of God (Ge 1:26–27; 5:1–2; 9:6; Ps 8:3–8; 1 Co 11:7; Jas 3:9).
  2. Man is also in the image of Adam (Ge 5:3; 1 Co 15:49).
  3. Man after sin still images God, though imperfectly (Ge 9:6; 1 Co 11:7; Jas 3:9).
  4. Jesus, the second Adam, was the perfect image of God (2 Cor 4:4; Col 1:15; Heb 1:3; Jn 14:9).
  5. Jesus, the image of God, became the image of man (Jn 1:14; Ro 8:3; 2 Co 3:18; Php 2:7; Heb 2:17).
  6. We are being restored into the image of God (2 Co 3:18; Eph 4:24; Col 3:10).
  7. We will again perfectly image God (Ro 8:29; 1 Co 15:49; Phi 3:21; 1 Jn 3:2).

Phases of the Image of God

  1. The Original Image: Man imaging God in his innocence.
  2. The Perverted Image: Man imperfectly imaging God in his fallenness.
  3. The Renewed Image: Man progressing in his imaging of God in his renewal.
  4. The Perfected Image: Man perfectly imaging God in his recreation.

7. Conclusion

What a glorious privilege to be made like God—to display his glory and represent him on the earth! And what a glorious redemption that pursues marred images that don’t perfectly mirror God’s glory. God who made man like himself becomes like his creatures and works to restore them to his perfect image. In this age, we are privileged to image him more and more as we are renewed in his image, as we behold him in his word. And one day we’ll be perfectly like him in body and soul so that he’ll be the preeminent one among all his brothers and sisters. What a glorious gospel!

8. Resources

  1. Berkouwer, G. C. Man: The Image of God. Studies in Dogmatics. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1962.
  2. Hoekema, Anthony A. Created in God’s Image. Grand Rapids; Cambridge, UK: Eerdmans, 1994.
  3. Kline, Meredith G. Images of the Spirit. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 1999.
  4. Orr, James. God’s Image in Man and Its Defacement in the Light of Modern Denials. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1905.

9. Review Questions

10. Next Week

Next week we’ll continue our study of the image of God and talk about what exactly it means to be in God’s image and how that should impact the way we live.

11. Pray and Dismiss

Notes

1. lemma:צֶ֫לֶם:1 OR lemma:דְּמוּת ↩

2. lemma:εἰκών OR lemma:ὁμοίωσις OR lemma:ὁμοίωμα ↩

3. lemma:צֶ֫לֶם:1 ↩

4. lemma:דְּמוּת ↩

5. lemma:דמה:1@Va ↩

6. lemma:εἰκών ↩

7. lemma:ὁμοίωμα ↩

8. lemma:ὁμοίωσις ↩