Genesis 1:26 Day 6 Pt 2 Let us make man in our image
26 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 creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
That man was made in God’s image and after his likeness, two words to express the same thing and making each other the more expressive
the nearest resemblance of any of the visible creatures
Man was not made in the likeness of any creature that went before him, but in the likeness of his Creator; yet still between God and man there is an infinite distance.
Christ only is the express image of God’s person, as the Son of his Father, having the same nature.
It is only some of God’s honour that is put upon man, who is God’s image only as the shadow in the glass, or the king’s impress upon the coin.
God’s image upon man consists in these three things:
1. In his nature and constitution, not those of his body (for God has not a body), but those of his soul.
2. In his place and authority: Let us make man in our image, and let him have dominion.
3. In his purity and rectitude. God’s image upon man consists in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness
This honour indeed God has put upon the body of man, that the Word was made flesh, the Son of God was clothed with a body like ours and will shortly clothe ours with a glory like that of his.
But it is the soul, the great soul, of man, that does especially bear God’s image. The soul is a spirit, an intelligent immortal spirit, an influencing active spirit, herein resembling God, the Father of Spirits, and the soul of the world.
The soul of man, considered in its three noble faculties, understanding, will, and active power, is perhaps the brightest clearest looking-glass in nature, wherein to see God.
• Intelligence
• Reasoning ability
• Emotions
• The ability to commune with God
• Self-awareness (sentience)
• Language/communication ability
• The presence of a soul or spirit (or both)
• The conscience
• Free will
human life in the womb
We know certain animals have these abilities because of carefully conducted research in the field of animal cognition.
Artificial intelligence is on the verge of similar breakthroughs.
Defining image bearing as any ability is a flawed approach.
The simple-celled zygote inside the woman’s womb, which pro-lifers believe to be a human person, is not self-aware; it has no intelligence, rational thought processes, or emotions; it cannot speak or communicate; it cannot commune with God or pray; and it cannot exercise its will or respond to the conscience.
potentially, then that means that you have only a potential person. That’s actually the pro-choice position
Even the soul idea fails the uniqueness and actuality tests
According to the Bible, animals also possess the nephesh
the Old Testament does not distinguish between soul and spirit.
Only one passage in the New Testament suggests a differentiation between body, soul, and spirit: 1 Thess 5:23. Since the Old Testament clearly sees two parts to humans (body and soul/spirit; material and immaterial), it is best to interpret this single verse the same way for theological consistency. Many scholars do not consider soul and spirit in this verse as discrete, separate items. This verse is similar to the shema (Deut 6:4; cf. Matt 22:37; Mark 12:29–30), which tells us to love God with all our heart, soul, and might. The point is totality, not that heart, soul, might (and mind in the gospel references) are separable. The Old Testament uses both nephesh and ruach to describe the source of these inner parts. Totality is also the point of Heb 4:12 (which actually uses four items, not three).
So how do we understand divine image bearing in a way that does not stumble over these issues and yet aligns with the description in Genesis? Hebrew grammar is the key.
In English we use the preposition in to denote many different ideas. That is, in doesn’t always mean the same thing when we use that word
“put the dishes in the sink,” I am using the preposition to denote location.
“I broke the mirror in pieces,” I am using in to denote the result of some action.
I work in education,” I am using the preposition to denote that I work as a teacher or principal
This last example directs us to what the Hebrew preposition translated in means in Genesis 1:26
Humankind was created as God’s image
We are created to image God, to be his imagers.
The image is not an ability we have, but a status
To be human is to image God.
We are God’s representatives on earth
This is why Genesis 1:26–27 is followed by what theologians call the “dominion mandate” in verse 28
God intends us to be him on this planet.
We are to create more imagers (“be fruitful and multiply … fill”) in order to oversee the earth by stewarding its resources and harnessing them for the benefit of all human imagers (“subdue … rule over”).
he has the government of the inferior creatures, he is, as it were, God’s representative, or viceroy, upon earth; they are not capable of fearing and serving God, therefore God has appointed them to fear and serve man.
God’s image upon man consists in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness
24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.
He had an habitual conformity of all his natural powers to the whole will of God
His understanding saw divine things clearly and truly, and there were no errors nor mistakes in his knowledge.
His will complied readily and universally with the will of God, without reluctancy or resistance
His affections were all regular, and he had no inordinate appetites or passions.
His thoughts were easily brought and fixed to the best subjects, and there was no vanity nor ungovernableness in them.
All the inferior powers were subject to the dictates and directions of the superior, without any mutiny or rebellion.
24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
