Man was created in the image of God

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Human beings, as the crowning achievement of creation, are made in the image of God and endowed with unique gifts, abilities, and responsibilities. This article explores the meaning of being created in God's image, humanity's responsibility, and the path to restoration through Jesus Christ. "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27).

From the very beginning, humankind carries within it a deep-rooted inclination to achieve something in life. Which goals or milestones are part of these human plans is highly individual and usually only becomes apparent over the course of life. Especially in Christian homes, children are taught early on what ultimately matters in life: living in communion with God. At the same time, we are influenced by our present era and our social environment. This can distract, influence, hinder, or even tempt us on our path to our goals.

The creation story teaches us how God pursued His plan and, contrary to some human ways of thinking, brought it to perfection. He created the world and everything in it with perfect wisdom and beauty. As the pinnacle of creation, He formed humankind, of whom it is said: “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness’” (Genesis 1:26). God’s work was not simply accidental or arbitrary. God considered His work and said: “God saw everything that he had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). Many years later, King David testifies to God’s glory and honors humankind as God’s creation: “You have made them a little lower than the Lord, and crowned them with honor and glory” (Psalm 8:5). He made them lords over creation and even endowed children and infants with power.

Created in God's image: Privilege and mission

To be created in the image of God is an unparalleled privilege compared to all other creation. This privilege is manifested through the gifts or abilities that God has bestowed upon humankind. When we look at our children, we often recognize ourselves in their actions, behavior, or language. We become aware of the image of ourselves, and especially of God, that we are passing on to our children.

Indeed, we often find it difficult to accept our own reflection because we perceive our imperfections and discover shortcomings within ourselves. God is our perfect model and the original inspiration. He knew what humankind would be like and desired to see an image that reflects His likeness. As male and female, He created them in His image and gave humankind a special place. We recognize something special even in God's address to creation. After He had created all living beings, God said, "Be fruitful and increase in number" (Genesis 1:28). No personal address is discernible here—in contrast to God's direct address to humankind: "And God blessed them and said to them , 'Be fruitful and increase in number'" (Genesis 1:28).

The ability to relate as a divine gift

In the following verses of Genesis, chapter 1, we also see dialogues between God and humankind. This distinctive feature demonstrates that humans are capable of relationships and possess the ability to communicate in diverse and unique ways – making them unique within creation. The capacity for relationships is a special gift of humankind – not only for partnerships, but also for family and the entire social environment. This gift encompasses at least two levels for every human being.

Firstly, it's about looking inward, namely perceiving one's own needs, feelings, and boundaries, and taking responsibility for one's own behavior. The second level involves empathizing with others, understanding a situation, and reacting accordingly. To enable people to react appropriately, God has endowed them with communication skills, empathy, and the ability to resolve conflicts. People can clearly express their thoughts and feelings. Even difficult or unusual situations are resolved through both personal reflection and communicative exchange.

People can also actively listen, ask questions, perceive feelings and emotions, and recognize the boundaries of others. They can develop feelings, build trust, keep promises, respect confidential information, and support one another. For healthy relationships, people can develop an individual "toolbox" from which they can use the appropriate tool as needed. In the God-human relationship, God's tailored, individual action toward humanity is also evident in the example of temptation: "And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13). Here we see that God acts individually. He knows each person and their weaknesses, does not overwhelm them, but shapes and develops them.

Human morality and responsibility

Morality plays a crucial role in our ability to form relationships. It is the practical set of rules governing our actions. It develops culturally through living together in a community or individually through upbringing, experience, and conviction, and is based on values, commandments, and rules. Here, we must distinguish between humanistic morality: 'What is good for me personally?', and biblical morality: 'What corresponds to the will of God?'.

In the following, we will consider the capacity for relationships in relation to biblical morality. God gave His people the Ten Commandments as instructions and guidelines that apply both to the relationship between people and to the relationship between people and God. In the New Testament, the Ten Commandments are summarized, and people are called to action: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself” (Deuteronomy 6:5).

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus takes up this idea and teaches a morality that goes beyond mere duty. We are even to love our enemies and pray for them. Paul, too, urges brotherhood, a morally divine interpersonal relationship: "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). No other creation is endowed with such qualities for implementing instructions through the capacity for relationship as humankind alone—the image of God.

Man – Created for Eternity

In the creation story, we recognize another distinguishing feature between humans and animals. While all living beings were brought forth from earth and water, God formed humankind independently and breathed into them the breath of life. “Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). This personal act of God toward humankind can be understood, on the one hand, as the crowning achievement of His creation, but above all, it makes clear humankind's dependence on its Creator: “When you hide your face, they are afraid; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust” (Psalm 104:28).

In our dependence on our Creator, it is all the more important to preserve body, soul, and spirit, for God did not simply create us as living beings, but made us like Him. Therefore, Paul says: “May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and whole at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). For Paul, it was not only important to pray for the preservation of the body, but primarily for the preservation of spirit and soul. The body is given to us for a time and is subject to decay. “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have built a house from God, a house not made with hands, which is eternal in heaven” (2 Corinthians 5:1).

In chapter 5 of the Second Letter to the Corinthians, we also read about the longing for our heavenly home. No matter how we shape our lives or what we cling to, ultimately we must recognize that everything in this world is transient. Deep within us, in our souls and spirits, there is a yearning for something eternal. People who carry Jesus Christ in their hearts are aware of this deep longing. They know that their destiny extends beyond the earthly realm.

King Solomon possessed many goods and had attained great fame, honor, and wealth. Yet all this did not completely fulfill him, so he said: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in their hearts” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Another situation also illustrates that people carry longings in their hearts, seek peace of mind, and in doing so, defend their own interests.

Paul visited the city of Athens and there engaged in a debate with some Epicureans and Stoics. These scholars pursued philosophical interests and sought "ataraxia," or "rest of the soul." Paul seized the opportunity to speak about the unknown God, proclaimed the gospel to them, and called them to seek God: "So that they might seek God, that they might feel their way toward him and find him; for indeed he is not far from each one of us" (Acts 17:27). The longing for and the certainty of eternity is given to humankind—unlike all other creation—as a sign of its likeness to God.

Free will and the protection of life in light of the image of God

What is also unique to humans is their capacity for personal decision-making. Humans do not act instinctively like animals. God has endowed them with the ability to think and consciously assess situations. This enables them to reflect on their behavior and take responsibility for their actions. These are qualities that no other living being possesses. Job underscores this idea as follows: “But it is the spirit in men and the breath of the Almighty that gives them understanding” (Job 32:8).

God has given humankind free will. Neither their Creator nor other people can force them to do anything. This conviction can be so strong that it could not be shaken even by threats or death, as was the case with our fellow believers in earlier times of persecution or the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11. Even God does not force anything on humankind. He is love, and love excludes coercion. He calls people to faith and repentance and stands knocking at the door of their hearts.

The decision for or against God is a personal one for each individual. Abraham once presented his nephew Lot with a crucial choice. Joshua had already made his own and called upon the people of Israel to choose as well: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). Today, too, we have the right to decide whether we want to serve God or turn away from Him and live rebellious lives far from Him.

Even though we can make many personal decisions today, being created in God's image, we have been given a very special protective function over which we as human beings have no control. It concerns the life that God has given us. God's commandment, "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13), applies not only to believers but is also a fundamental component of all human rights worldwide. States may not kill people arbitrarily. They enact laws to protect life, and even in times of war, special regulations apply to safeguard life.

The right to life applies to all people, regardless of whether they are ill or less capable. This is a special protection and honor compared to other creatures and is also based on the fact that we are created in God's image. For this reason, God does not allow people to choose their own birth and death dates and condemns suicide, since life belongs to God, as Job says: "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away" (Job 1:21).

The responsibility of man as the image of God

Being created in God's image entails not only the privilege of special gifts but also a special responsibility. Even before the creation of humankind, God planned for them to be responsible and bestowed upon them power and dominion over all living beings. “And God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over every creature that moves on the ground’” (Genesis 1:26).

Human power and dominion are not unlimited, but extend over the heavens, the waters, and the earth. And if we include the creatures that live underground, even partially. For that time, this was an unimaginably vast sphere of influence in terms of technology and means of transportation. But that's not all. God even allowed humankind to participate in His creation. We read that God brought all the animals before humankind so that they could observe and name them.

Humanity rose to this task and did what God had entrusted to them. In this, God's action and His care for humanity are evident. He endowed them with gifts and abilities, but did not give them impossible tasks. God neither created humankind inferior nor overwhelmed them. He created them in His own image, so that humankind could experience joy and live in fellowship with God.

The parable of the talents underscores the fact that God does not overburden anyone and richly rewards those who fulfill their entrusted gifts: “Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your master!” (Matthew 25:21). The parable of the talents also illustrates the responsibility and the inevitability of future accountability. We read of the master who traveled and distributed talents to his servants according to their skill or ability. Each received a different amount, and after some time, the master returned to assess what had been entrusted to him.

The actions and words of the servants are remarkable. While two servants were able to double their entrusted goods, the third servant buried his talent. When he accounted to his master, he said, “I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter” (Matthew 25:24). This example shows that the master was not demanding an account for the individual, but for the goods entrusted to him. God entrusted humankind with dominion over nature.

Through the Fall, humanity is now in a state of servitude and decay, anxiously awaiting the revelation of the children of God, as Paul writes to the Romans in chapter eight. According to the Word of God, every person will have to give an account for all wrongdoing and every missed opportunity to serve God: “Therefore each of us will give an account of ourselves to God” (Romans 14:12). In His care, God not only desired a God-human relationship but also considered the possibility of an interpersonal relationship by creating a helper for Adam. This relationship was not limited to support but aimed at jointly fulfilling God’s plan: “Be fruitful and increase in number” (Genesis 1:28).

We read in the Bible that God promises a very special blessing to this human relationship between husband and wife and places great responsibility upon them. God places particular value on this relationship and even uses it as a model for His own relationship: the church of Christ on this earth as the bride, and Jesus Christ as the bridegroom.

In the letters to the Ephesians and in the letters of Peter, we read that God cleansed His church through the washing with water by the word and redeemed it not with perishable silver and gold, but with His precious blood. Christ accomplished indescribable things for the relationship with His church. We, too, are to hold fast to this relationship and embrace the responsibility entrusted to us.

The Fall of Man and its consequences

God placed humankind in Paradise. A place where suffering, pain, and death had no place, but where perfect harmony reigned. A perfect place for the eyes and the heart, where innocent humankind was to dwell in communion with God. In Paradise, God created everything for humankind's well-being and then gave them a commandment. With this commandment, He also outlined the consequences. Humankind now had the choice: to live in entrusted obedience to God's commandment or to choose the path of rebellious doubt.

Influenced by the serpent, Satan, humanity chose disobedience and thereby lost its relationship with its Creator. The event in the Garden of Eden makes it clear to us today that humanity possesses a certain freedom. We can use this freedom either to obey Christ or to live according to selfish desires in this world. The latter led to separation from God and the loss of our likeness to God: “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves” (Genesis 3:7).

Adam and Eve suddenly realized they were naked. This demonstrates human consciousness and the ability to distinguish between good and evil. Through this realization, humanity lost its innocence and a portion of its freedom, as it now had to choose for itself instead of acting freely under God's guidance. God said, "See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:22). From a human perspective, one might think that this made humanity more perfect and valuable.

The Word of God provides an answer: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). Through the one transgression of God’s commandment in the Garden of Eden, sin and death entered the world, and to this day they cling to every person. The Apostle Paul also writes: “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:19).

Even when a person chooses good, they cannot do so completely because sin dwells in the flesh. Through the law, sin became even more apparent, and it burdens people to their very core. As the Apostle Paul laments: “Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24).

Before the Flood, the Lord looked upon humanity and observed: “The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). Since the Flood, God’s view on this has not changed: “The inclination of the human heart is evil from youth” (Genesis 8:21).

Even today, humanity remains trapped in its fallen nature. It becomes alienated from God and strives for an independent life, unwilling to submit to or be dictated to by any divine authority. Turning away from God, the Creator, sooner or later leads humanity into a meaningless and aimless existence, as Solomon often addresses and illustrates in the Book of Ecclesiastes. Through sin, humanity destroys itself and fails to live up to its unique creative potential.

The Apostle Paul names the reason and points to their end: “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they were wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and four-footed and reptiles” (Romans 1:21-23).

The Fall of Man led to a separation between God and humanity. Fellowship broke down, humanity's likeness to God—that is, its glory—was lost, and God intervened: "But now, lest he should reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever" (Genesis 3:22). Trust was shattered. God drew the necessary conclusion, expelled humanity from Paradise, and placed the cherubim as guardians of the Tree of Life.

The restoration of likeness to God through Christ

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). We must not doubt God’s plan. Even though the image of God’s likeness, that is, the glory of humankind, was lost through the Fall, the likeness of humankind to God remains.

Because God longs for fellowship with humanity, He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to die for the sins of mankind and to restore the image of God's likeness. No human being has ever seen God, but the Apostle Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, testifies about Jesus Christ, saying, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation" (Colossians 1:15).

Furthermore, Paul writes to the Corinthians and Hebrews about the glory of Christ, the bright light of the gospel, who came into the world in the image of God. This Christ is the image of God's glory and His very being, who accomplished the cleansing from the sins of this world. Human beings alone could not live up to the image of God, but through Jesus Christ we can be transformed and regain our likeness to God.

The following steps are necessary for humans to achieve this:

1. Accepting Jesus Christ in faith: Not all people have recognized Him yet; many are hardened and still blinded. But Christ has revealed Himself, God has demonstrated His love for humanity, and we may behold this in faith. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord as in a mirror” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

2. Putting on Jesus Christ and putting off the old self: To rise with Christ means to forsake earthly things, to strive for heavenly things, and to conform our character to Christ. “You have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (Colossians 3:9-10).

3. To know Jesus Christ more fully and to serve Him: God has given us everything we need for life through knowledge, so that we may serve Him in piety. Our goal must be to grow in Christian virtues in order to enter the eternal kingdom. “Through them he has given us the great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).

Even in the creation story, humanity's special privilege over nature becomes clear. God created humankind for community and destined them for this purpose. Even more privileged is the child of God, whom God chose and predestined to be like his Son. Therefore, let us all strive to become more like Jesus Christ in our lives and to strive for perfection: "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).

Eduard Dirks

Municipality of Tostedt