The Bible teaches that God created man in His own image but what does this truly mean? Is it a literal physical resemblance, or something deeper? Scripture helps us understand that the One speaking in Genesis is a Spirit. In John 4:23–24, Jesus clearly states that “God is a Spirit.” This truth guides us: since God is not a physical being, the “image of God” cannot refer to a physical or figurative form.
Because God is Spirit, the image and likeness spoken of in Genesis is spiritual in nature. So what exactly is this spiritual image? Psalm 17:15 gives us insight: it speaks of righteousness when referring to God’s likeness. This means that God’s image in man relates to His attributes His righteousness, holiness, and uprightness.
Ecclesiastes 7:29 further explains this: “God hath made man upright.” God created humans righteous and holy from the beginning. Therefore, when He said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,” He was referring to creating a being who reflected His own moral purity. This was the original state of Adam holy, righteous, and blameless.
After creation, God looked upon all He had made and declared it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). This includes the original condition of man. Adam was created in God’s spiritual likeness pure, upright, and righteous. However, through human choices, man eventually “sought out many inventions” and strayed from that original state.
In conclusion, being made in the image of God means we were created to reflect His righteousness and holiness. Whenever we look at ourselves, we should remember that God’s intention was for us to bear His spiritual nature and live according to His likeness.
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