What Does it Mean to Be Made in the Image of God?
The Image of God, or imago Dei, is a central theme in the Bible. While most Christians understand that we have been made in God’s image, we often do not understand exactly what that means, nor do we fully grasp the implications of bearing God’s image for our identity as Christians. If you’re uncertain about the meaning of the image of God, this article offers a clear and comprehensive explanation. We will look at some theological views surrounding what the image of God is and decide on the most probable meaning, address how the image of God was impacted by the Fall, look at the implications of the image of God for our identity as Christians, and finally, determine how we can practically reflect God’s image in our everyday lives.
What is the Image of God?
We first read about the image of God in Genesis 1:26-27:
After God completed the rest of creation, he made humans. The creation of humanity was very different from the creation of other living things. While God spoke all other creatures into existence, he formed humans by his own hands. Even more, God made humanity in his image and likeness. Likewise, God called all other created beings to be fruitful and increase in number but he specifically gave humans the task of ruling over the other creatures on the earth.
In order to understand what the image of God is, we first need to determine what an image is.
The Image of God & the Ancient Near East
In the Ancient Near East, an image was thought to carry the essence of whatever it represented.1 The same word in Genesis 1:26-27 that describes the image of God is actually used to speak of idols.
These idols were meant to represent false deities in worship – it was thought that the deity’s work was accomplished through the idol.2
Similarly, God’s images accomplished his work in the world.
But there’s more to the image of God than this.
In Ancient Near Eastern myths and creation texts, these deities are said to have created humans just to do hard labor — in other words, to be slaves to the deities.
On the other hand, the Biblical account of creation lets us know that God created humans in his image for a purpose far more dignified than simply working and laboring tirelessly each day.
Related: How to Slow Down and Cultivate a Restful Heart
3 Views on the Image of God
This is where biblical scholars and theologians debate about exactly what it means to be made in the image of God. The three most common views about the meaning of the image of God are the Spiritual View, the Relational View, and the Functional View. Let’s look at them briefly.
The Spiritual View
The Spiritual View suggests that the image of God may refer to humanity’s spirituality, reason, and emotional capability that separates us from animals.3 Unlike animals, we have an ability to think deeply and make rational decisions about the day to day things we experience in life. The Church Father, Augustine, believed that the human memory, will, and intellect reflect the Trinity. Similarly, Athanasius and Aquinas thought that the image of God had to do with the ability to reason and think intellectually. However, in contrast, John Calvin and Thomas Aquinas believed that the image of God had to do with the human soul. Iraneaus suggested that there was a distinction between the image and likeness of God – the image was permanent, while the likeness referred to human qualities that were lost after the Fall.
The Spiritual View was popular throughout the nineteenth century but has fallen out of favor among scholars as of late.
The Relational View
Next, the Relational View, popularized by Karl Barth, argues that the image of God consists of the reciprocal relationship between male and female. While plausible, this view is actually problematic because it suggests that apart from each other, men and women do not bear the image of God.
Yet, Genesis 9:4-6, cites the image of God as the reason for forbidding the shedding of human blood. There is no reference to the relationship between males and females in this passage. This suggests that rather than focusing on the reciprocal relationship between males and females, the image of God exists within humans on an individual level.4
Some theologians have even supported the idea that the image of God consists primarily of males, and females bear a secondary form of God’s image. For example, in his commentary, On the Trinity, Augustine writes that on her own a woman cannot bear the image of God.5 She could only become so if she married a man.
The Functional View
Lastly, the Functional View of the image of God is the most widely accepted view today. According to this view, God created humans to rule over creation as viceregents, or governors. In the Ancient Near East, kings would set up images of themselves in places where they were not physically present as symbols of their rule.6 It’s very likely that ancient Israelites viewed the image of God in a similar way.
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So, which view is correct?
Each of these views have merit. It is true that unlike animals, humans have the capacity to reason. Similarly, it’s absolutely true that humans are relational. Lastly, Genesis 1:26-27 does tell us that God gave Adam and Eve a function to exercise dominion over creation.
While these views have merit, something is missing. The image of God is not only about our intellect or our task/function. Nor is it dependent upon our relationship with a particular person.
The image of God is a function and an identity. The creation of humanity was the pinnacle of God’s creation. Biblical scholar Christopher D. Kou clarifies that humans are not created in God’s image but as God’s image.7
All humans can lay claim to this shared identity.
How did the Fall affect the image of God?
Some people suggest that humans lost the image of God after the Fall. This is not accurate. The image of God was not lost after the Fall, but humans did lose their ability to properly reflect God’s image in their actions and daily lives.
Instead of living out the call associated with the Image of God, humans began to live for themselves. Further, they forgot their innate identities as bearers of God’s image and likeness.
Related: Why Does God Allow Bad Things to Happen?
What are the implications for the image of God as an identity?
Since the image of God is an identity, it means that we don’t have to work for it or earn it. It’s a part of who we are as humans. Genesis 2 gives us a parallel account of creation. In this account, we discover that the Lord formed a human from the dust, and breathed life into him. The life that humans enjoy is given to them by the very breath of God. We are sustained and held by God.
Understanding the image of God as an identity helps us to love our neighbors better. When we look at another person (no matter who they are), we are looking at someone whom God loves dearly — someone who bears the image and likeness of God.
Related: Why A Biblical Understanding of ‘The Image of God’ Helps Us to Love Others Well
How do we practically reflect God’s Image?
We bear God’s image simply by existing. But, remember, the image of God also includes a function. God calls us to be his representatives on this earth. This means that we should reflect God’s (communicable) attributes such as compassion, care, love for righteousness and justice, and holiness. It means that we should treat others with respect. We should steward God’s creation. We should bring glory to God in all that we do.
For Christians, this goes a step further. David Gushee from Baptist News Global writes, “In six places in the New Testament, five of them in the (probable) writings of Paul, the image of God is reintepreted in light of Jesus Christ. The imago dei becomes the imago Christi. This Pauline theme is sometimes called “image Christology.” It takes us closer to our exploration of the claim that Christ came into this world to make us truly human.”
While the Fall made it difficult for us to properly reflect God’s image, Jesus’ victory on the cross restores our true identity. Now, we no longer live for ourselves, we live for Christ and in love towards others. If you want to read more on this, I recommend studying the book of Ephesians. It is a powerful book that reminds us of our identity in Christ as bearers of the imago Christi and encourages us to live in light of that.
- Walton, John H., Victor H. Matthews, and Mark W. Chavalas. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000, pp. 29. ↩︎
- Ibid. ↩︎
- John Day, From Creation To Abraham, The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies (London,
UK: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2022), http://www.bloomsburycollections.com/collections/monograph., 22-41. ↩︎ - Ibid. ↩︎
- Augustine, De Trinitate, 7.7.10
↩︎ - J. Richard Middleton, The Liberating Image: The Imago Dei in Genesis 1. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2005, 64.
↩︎ - Christopher D. Kou, “God’s Statue in the Cosmic Temple: צֶלֶם and דְּתוּמ in Genesis and the Plural
Cohortative in Genesis 1:26 in Light of Sanctuary Setting and Christological Telos,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 66, no. 1, (March 2023), 11–31. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lsdar&AN=ATLAiGU0230707000760&site=ehostlive&scope=site. ↩︎
