In the Image of God

Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. - Genesis 1:26

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God, he created them; male and female he created them. - Genesis 1:27

What do those passages mean? How are we like God? What does it mean to be created in "his" image? Does it mean that God has the same form and shape as us? OR Does it imply something else?

The English word "image" is our translation of the Hebrew word "selem" which implies a shadow or phantom like resemblance to the original. In other words, similar but NOT an exact copy. Moreover, the English word "likeness" is our translation of the Hebrew word "demut" which suggests a resemblance or similitude. Again, it does NOT imply an exact copy of the original - only a likeness.

So, how are we like God or similar to "him"? Does God have human body parts? Does God have two arms, legs, eyes? Does God have internal organs? Does God have genitalia? Now, any serious student of the Bible knows that God has the ability to appear in human form, but is God bound by the form that defines us? Of course, we know that God is also portrayed in Scripture as a burning bush, fire, cloud, voice, etc. And, when we consider these things together, we come to the inescapable conclusion that God is not limited to the human form. Indeed, we do NOT want to be guilty of using these scriptures in Genesis to make God in OUR image/likeness!

We know that God is so far beyond humans in power, goodness, intellect, etc. as to make any comparison with the Almighty seem almost futile at first glance. And yet we have this passage from the book of Genesis which informs us that we were made in God's likeness. Again, we ask: HOW?

According to the Bible Hub article What is 'made in God's image'? this concept implies something beyond superficial appearance. We read there: "It encompasses aspects such as moral reasoning, creative capacity, intellect, and the ability to form relationships." Continuing, we read: "While not an exact copy of God, humanity shares attributes that reflect God’s character. This includes moral discernment (Romans 2:14–15), relational capacity (Genesis 2:18), and creativity (Exodus 31:2–5)."

Now, I have a great deal of respect for the folks at Bible Hub (my regular readers will have probably noticed by now that I use it quite frequently in the construction of my own posts), but I would like to point out some flaws in their reasoning in this instance. While I think that they are moving in the right direction in terms of answering this question, I see some problems with some of the things they mentioned as being shared attributes. We could argue, for instance, that some animals exhibit rudimentary moral reasoning (like love, loyalty, a sense of fairness). Likewise, we could say the same thing about intellect, reasoning, self-awareness, and relational capacity. For sure, man's abilities in this regard our vastly superior to those of animal kind, but even their limited capacities in these areas demonstrate that humankind is NOT unique in these characteristics.

What makes us unique from animal kind? What clearly separates us from them? What then is that quality that makes us like God? It is there in Bible Hub's list. It is creativity - imagination! The ability to imagine and bring into existence things which had not existed prior to our imagining and creating them! Sure, our creative powers are limited to the materials which God has supplied for us. They are, likewise, vastly inferior to God's ability to create from nothing. Nevertheless, even in our very limited capacity, in this respect, we are like God! In short, I believe it is this capacity to imagine things that do not already exist somewhere which makes us exist in God's image. What do you think?