Hoekema discusses the implications of this theme, devoting several chapters to the biblical teaching on god s image, the teaching of philosophers and theologians through the ages, and his own theological analysis. Finally, this time in his letter to the colossian and laodicean christians, paul makes the same point. What it means to be made in the image of god focus on. Moses writes that man is created in gods image and likeness. Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that i have made, well and good. The sixth day 26 then god said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it. But that which is most observable here concerning seth is that adam begat him in his own likeness, after his image. This is the primary act, in which his relation to his maker is made prominent. Apologetics press in the image and likeness of god.
Nebuchadnezzars vision of the great image article contributed by. And god created man in his own image, in the image of god created he him. The purpose of this lesson is to present the concept of the image of god. Evolution is not a reasonable explanation for the universe or. So god created man in his own image, in the image of god created he him. In sending christ to the earth to live as a man, god shows us what it truly looks like to live a life in the image of god. The creator of the universe has honored mankind by endowing him with certain qualities that are intrinsic to his nature.
We do not resemble god in the sense of god being flesh and blood as we are, because god is spirit john 4. Wilkin takes us through god s communicable attributes, teaching us how we can reflect our creator god. The general fact is stated in the first clause of the verse, and then the two particulars. So god created humankind in his image, in the image of god he created. Any general purpose commentary will provide a wealth of details. The new testament equiva lents lents are eikon and homoiosis. Read genesis 5 commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. Genesis 5 commentary matthew henry commentary on the. So god created mankind in his own image, in the image of god he created them.
In the same way he spoke of gods, yet meaning only one. What does it mean that humanity is created in the image of god. Her careful study of god s word and theology makes in his image a mustread. Being made in the image or likeness of god means that he made us to resemble him in some, but not all, ways. Made in the image of god the basis for our significance.
There may appear much of god in a short sermon, in a little book. Created in the image of god by tamar kamionkowski god said, let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness. Virtually every explanation of these two verses begins with an assumption. And it is very important that we were made in god s image our purpose is to love him and to be like him. Beginning with the second chapter of daniel, the grand outline of the program of god for the period of gentile supremacy and chastisement of israel is presented for the first time. The text does not say that god created man in his image and then created the woman in the mans image.
In the day that god created man, he made him in the likeness demooth of god. Understanding how we are made in gods image helps us to see the. According to scripture, humankind was created in the image of god. The word, which indicates that god created the man and woman as two human beings, completely overthrows the idea that man was at first androgynous cf. We were not made in the image of some evolutionary ancestor theres no reason for god to have done that. When god created man, he made him in the likeness of god. Now, as we have already learned in our study of origins, in the study of the first chapter of genesis, it is sheer foolishness, scientifically, and it is utter unbelief biblically to impose on creation any kind of evolution. What the bible says about image and likeness of god bible tools.
Even though we are now about 6,000 years from when he first spoke those words, these realities have not changed one iota. And god created man in his image, in the image of god he created him, male and female created he them. Man in his essential part, the image of god in him, was entirely a new creation. We all want to be the point, and when we feel like were not the point, a lot of conflict is birthed. Which consisted both in the form of his body, and the erect stature of it, different from all other creatures.
When he created humans he created them in his image, he breathed his life into them. Made in the image of god is a book for those who seek a deeper knowledge and understanding of who god is and how we as human beings relate to him physically, emotionally, and spiritually in a metaphysical way, both now and in the future. The distinction drawn between in the image of god created he him and as man and woman created he them must not be overlooked. Read obadiah 1 commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. And since we live in a fallen world, do we still have the image of god or was it lost when adam and eve ate the forbidden fruit. Understanding we are created in gods image is an important aspect of knowing god.
Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it. He wants us to grasp those points because the same applies to us. Thus man was given a mind capable of hearing and understanding gods communication with him, emotions capable of. Most of these debates, however, have little impact on what the book of genesis contributes to understanding work, workers, and workplaces, and we will not attempt to take a. For it is a remarkable instance of the divine goodness which can never be sufficiently proclaimed. Forgive us father for not taking care of your beautiful creation and. What does it mean that humanity is created in the image of. What it means to be made in the image of god what does the bible mean when it says we are created in god s image genesis 1. Made in the image of god is a book developed over 27 years based on the scriptures bible and god working in my life. And, at the same time, he admonishes us from what excellence we have fallen, that he. So god created man in his own image, in the image of god he.
Although we may not be the point, god did create us differently than the rest of the world. So god created man in his own image, in the image of god he created him. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. Not only a man like himself, consisting of body and soul, but a sinner like himself. In the form that was made for him, for everything else was created with a command, whereas he man was created with the hands of god, as it is written ps.
Man was created by god, in his image, for god s joy and glory, and exists only in the context of god. The idea that we are made in the image of god has given comfort and moral stimulus to manythis doctrine defines our fundamental ethical responsibility as the imitation of god. Thankfully, the image of god definition extends further than the definition that we have made it. Rather, the pair of words conveys one idea through a. In addition, god clearly gave us beings created in his image authority over animals. Through the centuries, many have contemplated the meaning of the phrase in the image and likeness of god. Genesis 1, with its overriding emphasis on the uncon ditional freedom of god s sovereignty, leaves no doubt that man is a creature of god at the same time as he is in the image of god.
Image of god bakers evangelical dictionary of biblical. In verses 2627, he says four times that man is created in the image of god. God created man in his own image, in the image of god he created him. Notice also god emphasizing the gender in relation to his image. Obadiah 1 commentary matthew henry commentary on the. We are created in the image of god and the fall of human beings into sin in genesis three did not destroy it, but defaced it. It changes how we view and interact with others, as well as the issues that we. All people are created in the image of god and that changes everything. So the writer of the apocryphal book of wisdom says. The god who authored the book and the people he used to write these things. And the text for being in the image of god, and staying in the image of god, would be genesis one. Then 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 all the creatures that move along the ground. Jen wilkin helps answer this question in her outstanding book in his image.
As a potter fashions clay into a vessel, the book of genesis affirms that mankind was created in the very image of god. True, the earth and animals too have a place in god s economy, but essentially, the world was created as a. The image of god in humanity is critical to our understanding of what makes. And adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness demooth, after his image, and named him seth.