In His Image for His Glory

Genesis 1:27 tells us that God created mankind – male and female human beings – in His image. Scripture doesn’t tell us that any other earthly creature was created in God’s image, so we can correctly deduce that mankind’s place in creation and on the earth is particular. Mankind is set apart from the rest of the creation by bearing the image of God. Genesis 3 gives us the account of mankind being tempted and falling into sin, and God cursing mankind for their sin. The curse was on all of mankind and sin and death would be the lot of all who would be born. In His mercy, God also promised to send a son of the woman, who would break the curse and redeem mankind and the creation.

When they were created, Adam and Eve imaged God perfectly because they were spiritually alive, without sin, and in perfect unbroken fellowship with God. When they sinned they died spiritually, the death that God promised if Adam disobeyed and ate the forbidden fruit (Gen 2:16-17). Because of their sin they no longer imaged God perfectly. The image of God they were created in was marred, it was corrupted.

Mankind was created body, soul, and spirit. Apart from Christ and the new birth of the Spirit humans are alive in body and soul but dead spiritually. The soul is the natural personality, the intellect, the emotions, and the will. In the intellect and emotions and will humans image God, but spiritually dead the ways in which God is imaged are limited. Not in kind but in scope. Humans image God in being able to reason, to think abstractly and concretely, in being able to experience emotion, and in language, the ability to communicate thought and emotion. Humans image God by creating from what we think and feel.

All humans image God. In Christ, those who are born of the Spirit image God in ways that those who are dead in sin cannot. Not in kind but in scope. We will not necessarily be better at what we do but by the Spirit we know why we do what we do. Apart from Christ humans can do great and wonderful things, but only in Christ can we do anything for the glory of God.

God created mankind in His image for His glory. How am I imaging God? How will I image God today? Am I living for His glory in ways that those around me see His glory? May it be so, Lord.