CHAPTER 2: IMAGE AND LIKENESS
In this section we will have a brief discussion about how God created man and what He intended when He created man:
• Why God created man.
• We are created in the Image of God.
• From Image to Likeness
Presentation
Why God Created Man
Rev. 1:8 [NIV]
8“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
The last will be first; the first will be last. We are most familiar with this teaching of Jesus, when He admonished His disciples not to strive for position and honor, rather to learn to serve and love one another. Yet, this word is also one of the keys to unlock the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. It will explain why He taught them to do so.
The above quoted scripture in Revelation points us to the omnipresence of God. Time, or the history of creation, does not have any bearing on Him. It only serves His purpose to bring about His Kingdom and the fulfillment of His plan. He knows the end from the beginning and had set in motion everything according His foreknowledge. And this is according to His good pleasure. However, He never leaves man, the jewel that He crowned His creation, the delight of His heart and the utmost satisfaction of His affections, outside of His counsel and wisdom. It has always been His will that man would be able to put aside all that veiled his sight, marred his understanding, and come to Him, to be taught by Himself as a son would to a father. This was His goodwill to man when He created him, and is the end (target) of His work unto him. Through faith in Christ Jesus, after receiving the life in the Holy Spirit, a disciple of Christ would be able to be taught (discipled) by Himself, grow in His wisdom and favor, partake of His divine nature, in the end, change into His glory and His very being, become one with Him and in Him through His Son.
God’s primary purpose of creation is to have His sons. They would be proved in justice and righteousness, worthy of His Name, to be endowed with glory and honor, thus to share His Kingdom as heirs and reign with Him as kings, with all that He created and will create; more than that, they would share His nature and desire, become the recipient and giver of His love and affection, enjoy His love and wisdom, thus would be able offer them to those are to learn of Him. All creation will be judged by the sons of God and will learn of the Creator from them.
To know this End, we will have to turn to the Beginning.
Created in His Image
To quote my friend Mark Reece in one of his recent articles “In His Image”:
One of the most startling of the mysteries which has been revealed to the Church through Jesus Christ is that from the very beginning, God purposed to have many sons. It was revealed in fact that the Lamb was slain from before the foundation of the world (Rev.13). Not only was He slain from the foundation of the world and revealed in the fullness of time, but the book of Hebrews tells us that it was for the purpose of bringing many sons to glory (Heb. 2). This, then, is the purpose of God which underlies and undergirds all of the subsequent facts surrounding the creation of man. Knowing that God’s primary purpose in creation was to have many sons changes how we think about man’s being, and must also impact the understanding we have of mankind being created in the image and likeness of God.
Now let’s turn to Genesis, the book of Beginnings, to take a look how God created man after the first 5 days of creation:
Gen. 1:26-27 [NIV]
26Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
Gen. 2:7 [NIV]
7the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Gen. 2:20-24 [NIV]
20So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.
But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
23The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.”
24For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
Notice that when God intended to create man, He intended that man will be made in their Image and their Likeness. Here usually it is to be understood the plural name of God implies all the God heads: Father, Son and the Spirit. And man was given the role to rule over all that was created before him.
Also please notice in Verse 27:
• Man, including male and female in this sense, was only created in “his own image”. How interesting the plural denotation of God is changed to be singular,
• In this singular personality, two sexes or two sets of characteristics of man, was created in manhood.
• Here also only “Image” is mentioned, but not “Likeness”.
We can’t offer a very detailed survey of all schools of thoughts here concerning these simple yet profound, plain yet intriguing verses (Please see Appendix 1). We will only give several observations relating to some key points of God’s eternal plan for mankind and His Kingdom.
1. God created man to be His son, and He intended to endow the soul of man with the Spirit of Sonship, which is able to hear and see the Spirit of the Father and be taught by Him. And with this fellowship, he is able to mature into His character, wisdom and transform into His nature and glory.
2. It is God’s glory and good pleasure to make man of the earthly things (dust) into an organic being (flesh and blood) with a higher life (a living soul) than other creatures. In this sense, there is nothing special of man in his physical constitution. Yet, by God’s breath (the breath of life), he was given a soul which is able to sense and embrace love and understanding, became a perfect vessel for the workmanship of God Heads, which is to become a dwelling place for the Glory, Life and Power of the Father and the Son as the Holy Spirit come into prepare in man a place to this end. Man was meant to be the temple (tent, house, and tabernacle) of the Holy Spirit and the glory of God, the Father and the Son, which will become one through the instrumentality of the perfection of manhood.
3. God intended for man to rule his creation and learn of His justice and righteousness, wisdom and love, thus become unto all creation the image of Himself. Other creation was meant to learn of God and yield to God through man’s perfect obedience and exact reflection or representation of God. Man was meant to be priests and kings on God’s behalf to mediate and teach all creation in their approach to God. So that heaven and earth will fill the knowledge and the glory of God.
Destined for His Likeness
Another most important observation need to be stressed here is that man was only created in “His Image”, not in His Likeness. This distinction was marred by later theologians as they have not fully grasped the full extension of God’s mystery in creating man. This seems to be a bold statement, but not so in light of what is taught by Jesus, whose teaching passed unto the early Apostles. Many scholars tried hard to classify NT teaching with the authorship as if man’s personality would define or confine God’s eternal truth and wisdom. We give no consideration of such “from-below” or earthly approach, as we know very clearly that the early Apostles were directly passing on teaching from Jesus Christ Himself. They never tried to teach their own doctrines or revelations. What was taught and revealed to them was plain and clear. One of the key points is that God created man in His own image, and He intended to give him the spirit of Sonship, so that He could fellowship with him. And in so doing, he will be transformed into His likeness, thus become one with Him and in Him. This was stated by Jesus, Peter, John and Paul very clearly in diverse portions of the scripture. We will not have the time to dig into them in this presentation.
Now let us give some key observations as well:
1. When God created man, He gave him the full faculty to be able to fellowship with Himself. This implies that man can see and hear God, or enjoy the full spiritual faculties to commune with God, just as he enjoys physical, mental and moral faculties to sense and analyze the natural world; memorize and reflect what happened in time; trace, form, process and express thoughts, emotions, patterns of thinking and decisions; form, discern and judge unto and within behavioral, morel, relational, communal, even social code of rights and wrongs.
Now, natural or physical aspect of man’s learning faculty for understanding and intelligence is but a tip of an ice-burger and a simply a shadow of what God endowed man with in term of the spiritual. Brother Watchmen Nee has a book titled as “The Latent Power of the Soul”. In it, he even mentioned that the soul or mind of man would be able to avail psychic power for its selfish and vile purposes. Spiritualism and witchcraft is of such a nature. But that is a fatal and illegal path to avail spiritual power and understandings. It is very low and base compared with the rich, pure and glorious life of God and the inheritance of His Kingdom, of which He would freely give to us if we repent form our wicked ways and receive the Lordship of His Son, and hold unto our Faith reached out in the Gospel-His Word.
2. God intends that man being able to fellowship with Him as a son would to a father and make available unto himself His eternal life. It was the tree of knowledge of good and evil Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat, but not the tree of life. When Jesus died on the cross, he took the blame or curse (cursed is a man who dies on a tree), and was lifted up to be a symbol of shame and curse, thus satisfied the just God for the price of death in regard to sin. In this, He becomes our redemption, forgiveness, atonement, justification, righteousness, even sanctification and glorification. If we hold unto our faith, we are fully restored back to the Father, and the privilege of His fellowship and love.
But it takes a process for this life to be actualized in our life in time and space. This process is mentioned as sanctification and glorification, maturity, transformation, the renewal of our minds, cleansing of our old self, etc. But the essence is the same. It is to partake the nature of God, thus being changed from a natural man into a matured spiritual man, grow from His image into His Likeness.
In this light, we might have a glimpse of how much man lost from the Fall-almost everything that matters to the good will of God and the wellbeing of man. We will have a discussion of it in the next few sessions.
Scriptures
Why God Created Man?
Eph 1:3-6 [NIV]
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
2 Co 4:18-5:5 [NIV]
18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
1Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Heb 2:10-13 [NIV]
10In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. 12He says,
“I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises.”
13And again,
“I will put my trust in him.”
And again he says,
“Here am I, and the children God has given
me.”
Created in His Image, Destined for His Likeness
John 10:30-38 [NIV]
30I and the Father are one.”
31Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, 32but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”
33“We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
34Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’? 35If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken— 36what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. 38But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”
John 14:6-17 [NIV]
6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
8Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
15“If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
Heb 1:1-13 [NIV]
1In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
5For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son;
today I have become your Father”? Or again,
“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son”?
6And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.”
7In speaking of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels winds,
his servants flames of fire.”
8But about the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever,
and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.
9You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
10He also says,
“In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
11They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
12You will roll them up like a robe;
like a garment they will be changed.
But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.”
13To which of the angels did God ever say,
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet”?
Col 1:12-20 [NIV]
12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
2 Cor. 3:16-4:6 [NIV]
16But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
1Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
2 Pe 1:3-11 [NIV]
3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
10Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Questions for Reviews
1. What stands out to you when you read this presentation?
2. What do you think of the purpose God created man?
3. What do you think of the Image and Likeness of God?
Questions for Mediation and Application
1. Why God created you?
2. What does it means to you to think that you are created in God’s own image?
3. How do you develop your spiritual life into the Likeness of God?
4. What it means to you to be a “son of God”?
Appendix One
Finally we note two important passages in which man is said to be created in “(the image and) likeness of God” (Gen 1:26; 5:1), and one passage where Adam fathered a son, Seth, “in his likeness” (Gen 5:3).
Our purpose here is not to examine per se the doctrine of imago Dei. The studies on this have been legion. Specifically. we shall attempt to ascertain the relationship between selem (“image,” q.v.) and dĕmût (“likeness”) in Gen. Nowhere else in the or do these two nouns appear in parallelism or in connection with each other. The following suggestions have been made.
(1) Roman Catholic theology has maintained that “image” refers to man’s structural likeness to God, a natural image. which survived the Fall and “likeness” refers to man’s moral image with which he is supernaturally endowed; and it is this likeness that was destroyed in the Fall.
(2) The more important word of the two is “image” but to avoid the implication that man is a precise copy of God, albeit in miniature. the less specific and more abstract dĕmût was added. dĕmût then defines and limits the meaning of selem (Humbert, Barr).
(3) No distinction is to be sought between these two words. They are totally interchangeable. In Gen 1:26, which is God’s resolution to create, both words are used. But in v. 27, the actual act of creation, only selem is used. not dĕmût. The two words are so intertwined that nothing is lost in the meaning by the omission of dĕmût. Also, the LXX translates dĕmût in Gen 5:1 not by the usual homoiosis but by eikon, the Greek counterpart for Hebrew selem in (Schmidt).
(4) It is not, selem which is defined and limited by (dĕmût but the other way around. Two things are important here: (a) the similarity between demut and the Hebrew word for “blood” dām; (b) in Mesopotamian tradition the gods in fact created man from divine blood. Genesis then represents a conscious rejection of and polemic against pagan teaching by asserting that,selem specifies the divine similarity to which dĕmût refers, viz., man’s corporeal appearance and has nothing to do with the blood that flows in his veins (Miller).
(5) The word “likeness” rather than diminishing the word “image” actually amplifies it and specifies its meaning. Man is not just an image but a likeness-image. He is not simply representative but representational. Man is the visible. corporeal representative of the invisible, bodiless God. dĕmût guarantees that man is an adequate and faithful representative of God on earth (Clines).
(Harris, R. L., Harris, R. L., Archer, G. L., & Waltke, B. K. (1999, c1980). Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed.) (192). Chicago: Moody Press.)
