What does it mean to say that people are created in the image of God?

Question

The authors of the Bible couldn't possibly have meant that we share every property of God, because they went to lengths to make distinctions between us and God, showing how we are different than God in many ways. For example:

Numbers 23:19 "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?"

1 Chronicles 17:20 "O LORD, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears."

Isaiah 40:18 "To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him?" (This seems to be a rhetorical question with the answer being, "nobody." There's lots more of this in Isaiah, chapters 40 through 50 or so.)

Isaiah 55:8-9 "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,' declares the LORD. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.'"

Philippians 2:5-7 "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men." (Prior to the incarnation, Jesus existed in the form of God, but then we made in the likeness of men. See also Colossians 1:15 and Hebrews 1:3.)

2 Chronicles 6:18 "But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built." (God obviously can't be PHYSICALLY like us. In fact, I don't see how God could be physical at all.)

Some people say God is like us in the sense of being rational. But if God is all-knowing, surely he doesn't come to conclusions through a process of reasoning the way we do. He already knows everything immediately. Besides, as I cited earlier, God's thoughts are not our thoughts, and his ways are not our ways. Also, it seems to me that animals also reason, even if they aren't as intelligent as we are. We aren't as intelligent as God, obviously.

It can't be that we are moral like God is moral because as we saw earlier, God differentiates himself from us by saying we lie and he doesn't.

There's also the long speech God makes toward the end of Job where he differentiates himself in many ways from mere men. Mostly notably, he is different from us in his knowledge and power. We cannot create even a drop of dew, but he created the entire cosmos.

This question is for everybody, whether you believe the Bible is the word of God or not. After all, I'm not asking whether you think it's true that people are created in God's image. I'm just asking what you think the authors meant by it.

Answer 1

we are the animals with the brains.  Most animals can't read or write or decide what religion they are.

Answer 2

It means that we are created to reflect God's way of life in our lives. We need to copy his holy way because he created us for that purpose.  

Answer 3

Having the “image” or “likeness” of God means, in the simplest terms, that we were made to resemble God. Adam did not resemble God in the sense of God’s having flesh and blood. Scripture says that “God is a spirit” (John 4:24) and therefore exists without a body. However, Adam’s body did mirror the life of God, insofar as it was created in perfect health and was not subject to death.

The image of God refers to the immaterial part of man. It sets man apart from the animal world, fits him for the “dominion” God intended (Genesis 1:28), and enables him to commune with his Maker. It is a likeness mentally, morally, and socially.

Mentally, man was created as a rational, volitional agent—in other words, man can reason and man can choose. This is a reflection of God’s intellect and freedom. Any time someone invents a machine, writes a book, paints a landscape, enjoys a symphony, calculates a sum, or names a pet, he or she is proclaiming the fact that we are made in God’s image.

Morally, man was created in righteousness and perfect innocence, a reflection of God’s holiness. God saw all that He had made (mankind included) and called it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Our conscience or “moral compass” is a vestige of that original state. Whenever someone writes a law, recoils from evil, praises good behavior, or feels guilty, he is confirming the fact that we are made in God’s own image.

Socially, man was created for fellowship. This reflects God's triune nature and His love. In Eden, man’s primary relationship was with God (Genesis 3:8 implies fellowship with God), and God made the first woman because “it is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). Every time someone marries a wife, makes a friend, hugs a child, or attends a church, he is demonstrating the fact that we are made in the likeness of God.

Answer 4

It means that George Bush looks like God but is not God, but makes funnier word games than God.

Answer 5

well i blame god for my sexiness  

Answer 6

Jesus Christ is the perfect image of what we could comprehend God as being like. So If Jesus is Perfect man and God are we not as his image is but likeness is up to us (CHOICES) You miss the whole point of being made in His image. You rather mock the saying and discourage imitation and likeness to Jesus so that you can justify being rebellious and imperfect.My suggestion is only that we should try to be more like Jesus and less like ourselves! God bless everyone

Answer 7

To me it implies the human soul is like God.  I believe we all have a pure soul that is working in a human body.  The human body is flawed and it is not in harmony with the soul.  It is our job to find who we are inside, to find what our soul is.

Answer 8

I believe in the pan theory. It all pans out in the end. I just hope I'm not one of those found in the frying pan!

Answer 9

I think it's exactly what it says.  "Image": A reproduction of the form of a person or object, especially a sculptured likeness.

So, I think an actual physical image.  Although, I do not know the original word that was written before translated into the english term of image.  That could be a different story.

I just think this because we are different from God in every other way. He thinks, acts and has a character that is certainly far above humans.

Answer 10

I am an atheist, and i really can't read all that verse, but created in the image of god means that god was an alien, and used his advanced technology to create us to look like his race.

Answer 11

That we are spirit and body, and have the knowledge of good and evil.

Answer 12

it says "in the image of God"... it means we look somewhat like God. but of course we are phsical and our actions and life are nothing like HIm. in the image just means we sort of look like him,

Answer 13

Like I'm gonna read all that c**p.

It means that we created god in our image complete with human emotions.

Answer 14

The IMAGE of God. We look like him. We have the same body form. Sure we can't smite people or create worlds. But it's nice knowing we are in is image

Thanks you for asking a educated question!

Answer 15

The word image means likeness; mirror image, meaning we look as God and His angels do.

Answer 16

I think you already have all the answers you need for yourself. You need no more. Yet, since you asked, I'll tell you my own understanding of how I am made in His image and likeness.

a. I was made "perfect" (latin 'pere facto' -'with a purpose') and I have  qualities God has in Himself: Love, Wisdom, Power and Justice. No animal or alien intelligence has them.

b. I know the the difference between 'good' and 'evil' form God's stand point. No animal or alien intelligence can say that.

c. I posses the gift of 'creation', meaning I can 'design', 'invent', create'. Animals do not have that, they can only copy.

d. My communication program allows me to produce though

ts that will transform in words, my prime port of community with others. The "Word" was God's First creation aswell.

e. I was created a little less than angels, and my spirit allows me to understand deep things that they understand not, that is why they "peer inttentively into the scriptures".

f. All the feeling I posses, God posseses: Love, Anger, Hatred, Endurance, Perseverance, Trust, Affection, Warmth, Dedication, Loyalty, Insight, Wisdom, Happyness, Sadness, Creativity, Imagination, Discernment, etc

g. I was provided with the same spirit God is made of, His spirit. It allows me to travel to the infinitesimal and to the astronomical inmediately, to inquire dep into the heart of people - and in the future - lo read them openly, like Jesus did. It will "divide flesh and soul".

I think that these are enough for sample.

Answer 17

We are created in the spiritual image of God, where we can think, have free will, feel emotions like anger or love.

We do not, however, have the power or abilities that God possesses.

Answer 18

Im Hindu but I accept the bible and acknowledge the existence of Jesus.In that sense,I believe more in soul oriented meaning to that rather than the physical appearence of our specieis.We in the material world reflect a lot of god's qualities,but in far smaller amounts.Although in my belief,it goes as far as to say,the material Universe we live in is a crude reflection of the spiritual world,very imperfect but with a lot of negative qualities added.