Being God's Image: Why Creation Still MattersExemplo

Humans as the Image of God

Genesis 1 devotes more words to the creation of humans than to any other created thing. We share day six with the creation of land animals, but God saves the best for last. Unlike the animals, which God makes “according to their kind,” God makes humans to be like Himself.

So God created humankind as his own image,

as the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27, my translation)

Throughout history, people have pondered what it means for humans to be the imago Dei. Our status as God’s image clearly sets us apart from the animals in some way. Is it our intellect? Our emotions? Our self-consciousness? Our capacity for relationship?

Although all of these things make humans different than animals, they are not what it means to be the image of God. An image is something concrete. Just as a statue of a god is intended to represent that god’s claim to a particular area, so humans are the physical representation of the Creator God on earth. God is not usually visible, so He appoints humans to remind Creation and each other of His Presence. Because God rules the world, our representative role includes ruling on God’s behalf.

The concept of rulership is clear in Genesis 1. Verses 26 and 28 frame the announcement that humans are God’s image; both speak of us ruling over fish, birds, and animals. Ruling responsibly over the creatures God made is the way we exercise our status as God’s image. It fulfills our purpose.

Another clue about what it means to be the image of God comes from Genesis 5. The chapter begins with a recap of God’s creation of humans in His "likeness." Then it applies the same language to the birth of other humans: “Now Adam lived 130 years, he fathered in his likeness, according to his image; and he called his name Seth” (Genesis 5:3, my translation). Genesis is offering us an analogy: Seth is Adam’s image the way we are God’s image. To be God’s image implies kinship. We are God’s family. Being God’s image involves both kinship and kingship. We are part of the royal family. Being God’s image is our human identity.