Created Images

“Many scholars draw a parallel between the image of God in Genesis and images of kings in the ancient world. Rulers could not be everywhere at once, and travel was slow. So, they would erect monuments or statues of themselves throughout their kingdoms. These ‘images’ let everyone know that the king’s rule extended wherever his image was found.” [BL]

“Another kind of image in the ancient world is an idol, a physical object that represented the god in the temple. Idols were not considered gods themselves. They were statues that let you know the god was in some mysterious sense ‘present.’” [BL]

“Statues of kings and of god’s help us understand what it means for humans to be made in God’s image: humans are place in God’s kingdom as His representatives. The phrase ‘image of God’ is about humanity’s unique role in being God’s kingly representatives in creation.” [BL]

One of the reasons for the commandment not to make a graven image of God is “God already made an image of Himself: humankind, a living image. By carving images to worship, [His People] would be creating an alternate ‘connection’ with God.” [BL]

“One of the portraits the New Testament paints of Jesus is that of ultimate image-bearer of God. Jesus fully reflects God’s image; He is the true representative of God in His creation. No one embodies more fully this truly human quality.” [BL]

Created in His Image

“Jesus is the ‘image of the invisible God’ (Colossians 1:15): He rules creation because all things were created by Him. As the resurrected Son, Jesus is ‘head of the body, the church, the beginning and firstborn from among the dead’ (vs. 18). By His resurrection, Jesus is the first to embody fully the image-bearing role conferred on all humanity in Genesis.” [BL]

“The true image of God is only realized in the crucified and risen Son of God. And this gives us a much fuller understanding of the incarnation. The incarnate Son of God is fully God and fully human. Jesus is the full image-bearer of God. By faith, we too participate in restored humanity.” [BL]

“In the midst of all of our attributes, titles, positions, and labels, we need to know that the most fundamental aspect of our identity is that we were ‘created in the image of God.’” ~Robert Hampshire

“This concept of ‘Imago Dei’ (the Latin translation of ‘Image of God’) originates from the Creation story in Genesis 1, when the Bible explains, ‘So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them’ (Genesis 1:27 ESV). But this aspect of our identity is referenced multiple other times throughout Scripture, including in Paul’s writings.” [C]

“In the Book of Ephesians, Paul teaches that ‘every family in heaven and on earth’ is named after God the Father (Ephesians 3:14 ESV). This phrasing reminds us that our relationship with God is personal because He is our Father, and we are his children. This is so important because it combats every kind of racism or elitism at its root. We were all created in the image of God.” [C]

What Does This Concept of Imago Dei Mean?

• We look like God (we mirror his attributes)
• We act like God (we have dominion over the earth)
• We speak like God (we communicate just as he communicates)
• We live like God (we are made up of a body, soul, and spirit similar to him)
• We love like God (we love because he first loved us)
• We create like God (we procreate new life through the marriage union, we create stories, art, etc.) [C]

“Even while we were sinners, according to Romans 5:8, He offers a way for us to be reconciled back into a relationship with God, redeemed and given our value back, restored into fellowship with our Father, and even recreated back into the image of God.” [C]

Recommendations:

Determined to Know Christ Determined to Know Christ – Strength with Dignity

Apple of God’s Eye Apple of God’s Eye – Strength with Dignity

References:

English Standard Version (ESV). The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

How Are We Created in the Image of God? Published by Christianity.com [C] on December 3, 2020. Written by Robert Hampshire. Retrieved February 23, 2022, from How Are We Created in the Image of God? (christianity.com)

What Does “Image of God” Mean? (Part 1-4) Published by BioLogos [BL] on July 27, 2010. Written by Pete Enns. Retrieved February 23, 2022, from What Does “Image of God” Mean? – Articles – BioLogos

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