Created in the Image of God

[FreeGrace]

On 2/28/2025 at 9:38 AM, Dennis1209 said:

The image of God cannot be any set of attributes, talents, sentience, or intelligence, as everyone must equally share it: a fetus, the mentally impaired, both sexes, all ethnicities, everyone.

So, God creating man "in OUR image" with body, soul and human spirit" fulfills the requirement for "everyone to equally share it".

Everyone is born with a body, soul, but dead human spirit.  That is why everyone needs to be born again, or "made alive" (Eph 2:5).

On 2/28/2025 at 9:38 AM, Dennis1209 said:

As sin is inherently passed down from Adam from generation to generation, so is God’s image.

Right.  Body, soul and spirit.  Man was created tripartite just as God is Triune.

On 2/28/2025 at 9:38 AM, Dennis1209 said:

 

 

[FreeGrace]

23 hours ago, Dennis1209 said:

I am not being quarrelsome or argumentative, and I agree with your assessment. But, as I proposed above, all humans must possess the image of God equally.

Exactly!

23 hours ago, Dennis1209 said:

Do all humans possess sentience and the ability to love from conception?

No, but all humans possess a body, a soul and a human spirit, which is dead at birth but "made alive" (Eph 2:5) through faith in Christ.  (Eph 2:8)

23 hours ago, Dennis1209 said:

Without going into detail, there are those being cared for and alive who are not self-aware or aware of anything and have no concept or ability to give or receive love. This concept does not seem to fit the definition of God's image.

Correct.  But all humans having a body, soul and spirit does exactly fit the definition of God's image.

23 hours ago, Dennis1209 said:

Humans and the animal kingdom are both given spirits; ours are God-breathed:

Ecclesiastes 3:21 Who knoweth the spirit (rûaḥ) of man that goeth upward, and the spirit (rûaḥ) of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit (rû^aḥ) shall return unto God who gave it.

The animal, plant, fish, and bug kingdoms don't have a soul, where the intellect, emotions, conscience etc resides.

23 hours ago, Dennis1209 said:

A top geneticist states that <1% of human DNA alteration will make us less than human, which is the goal of enhancing our strength, endurance, and senses for super soldiers and human enhancement. I don’t know why I threw that in. 

I think what makes us "human" is our tripartite existence;  body, soul and spirit.  I know I sound like a broken recotrd, but it is very important in order to understand about spiritual death and life.  

[FreeGrace]

22 hours ago, Who me said:

God is a spirit so we being physical don't  look like God, but we have similar characteristics  of God.

We are spiritual beings, we have emotions, we are rational and reasonable, we are creative.

These are  ways in which all mankind is made in the image of God.

All summed up in the tripartite man:  body, soul and human spirit.  1 Thess 5:23

[Dennis1209]

2 hours ago, FreeGrace said:

Exactly!

No, but all humans possess a body, a soul and a human spirit, which is dead at birth but "made alive" (Eph 2:5) through faith in Christ.  (Eph 2:8)

Correct.  But all humans having a body, soul and spirit does exactly fit the definition of God's image.

The animal, plant, fish, and bug kingdoms don't have a soul, where the intellect, emotions, conscience etc resides.

I think what makes us "human" is our tripartite existence;  body, soul and spirit.  I know I sound like a broken recotrd, but it is very important in order to understand about spiritual death and life.  

Okay, now we can get down to the nitty-gritty and fine-tune our exegesis. You solely base your argument on humanity being a tri-part being created in the image of God, body, soul, and spirit. Is that correct?

I was going to mention it before I ran out of cyber ink. The higher forms of the animal kingdom are also tripart beings, consisting of body, soul, and spirit.

I need not mention physical bodies, for that is obvious.

Ø  Ecclesiastes 3:21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? Spirit - (rûaḥ)

Ø  Genesis 1:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. [(nepeš) Soul – life – breath]

Before further discussion, are we in agreement thus far? The animal kingdom, those with windpipes and lungs, is like us: tripart, body, soul, and spirit. If you are interested, my forthcoming argument will hinge on the definition of a soul, what differentiates a human soul from an animal soul, and what makes us God’s imagers.

 

 

[FreeGrace]

1 hour ago, Dennis1209 said:

Okay, now we can get down to the nitty-gritty and fine-tune our exegesis. You solely base your argument on humanity being a tri-part being created in the image of God, body, soul, and spirit. Is that correct?

Yes, based on how the Bible describes humans, which links to how God created man.

1 hour ago, Dennis1209 said:

I was going to mention it before I ran out of cyber ink. The higher forms of the animal kingdom are also tripart beings, consisting of body, soul, and spirit.

Well, this I disagree with.  What evidence is there for animals having both a soul and spirit?  

1 hour ago, Dennis1209 said:

I need not mention physical bodies, for that is obvious.

But you did.  😁

1 hour ago, Dennis1209 said:

Ø  Ecclesiastes 3:21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? Spirit - (rûaḥ)

Ø  Genesis 1:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. [(nepeš) Soul – life – breath]

Before further discussion, are we in agreement thus far?

Ruach and its other forms has a broad usage, from God Himself to the wind.  The obvious given that the brain of both man and animal is the 'computer' that runs the body, that may be the meaning in Eccl 3:21 and similar verses.

1 hour ago, Dennis1209 said:

The animal kingdom, those with windpipes and lungs, is like us: tripart, body, soul, and spirit. If you are interested, my forthcoming argument will hinge on the definition of a soul, what differentiates a human soul from an animal soul, and what makes us God’s imagers.

Again, I disagree that animals have both a body and spirit.  

Gen 2:17 is a clear warning about death from eating the fruit.  In the actual Hebrew, there are 2 deaths.

English translations: in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.

Literal Hebrew:  in the day that you eat of it, DYING you shall surely DIE.

This is easily verified by googling "literal Hebrew of Gen 2:17".  Some sites will acknowledge the fact and then say it isn't significant, while others will note the significance.

I, for one, see great significance in the warning.  We know that both A & E died on that day.  But it wasn't physical, obviously.  So what else could have died?  If the soul, then they would be vegetables, basically.  So the only other logical and reasonable option is the spirit.  That is where "spiritual death" comes from.  Adam's spirit died, rendering his relationship with God severed, which is why he and the woman hid when the Lord came calling.  

Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4:24 that one "must worship God in spirit and in truth".  On biblehub.com the "spirit" is capitalized, but the other 32 translations isn't capitalized.

I believe Jesus was telling the woman that in order to worship God one must possess a functional (living) human spirit and worship according to God's plan (truth).  This is why everyone needs to be born AGAIN, or RE-generated or "made alive".

These words specifically indicate a change in the person, which I am convinced is the regeneration of the dead human spirit.  That is what makes the believer a "new creation" per 2 Cor 5:17.

While you are defining the 'soul', include a definition of 'spirit' which you believe animals have as well.

As for me (and my household) lol, I believe animals have brain function similar (parallel?) to man's, but lack any conscience, which differentiates animals from humans.  Animals were created with instinct.  They do what they were created to do, unlike humans.

That's why some humans act like animals.  But we never see any animals acting like humans.  😁

[FriendofJonathan]

On 2/27/2025 at 6:55 AM, 70x7 said:

Adam and Eve were created in the image of God but are you and I?

Genesis 1:26 tells us that man was created in the image of God. This is obviously before the fall of man. 

Then, Genesis 9:6, ten generations after the fall of man, and after the flood, God again states that man, though fallen in sin, is created in His image. 

When God made His covenant with Noah, God also commanded, among other things, that man not murder, stating: "Whoso sheddeths mans blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man." (Genesis 9:6).  

Therefore, since we are all descendants of Adam and Noah,  we, too, every one of us, though born with a sin nature, are made in the image of God. 

 

[FreeGrace]

17 minutes ago, FriendofJonathan said:

Genesis 1:26 tells us that man was created in the image of God. This is obviously before the fall of man. 

Then, Genesis 9:6, ten generations after the fall of man, and after the flood, God again states that man, though fallen in sin, is created in His image. 

When God made His covenant with Noah, God also commanded, among other things, that man not murder, stating: "Whoso sheddeths mans blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man." (Genesis 9:6).  

Therefore, since we are all descendants of Adam and Noah,  we, too, every one of us, though born with a sin nature, are made in the image of God. 

 

Thanks for pointing out Gen 9:6, which is further evidence that even though man now has a sin nature, he is still in the image of God, which points to body, soul and spirit as to what the "image" is; namely, man is tripartite and God is Triune.

So even unbelievers have a human spirit, but is dead, which we call spiritual death.  And with faith in Christ, the human spirit is "made alive" (Eph 2:5) or RE-generated, and man becomes a 'new creation' (2 Cor 5:17).

[TheBlade]

Born in sin.. born into sinful world so forth so on. So who created that which is being born into sin or a fallen world? Sin did not can not give birth :) Yes we are created in His image. Its as if some are trying to apply this after being born. That spark of life comes only from God.. oh the great I AM

[Tristen]

On 3/1/2025 at 1:42 AM, Dennis1209 said:

I am not being quarrelsome or argumentative

I am happy to consider the views and opinions of others on any topic.

The exact meaning of the "Image of God" is something that has had a long history of debate within both Christian and Hebrew traditions. Since this idea represents a topic that is not directly defined by scripture, there is plenty of scope for respectful disagreement. 

 

On 3/1/2025 at 1:42 AM, Dennis1209 said:

as I proposed above, all humans must possess the image of God equally. Do all humans possess sentience and the ability to love from conception?

Given that we are created in the image of an eternal God, I suspect that the phrase "Image of God" can legitimately apply to many facets of human existence - and I would therefore be reluctant to place any dogmatic limitations on what this phrase could mean.

My previous post only presumed to present one aspect of the "Image of God" (according to my understanding, and as suited my argument) - and was not attempting to wholly define the phrase.

I am unsure why us having a body and mind that needs to grow into the maturity of God's design necessarily undermines the general claim that humans are carriers of God's image (defined as including, but not limited to, certain attributes/abilities/capacities). This argument implies a temporal limitation on God's image. I would posit that God has bestowed certain capacities to all of "mankind" that reflect His image - however, some capacities, which were ours at conception, have to be grown into as part of the God-designed, natural process of maturation. This can be contrast against Adam - who received God's image as a created adult.

Therefore, even when we sleep (or are otherwise inhibited from expressing certain capacities), They are ours - because God has bestowed them on all of mankind - i.e. regardless of our stage of development or physical corruptions. In other words, we humans can be in possession of a God-given attribute, even if our current physical state inhibits our ability to fully exercise said attribute.

 

On 3/1/2025 at 1:42 AM, Dennis1209 said:

Without going into detail, there are those being cared for and alive who are not self-aware or aware of anything and have no concept or ability to give or receive love. This concept does not seem to fit the definition of God's image.

I don't question that authority and ambassadorship are elements of God's image, however, I would suggest that being in an impaired state (as you describe above) also inhibits our expression of God's authority/ambassadorship. That is, this argument can be equally applied to your definition, as it you have applied it to a "set of attributes, talents".

 

On 3/1/2025 at 1:42 AM, Dennis1209 said:

It is an open secret the “kind” barrier is now being exploited.

That's a difficult concept to quantify.

If, for example, we artificially insert a gene from one "kind" into another "kind", does the receiving "kind" cease to be a member of that "kind", or are they still the original "kind" - but with an additional gene?

Certain microbes have a natural (i.e. God-created) capacity to move genes between kinds. Therefore, exploiting this "barrier" between kinds has been encoded by God in nature.

 

On 3/1/2025 at 1:42 AM, Dennis1209 said:

The percentage of DNA we share with the primate kingdom is amazing.

When scientists started investigating this, it was claimed to be around 99% similar. At my last investigation (based on improved technology) it was estimated to be around 80%.

I find percentage comparisons between species to be somewhat specious and overly simplistic - and heavily prone to bias. E.g.

- Are we doing a whole genome comparison, or only comparing protein coding sections? And what about functional transcription factors?

- Are different amounts of chromosomes between the compared species counted as differences, or are we only comparing genetic information content - and if chromosomes numbers are considered, how is this mathematically quantified - and if not, why not?

- What if one species has one copy of a gene, but the other species has many copies of the same gene - is that a similarity or a difference?

- What if both species have the same gene, but in different positions on the chromosome, or on different chromosomes - similarity or difference?

- What if a gene that performs the same function is coded differently between the compared species?

- What if both species have the same functional gene, but in different versions (e.g. both have the same gene for producing hair color, but each species has different hair color options) - is that counted as a similarity or difference?

etc.

 

On 3/1/2025 at 1:42 AM, Dennis1209 said:

A top geneticist states that <1% of human DNA alteration will make us less than human

It is somewhat of a mathematical deception. Less than 1% sounds like a small amount, but "human DNA" is comprised of over 3 billion (i.e. 3 thousand-million) base nucleotide pairs. 1% therefore represents over thirty million changes. The math becomes even more complex when you consider the different effects of such changes on coding DNA.

 

 

[JohnD]

My two cents...

Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15).

Human beings are made in his likeness (Genesis 1:26).

My take from this is God the Word, the lone Creator in the beginning of all things created

(Isaiah 44:24 / John 1:1-3 / Colossians 1:15-16) created the first Adam in the pattern the

Father would created the last Adam (John 1:14 / 1 Corinthians 15:45).

Genesis 1:26–27 (KJV)
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.