Twentieth Sunday after Trinity, 2002
Genesis 1:26-28

A masterpiece is a supreme artistic achievement. With many artists it is possible to review their works and pick out the greatest. Handel composed The Messiah . Melville wrote Moby Dick . Michelangelo sculpted David . Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa . Sometimes however an artist has so many great works it is hard to determine which one is the masterpiece. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet , King Lear and The Tempest ; they are all brilliant.

There is no doubt about which was God's masterpiece. God looked at His creation of man and saw that it was "very good." Genesis one says that the Persons of the Trinity took counsel together. We read it in Genesis 1:26-28:

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Two key words are "image" and "likeness." The Bible teaches that man, and man alone, is the image of God. In some way, man, created in God's image is unique from the rest of creation. He possesses a special dignity. What do Scripture and tradition say about man in the image of God? How does Jesus Christ fit into the doctrine? What are the implications of the imago Dei for us today? These are some of the questions we want to now explore. [I'm indebted to Norman Shepherd's The Image of God for many of the insights that will follow.]

What is the purpose of the imago Dei (image of God)? It exalts man in distinction from animals. As soon as he is created, man is told to fill the earth and subdue it, exercising "dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth" (Gen. 1:28). There is thus a chasm separating man and animals. Adam names the animals and masters them.

The imago Dei points to a chasm in the other direction as well, the separation between God and man. A word study of "image" and "likeness" brings this out. "Image" in Hebrew is tselem , ikon in Greek, and imago in Latin; "likeness" is demooth in Hebrew, homoi-osis in Greek, and similitudo in Latin. What do the words "image" and "likeness" mean? First they establish the close relationship between God and man. An image reflects and represents the original. The word "likeness" describes "portraits" and "blueprints." The two terms emphasize the fact of similarity. There is a close resemblance between God and man. At the same time "image" and "likeness" secure a separation between the eternal God, the Creator, and finite man, the creature. Genesis says that man is the "image and likeness" of God, not the "essence and identity" of God. There is a likeness but not an exact replica.

Here's another question worth pondering. Is the image spiritual, physical, or a combination of both? Some Bible scholars tend to explain the image of God in strictly spiritual qualities. This is unnecessary. The original Hebrew refers to a concrete object, an article that can be seen, something physical, like a pictorial image. On the other hand, we may not restrict the image to that which is physical. God is a Spirit. Therefore, man, physically and spiritually, reflects God.

Is it necessary to draw a distinction between tselem and demooth -- between image and likeness? Some of the earlier Church writers held to this. For example, Irenaeus thought that "image" referred to the material part of God's image whereas "likeness" referred to the immaterial. Augustine supposed that the image had to do with intellectual qualities while likeness concerned moral ones. The Roman Catholic scholar Bellarmine insisted that image was linked to man's natural ability, whereas likeness was bound to man's supernatural gifts. Origen held that man was made in the image of God, and this prepared him to become like God. The likeness to God, however, was reserved for the future. All men bear the image, but only Christians can attain the likeness through diligent effort and progressive sanctification.

A problem with these views is that the Bible does not draw a distinction between image and likeness. How is that so? The Hebrew employs something called Hebrew parallelism. It very frequently repeats a word or phrase for emphasis or poetic effect. With image and likeness it seems that we have a case of Hebrew parallelism. Furthermore, Genesis 5:1 says, "In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God." Here the one word "likeness" takes the place of two words, "image and likeness." Furthermore, Ezekiel 23:14-15 refers twice to the Babylonian idols. Once using "image" then using "likeness." Clearly the terms are interchangeable in Scripture. To give them different meanings is inappropriate.

Another question has to do with angels. Do angels bear the imago Dei ? Actually there is virtually no biblical evidence to support the notion. The theologians who try to prove this are forced to resort to very subtle inferences. We are much safer in holding that angels are not the image and likeness of God, only man.

We have seen that man, and man alone, is created according to the image and likeness of God. Now we can examine what that image is? Can we identify the element or elements that constitute the image of God? What is the essence of the image? Which attributes of God does the image reflect? From the outset we must admit that the biblical evidence it is not very clear. Oftentimes Church history helps on these matters. But on this issue there is no consensus. We are met with a long list of possibilities.

For example, the case has been made that "dominion over creation" constitutes the imago Dei . As soon as God made man in His image he told Adam and Eve: "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over every living thing" (Gen. 1:28). Closely connected to dominion over creation is procreation, or the propagation of the image of God. "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it." Man thus has the mandate to beget children and to rule the world for the glory of God.

Others see reason or rational endowments as epitomizing the image of God. According to this perspective, man's mind and intellect must be the stamp of God's image (Aquinas). Then there are those who understand the soul to be central to the image (Calvin). Related to this would be immortality, the reality that our souls will live forever. What else has been put forward as the crux of the imago Dei ? The will of man has been a favorite for a few students of theology (Bellarmine and Ursinus). The body is often cited as well. Man's face, his sense of shame, his personality, his memory, his freedom, his living relationship to God, his service to God, and let's not forget moral attributes such as wisdom, holiness, and righteousness.

Dozens of perspectives have been propounded. Some scholars lean toward just one of these elements, others prefer a combination of two or three of them, and others opt for all the above. When we ask for the mind of the Church on what it is that makes man in God's image and sets man off from the animals, she offers a multitude of answers.

Now let's turn to another facet of the doctrine of the imago Dei . How did the Fall affect the image? God created Adam and Eve after His likeness. But that was before they ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. What happened to the image after they rebelled? Was the imago Dei erased? Blurred? Twisted? Or left intact?

The Lutheran school of thought holds that yes, the image has been obliterated by the Fall. Since the image consists of knowledge, holiness and righteousness, these three elements have been so thoroughly mutilated that man now reflects the image of Satan rather than God. Reformed thinkers take a middle road. The Fall of Adam and Eve only corrupted the image in a broad sense, but totally blotted it out in a narrow sense. These perspectives enjoy the support of many good people and they could be correct. However, they fail to take into account some notable passages.

Genesis 9:6 says, "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man." Here is a text that commands capital punishment for premeditated murder. Why does the Bible authorize capital punishment for murder? The destruction of a human life is the destruction of the image of God. Man's life is sacred because it is the likeness of God. That is one truth. The other is, in spite of the Fall man still is in the image of God.

James 3:9 reinforces the concept that the image remains intact after the Fall. James warns us of the dangers of the tongue with these words: "With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude (or likeness) of God." In effect, how can we with the same tongue bless the living God and curse the actual image of God? The implication is clear. Man after the Fall is the image of God in the same sense as man before the Fall. Even though a man fails to display any trace of knowledge, holiness or righteousness, he still bears the imago Dei .

The same goes for those who believe that man is the image of God due to his rationality. How do they account for the insane person? Isn't the image erased if his brain has ceased to function properly? And those who think that man is the image of God thanks to his body. How do they deal with the deformed man or woman? According to Scripture these persons remain the imago Dei . The willful murder of an insane man is forbidden with the same sanction as the murder of a normal man. The cursing of the deformed is forbidden for the same reason as the cursing of the whole.

The Bible teaches that man is the image of God. Man before the Fall and after the Fall bears the image. Redeemed man and unredeemed man bear the likeness. This seems to be what the Bible teaches. The elements of dominion, creation, rationality, will, and personality are actually consequences of the image.

Let's look at another facet. Any discussion of the image of God must include the place of Jesus. How does the Lord relate to the image of God? St. Paul explains it in 2 Corinthians 4:4: ". . . whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them."

The apostle says the same thing in Colossians 1:15: "[Christ] is the image of the invisible God." The Bible states as clear as day that Christ is the image of God. So the question is, in what sense is He the imago Dei ? The creeds and councils speak of the two natures of our Savior Jesus Christ, the divine and human. Is Christ the image of God by virtue of His divinity? Or is He the image of God because of His humanity? The incarnation is the context of the passages that declare Christ to be the image of God. That helps. The incarnation signifies that the Son of God was fully human. Consequently, Christ is called the image of God not because of His divinity but because of His humanity. In His divinity He is the essence of God, not the image of God.

Let's review. Man is created according to the image and likeness of God. The image sets off man from all other created beings. Image and likeness are interchangeable terms. The Fall did not effect the image. It remains intact after the Fall. The consequences of the imago Dei are many: relationship with God, relationship with others, dominion over creation, righteousness and holiness, etc. Jesus Christ, in His humanity, also is the image of God. Now let's ask how the image of God relates to our renewal.

Romans 8:28-29 declares, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son" The Bible here tells us the purpose of our predestination. Our Heavenly Father has predestined us to salvation in order to be conformed to the image of His Son. That is our goal. But how can conformity to the image of Christ be our goal when we are already the image of God?

The image of Christ is our goal because of the difference between the imago Dei we bear and the imago Dei Jesus bears. We both bear the image of God, but man's imago Dei is tainted by sin whereas that of Jesus is not. The image of God in Christ is not identical to our image (Philippians 2:7).

Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. Adam was created sinless and innocent. However, after being justified by Christ's work on the cross, we do not strive to be like the first Adam before he sinned, rather we strive be conformed to the Second Adam. This is the process of renewal, the process of sanctification. We take on the image of Jesus' perfect and glorified humanity. That is our ultimate aim. We never completely attain that goal in this life but we do in the next. Colossians 3:10 states, "[you] have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of [Jesus Christ] who created [you]." St. Paul commands us in Ephesians 4:23, "be renewed in the spirit of your mind, put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."

The doctrine of the image of God is a hard one to grasp. Nevertheless, man cannot be properly understood apart from it. A Christian worldview must contain it. Man is the capstone of all creation. The imago Dei means that man possesses a supreme value above all other animals. What a crucial truth this is in our day when man is placed on the same level as cats, dogs, chickens and dolphins. The mountains, rivers, flowers and trees reflect a few of the attributes of God, but man is better; he reflects God's very image. Moreover, the lawfulness of capital punishment is based on the fact that a murderer has struck out against this image of God (Gen. 9:6).

The ramifications of man after God's image are numerous. The imago Dei encourages your love for humanity. If you love God you will love His image. As a consequence of the imago Dei you are called to exercise dominion over creation; God asks you to build Christ's kingdom. He desires that you grow in wisdom, righteousness and holiness. Indeed the very purpose of your predestination is (by His grace) conformity to the image of Christ. Come now to the Holy Communion. The body and blood of the Lord Jesus is a means whereby God conforms your life to the sinless, glorified humanity of His Son Jesus Christ.

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