”Man: The Image of God”

(Genesis 1: 26-27)

Introduction: Three weeks ago we saw the creation of all things

out of nothing by the efficient power of the Almighty God. Two
weeks ago we saw the creation of the angels on the first day of the
creation week to be God’s powerful host to carry out His will and
to render service on behalf of those who will inherit salvation.
This week we will look at God’s final creation, namely man.
After God had created the environments or realms into which He
would place His creatures, He then made all of their inhabitants.
He made them all in six days, and all for His glory. But on the
final creation day, God made man as a creature in His own image.
He made man to be His vice-gerent, that is to be His co-ruler over
all His creation. Man was given dominion over all the work of
God’s hands in order to subdue it. But what we want to look at
tonight particularly is what the Bible says about the creation of
man in the image of God. And what I want you to see is,

God made man on the final day of creation to be His special

image bearer.

I. God Made M a n on the Sixth Day as His Final Creative Act.

A. God Created Everything in Six Days.
1 . He first created the habitations of His creatures on
days one through three.
a. He created the heavens and the earth on day one,
which included both the realm of God and His
angels, and the space for the heavenly bodies.
b. He created the sea and skies on day two by forming
an expanse which separated the waters above from
the waters below.
c. And He created the dry land on day three by
separating the waters below from the land.

2. He then created the creatures that would inhabit those

environments in the following days four through six.
a. He made the sun, moon, and stars on day four to
inhabit the space.
b. He made the fish and birds on day five to inhabit
the seas and skies.
c. And He made the land animals on day six to inhabit
the dry land.

B. But God’s Final Act of Creation Was Man, to Whom He

Committed the Rule over All His Creation.
1 . He made man on the sixth day.
a. He first created the man.
(il ”THEN THE LORD GOD FORMED MAN OF DUST FROM THE
GROUND, AND BREATHED INTO HIS NOSTRILS THE
BREATH OF LIFE; AND MAN BECAME A LIVING
BEING.” (Gen. 2:7).
(a) Whereas God spoke and created all things
that were not only on the first day, but
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through the entirety of the creation

week, He did not employ any means to
create man, but made Him personally.
(bl And God used Himself as the blue print

(iil But man did not begin to live until God

breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.
(a) This eliminates the notion that man
evolved from the lifeless earth, even by
a process of theistic evolution.
(bl Notice that this man which the Lord had
formed was not said to be living until
after He received the breath of life.
(cl And when he received it, he was already man.
(dl So man could not have evolved through
stages of successive mutations into a
human being, for this presupposes that
the earlier life forms were already
a1ive.
(el Secondly, this shows that man is only
composed of two distinct substances:
a body and a soul.
(fl The view that man is composed of three
parts is not Biblical.

b. The woman was also created on day six, but after

the man was created.
(il According to the creation narrative of chapter
2, Adam had time to receive from the Lord the
command not to eat of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil and to name the
animals prior to the creation of Eve.
(iil And when it became evident that the animals
all had mates which corresponded to their
needs, but Adam did not, the Lord caused a
deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and He made Eve
from the rib which He took from Adam.
(iiil We know that this took place on the sixth day
because of our passage, ”AND GOD CREATED MAN
IN HIS OWN IMAGE, IN THE IMAGE OF GOD HE
CREATED HIM; MALE AND FEMALE HE CREATED THEM”
(Gen. 1:27l.
(a1 Both were created on day six.
(bl Both were created in the image of God.

2. And He entrusted to man the rule over all His works.

a. He commanded the man and woman to multiply and
subdue the earth.
b. Man was to have dominion over the earth, subjecting
i t to the glory of God.
c. We will look more closely at this next week.

II. Man Is Unique in that He Was Made in God’s Image.

A. God’s Image Consists in His Being a Spiritual, Rational,
Moral and Immortal Being and In the Moral Excellence of His
Nature.
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1. God created man using Himself as the blueprint.

a. God said, ”LET US MAUE MAN IN OUR IMAGE, ACCORDING
TO OUR LIKENESS” (Gen. 1 :26).
b. Image and likeness are most likely synonyms of each
other in this case, for verse 27 repeats the truth
and omits the word ”likeness” altogether.
c. And there are other passages of Scripture as well
where the terms are used synonymously.

2. First, there is a broad sense in which man was created

in the image of God.
a. M a n is a spiritual creature.
(il God is Spirit and this element finds its
expression in man.
(iil This is the immaterial aspect of man’s nature.
(iiil Man was created a spiritual being when God
breathed into his nostrils the ”breath of
life.”
(ivl This aspect of man can exist without the body,
but the body without the soul ceases to live.

b. M a n is also a rational creature.

(il He has the power to think, to reason, and to
contemplate his own existence--He knows that
he is.
(iil He has the power to make choices, and to
freely carry those choices out.

c. M a n is a moral creature.
(il He had the knowledge of good and evil written
on his heart.
(iil And as originally created, he had the power to
choose either good or evil.
(iiil He could make morally significant choices.

d. M a n is an immortal creature.
(il God alone has the power of His existence
within Himself, and so He alone is immortal in
Himself.
(iil But man is also immortal, but in a dependent
way.
(iiil He has a derived immortality, received from
God, for God has made a decree which will not
pass away.
(ivl Man, in his original state would never have
died--he did not have the seeds of death sown
in his body from sin.
(vl Death was the threatened punishment for
disobedience.

e. Some also believe that man’s dominion over the

creatures is an aspect of his being created in the
image of God.

f. But you see, man could not lose these attributes

without ceasing to be man. He cannot lose the
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essential powers and qualities of the human soul

without ceasing to be man (Berkhof 207).

3. But there is also a narrow aspect to this image.

a. God made man ”very good,’j ”AND GOD SAW ALL THAT HE
HAD MADE, AND BEHOLD, IT WAS VERY GOOD” (Gen. 1 : 31).
b. God created man ’jupright,” ”BEHOLD, I HAVE FOUND
ONLY THIS, THAT a n MADE MEN UPRIGHT, BUT THEY
HAVE SOUGHT OUT MANY DEVISES” (Ecc. 7:29).
c. The Bible says that this %prightnessn that man had
is made up of true knowledge, righteousness, and
holiness.
(il The New Testament represents the restoration of
the image of God in man in these terms.
(iil Col. 3:10, ”AND HAVE PUT ON THE NEW SELF WHO IS
BEING RENEWED TO A TRUE KNOWLEDGE ACCORDING TO
THE IMAGE OF THE ONE WHO CREATED HIM. . . . ”
(iiil Eph. 4:24, ”AND PUT ON THE NEW SELF, WHICH IN
THE LIKENESS OF GOD HAS BEEN CREATED IN
RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS OF THE TRUTH.”

d. This is called the moral image of God, or the image

of God in the narrow sense.
e. It is also called ”original righteousness.”
f. M a n can lose this and still be man, although
he is corrupted.

4. This distinction is important to keep in mind because

the Bible represents man, even in his fallen state, as
still in the image of God.
a. The Bible represents man as still in the image of
God even after the Fall.
( i 1 Gen. 9:6, ”WHOEVER SHEDS MAN’S BLOOD, BY MAN
HIS BLOOD SHALL BE SHED, FOR IN THE IMAGE OF
GOD HE MADE MAN.”
(a1 Murder is punishable by death because of
the seriousness of destroying a man made
in the image of God.
(bl If man were no longer in the image of
God, if it were lost in the Fall, then
how could it be the basis for this
sentence?

(iil 1 Cor. 11:7, ”FOR A MAN OUGHT NOT TO HAVE HIS

HEAD COVERED, SINCE HE IS THE IMAGE AND GLORY
OF GOD; BUT THE WOMAN IS THE GLORY OF MAN.”
(a) Notice that in post-fall circumstances
the Bible affirms that man is the image
of God.
< ’
(bl The present participle of the verb vaapxw
”to be,” or ”exist” is used, which
unmistakably declares that man is still
in the image of God.

(iiil And James 3:8, ”BUT NO ONE CAN TAME THE

TONGUE; IT IS A RESTLESS EVIL AND FULL OF
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DEADLY POISON. WITH IT WE BLESS OUR LORD AND

FATHER; AND WITH IT WE CURSE MEN, WHO HAVE
BEEN MADE IN THE LIKENESS OF GOD.”
(a) The Greek here uses the perfect
participle which speaks of an action in
the past which continues into the present.
(b) The point is that men were made in the
image of God and still are.

b. M a n remains yet a spiritual, rational, moral and

immortal being, and so is yet in the image of God.

c. However, in his fallen state, man has lost the moral

excellence which was a part of his original
constitution. He is therefore touched by sin in
every part of his being and completely unable to do
anything to recover himself from this lost condition.
d. And that which was lost in the Fall, is restored by
the new birth, by regeneration.

B. Is the Body of M a n also a Part of God’s Image?

1 . The Bible says that man, not merely the soul of man,
was created in the image of God.
2. M a n is not complete without the body.
3 . Realize that murder is the destruction of the body and
not of the soul (Matt. 10:28), and it is the murder of
the body that is called the destruction of the image of
God in man (Gen.9:6).
a. Matt. 10: 28, ”AND DO NOT FEAR THOSE WHO KILL THE
BODY, BUT ARE UNABLE TO KILL THE SOUL; BUT RATHER
FEAR HIM WHO IS ABLE TO DESTROY BOTH SOUL AND BODY
IN HELL.”
b. Gen. 9:6, ”WHOEVER SHEDS MAN’S BLOOD, BY MAN HIS
BLOOD SHALL BE SHED, FOR IN THE IMAGE OF GOD HE
MADE MAN. ”

4. But the image is not in the material substance of the

body.
5. It is rather that the body is a fit instrument through
which the soul of man can express itself.
a. In the garden there was perfect harmony between the
soul and body of man so that the soul was able to use
the body as an instrument to carry out its will.
b. Even the body of man is destined by God to become a
spiritual body.
c. This is a body which is entirely Spirit-controlled,
one which is a perfect instrument of the soul
(Berkhof 205) .

111. Uses: You had lost the moral excellence which was yours as God’s
image, but in Christ this image is being restored in you and so
you are commanded to ”PUT ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST” (Rom. 13:14).
A. The Lord has predestined you to be conformed to the image of
His Son, who is the perfect reflection of His nature.
1. Christ ”IS THE RADIANCE OF HIS GLORY AND THE EXACT
REPRESENTATION OF HIS NATURE . . . . ” (Heb., 1: 3 ) .
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a. He perfectly reflects the nature of God in terms

that we can touch and see and handle.
b. And you are called by God to study this example that
you might reflect that same image.

2. You have been predestined by God to this end.

a. Rom. 8 : 2 9 , ”FOR WHOM HE FOREKNEW, HE ALSO PREDESTINED
TO BECOME CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON, THAT HE
MIGHT BE THE FIRST-BORN AMONG MANY BRETHREN.”
b. The Lord has chosen you that you might reflect that
image, that your life might be conformed to His.

B. And So Is Your Life Conforming to the Image of God?

1 . If you call yourself a Christian, ask yourself whether or
not your life has been transformed by the new birth.
a. The Bible says that the moral excellence of the human
nature as it was originally created is being renewed
in you in true knowledge, righteousness, and holiness
if you’re a Christian here this evening.
b. The evidence of this in your life will reflect in
how you are using your God-given faculties.

2. Are you using the faculties of your mind to glorify God?

a. Do you delight in the discovery of God’s glory in the
creation, or are you trying to do everything you can to
suppress it out of your mind?
b. Do you read the Word of God seeking to know about this
most infinitely blessed Being, in whom in the sum of
all wisdom, beauty and power? Or is it an unpleasant
burden to you?
c. Are the thoughts of your mind being sanctified by the
Word of God and prayer so that you are constantly
thinking and meditating upon God’s will and His glory?
Or is your mind full of lust, carnality, deceit,
avarice, and every kind of uncleanness?
d. Do you hold the Word of God, its doctrines of grace and
mercy, its ethical teachings to be the greatest
treasure that your soul can imagine? Or do you loathe
the Word, you cannot bring yourself to read it, and you
don’t much care to hear it?

3. And do you find that the choices you make in life glorify
God?
a. Is your life in conformity to God’s holy Law? Or does
it bear no resemblance to it?
b. When you find that you life is out of accord with God’s
standards, is your first reaction to humble yourself,
seek His forgiveness and amend your ways? Or is it to
seek to justify your behavior with fallacious arguments
so that you can continue a practice which you know to
be sinful?
c. Can you say with the psalmist, ” 0 how I love Thy Law!
It is my meditation all the day”? Or in your heart do
you despise God and His holy commandments and desire to
be free from His rule?
d. Are you reading the Scriptures daily to see how you
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might better serve and glorify the One who redeemed

your life from the pit of destruction? Or are you
neglecting to read the Word because of its convicting
power, and the more you read it, the worse you feel
because you know that you cannot live up to its holy
requirements?
e. Are you loving your brethren who are made in the image
of God as He calls you to? The apostle J o h n said, ”IF
SOMEONE SAYS, ’ I LOVE an,’ ANn HATES HIS BROTHER, HE
IS A LIAR; FOR THE ONE WHO DOES NOT LOVE HIS BROTHER
WHOM HE HAS SEEN, CANNOT LOVE Gon WHOM HE HAS NOT SEEN”
( 1 J o h n 4:20). The Lord calls us to love our brothers
because they are made in His image. But the Lord also
calls us to a love of all men, not only Christians, but
also those outside the church.

f. Are your actions demonstrating the love that you

profess to the Lord? Are you keeping His commandments?
Are you living holy in mind and body? Or do you
demonstrate by your actions, thoughts and words that
there is really no true life of God in your heart?
g. And are you seeking to further the kingdom of God by
your holy obedience, your prayers, your witnessing, and
your giving? Or are you only advancing your own
interests in the world, forgetting that the things that
you amass to yourself on this earth cannot be taken out
of this world?

4. Does your life demonstrate the reality of your profession?

a. You have the power to profess anything. But does your
life show that your profession is true?
(il If these things are not evident in your life in at
least some measure, then your profession is not
true.
(iil If your life is not bearing even the slightest
measure of fruit for God’s glory, then you are not
His.
(iiil Jesus said, ”EVERY BRANCH IN ME THAT DOES NOT BEAR
FRUIT, HE TAKES AWAY . . . IF ANYONE DOES NOT
ABIDE IN ME, HE IS THROWN AWAY AS A BRANCH, AND
DRIES UP; AND THEY GATHER THEM, AND CAST THEM INTO
THE FIRE, AND THEY ARE BURNED” [John 15:2, 6 ) .
(ivl You may only bear this fruit if you are united to
the living vine, which is Christ.
(vl By turning from your sin and trusting in Him
alone, your life will reflect His image.

b. If your life is conformed in some measure to God’s

image, what are you doing to nurture that growth?
(il Are you attending faithfully the ordinances
which Christ has given to His church: public
worship, prayer, reading the Word and hearing
it preached, the sacraments?
(iil Are you making the most of the situations
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which the Lord has providentially ordered for

your good?
(iiil Are you seeking to know the will of God in
each of these situations and cooperating with
Him that He might make you more like Him?
(ivl In short, are you seeking with all of your
might, relying completely on the grace of God,
to be holy in spirit, mind, and body?
(vl If you are the Lord's in reality, and not by
profession only, you will, and you will persevere
in these things, for your heart is the Lord's and
your greatest desire is for His glory. Amen.

a. God i s a s p i r i t , and a s p i r i t does not h a v e f l e s h

and bones.
b. Nor does the B i b l e i n d i c a t e t h a t God h a s f o r m .
(il There are many figures of speech used in the
Bible which, if taken literally, would lead
you to believe that God has a form like ours.
(iil But God is a spirit, which does not have form
as we conceive of it.

(il Man still has a spiritual aspect of his

nature, but that nature is dead in sin.
(iil Man still has the ability to reason, but his
reason is now determined by sin and so is
opposed to the will of God.
(iiil Man is still a moral being, but he is morally
corrupt.
He still has the capacity to be morally
conformed to the image of God.
But he is in fact no longer so conformed.
And he can do absolutely nothing to
recover himself from this situation.
That is why the Scripture in the New
Testament represents redeemed man as
being renewed in the image of God in true
knowledge, righteousness and holiness.
Col. 3:10, "And have put on the new self
who is being renewed to a true knowledge
according to the image of the One who
created him. . . . "
Eph. 4:24, "And put on the new self,
which in the likeness of God has been
created in righteousness and holiness of
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the truth.”

(iv) Man is still an immortal being, but now he

will spend eternity apart from the true and
living God in a place of unimaginable terrors
apart from the grace of God.