in the image of God he created him
1:27 - So God created man
in his own image,
in the image of God
he created him;
male and female
he created them.
[T - OL ]
The declaration of God's intention leads to the fact of human creation, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."
The second line adds no new information about the creation of man; it rather repeats the report of the act and by syntactically transposing the sentences like this—
God created man in his own image
in the image of God he created him
—the author highlights the uniqueness of humans as being made in the image of God. No other single act of God has so far received the measure of emphasis as this. We, humans, are made in the image of God, though anyone reviewing the history of how we have lived—of what we have done to one another and to the world from which we have benefited—could easily be forgiven for thinking that we are the worst of beasts. That is our shame. God could not have not known how we would fare and yet in His own image he made us; this is a glorious gift of grace, our glory. Yet this is the constant portrait both the Old and the New Testaments paint of God, that He is gracious not because but inspite of what we are.
The third line clarifies a new fact about what the image of God means;
in the image of God he created them, v27b
male and female he created them, v27c
This formulation especially highlights the fact that the image of God in the woman is not derivative from the man. She is made in the image of God in a primary sense. What God had created in His image is not a singularity but a plurality; two sexualities — male and female — in a single entity of humanhood. Additionally, everything God declares in His intention about the man He would create is plural, and everything that the author reports of what God afterwards blessed and commanded is plural. However we may interpret the Scriptures in favour of one view or the other regarding gender roles, it was God's intention from the beginning that men and women should share equally in the stewardship of His creation. Most of us have heard of the caricature of the Jewish man who prayed blessing God that he was not created a woman. That Jewish man did not know his God. Neither do we if we make sexist putdowns, even if only in jest.
But what does being made in the image of God mean at a practical level? Much have been written and much can still be written about this. We only point out one important implication of what it means to be made in the image of God. First, notice that the Bible in adamant that God has no image. That is why making an image of God in any form and bowing down to them is idolatry, because God is so uniquely God there is nothing we humans can imagine that would come even close to capturing His essence. But if God has no image how can humans be made in His image? One commentator has suggested, rightly we think, that we should rather think of the phrase not as "in God's image" but rather as "as God's image." If so, than being made in God's image must mean, at the least, that if anyone were to be asked, "What is God like?" he should be able to point at us and reply, "See him. He is the image of God." From the beginning God intended that, by the way we live, think, behave, every other creature should be able to see what God is like simply by looking at us; we were made to be His image. Since then, however, we have come very far from what was in the beginning, and the Old Testament goes to great lengths to point this out. In and of oursevles we only bring disasters. But thankfully that is not the end of the story. There is one who retains the image of God in all its fulness, that is Christ (2 Cor 4:4; Col 1:15). The hope is, therefore, to be found living "in Christ" and making all our ambitions and endeavours "of Him." Living like Him all men and women everywhere should be able to, once again, see what God is like. So, when the world looks at us, what do they say? "O, he is no different from anyone else"? Or, "O, he is different. He is a 'Jesus Man'"?
You may wish to read the following commentaries-expositions:
Resources & Further Reading:
"Stanley Grenz, "Theological Foundations for Male-Female Relationships," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 41/4 (December 1998): 615-630. Pdf N 5-6 (Open on Phone)
For more resources on "the image of God" click here.
Low Chai Hok
©Alberith, 2016