Imago Dei

Scripture is clear that God made man in His image (Gen 1:27). Not a question. Some have wondered if, for instance, sin changed that. Apparently not. After the Fall, God says, "Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man's brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man" (Gen 9:5-6). Clearly, then, we're in the image of God (Imago Dei). But ...in what way?

One way is in Genesis 2. "Then YHWH 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). When God made other creatures who breathed, He spoke them into existence. When He made Man, He breathed His own breath into him. A soul, if you will, or spirit. Now, these two concepts are linked and difficult to separate -- soul and spirit. We do know that God is spirit (John 4:24). And we know that we have three basic components ... body, soul, and spirit. Some try to remove the distinction between soul and spirit, but Scripture doesn't allow it. They're closely connected, but the author of Hebrews says, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Heb 4:12). So the soul and spirit are very closely linked and require a sharp sword to separate them ... so they can be separated. Paul writes about God preserving our "spirit and soul and body" (1 Thess 5:23), so they are distinct.

Humans are made in the image of God in a whole variety of ways, but one, fundamental way is our triune being. God is triune, and so are we. We're obviously the finite version, but there is similarity. We have a physical body, and so does God in the person of Jesus. We have a soul -- mind, will, and emotions -- and these are characteristics often attributed to the Spirit. And we have a spirit -- an essential, spiritual existence -- which correlates to God the Father. We are in the image of God, which is the primary feature that gives us worth above any other created thing.