2. You are Made in the Image of God

God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness.
Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air,
the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth. God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them.

-Genesis 1:27-

The previous post related to the existence of the human soul as a unique spiritual reality. We said that man’s soul can only exist because of the direct action of a spiritual Creator.

And, in fact, this SOUL makes us like God. Make no mistake, this doesn’t mean we ARE gods. But, as we have said before, neither are we merely animals. We are human: made in the “image and likeness” of God.

So what does this mean? Here are a few things.....

1. Man Can Reason and acquire knowledge
2. Man Has the Freedom to Choose
3. Man Has Sovereignty/Dominion/Power
4. Man Can Make Moral Choices
5. Man Can Love

We can see some or all of these faculties/abilities present in certain animals, although to a lesser degree. They can be taught to perform functions; they can sense when things are wrong and seek to help; they can “obey” and “disobey”commands; they can teach their young the skills they need to survive; and they form bonds, nurture their children and even express compassion, etc. And while many of their actions may be similar to those of humans, most often they can be explained by animal instincts, chemical reactions, and behavior training/conditioning.

There is a depth to be found in the human faculties that an animal cannot attain. Beyond instinct, biochemistry and conditioning, man has the capacity to consciously make sense of things, establish facts, change opinions and beliefs, change occupations, plan far into the future, weigh the morality of a decision or its possible/actual affect on others, consider the internal feelings of another, set up a government, or even envy another, hold a grudge, forgive, and deeply love. The list goes on.

Man was created to reflect God. We should be able to discern something about the Creator by looking at the creation, just as we can with the author of any of work of art or literature. Even in animals we can see something of the heart of God. But, indeed, if we look historically at those human beings that we consider truly praiseworthy, holy, and/or virtuous (perhaps, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, etc.), we can see more clearly in them the image of the Divine. We see Goodness, Truth, Beauty, Wisdom, even Authority, all beautifully interwoven. This is what makes these people so captivating. They reflect the image of God, Who is All-Good, All-Knowing, and All-Powerful. They share God's wisdom, God's freedom, God's sovereignty, goodness and love.

The unique capacity to reflect God gives man an incredible dignity, a dignity that can never be erased, even by the shame or actual guilt of immorality. Even if wounded, darkened, or enslaved by sin, man’s soul remains in him an incredible gift bestowed by the Creator to reveal Himself, to draw man to Himself and to allow man to share in His own Divine life.

That’s. Pretty. Awesome.

When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers,the moon and stars that you set in place—

What is man that you are mindful of him,

and a son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him little less than a god,

crowned him with glory and honor.

You have given him rule over the works of your hands,

put all things at his feet:

All sheep and oxen,

even the beasts of the field,

The birds of the air, the fish of the sea,

and whatever swims the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord,

how awesome is your name through all the earth!

-Psalm 8: 4-10-