Do you think the phrase: "We are made in Gods image" is taken too literally?

Question

Do you think it can also be meant to describe other things rather than just physical appearance?

Answer 1

The Bible is God's Word, and the main reason God gave it to us is so we could know Him and allow His truth to change our lives.

No, God doesn't have hands or eyes or feet; God is a spiritual being without form or body, and He is far greater than any physical being. Sometimes the Bible speaks about God's hands or eyes, but when it does, it is using symbolic language to convey some truth about His activity: "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him" (2 Chronicles 16:9).

When the Bible says God created the human race in His image, it means that God put His character or imprint on our souls or spirits. We aren't God—but we are like Him (although limited). Because of this, we have the ability to love, and to know right from wrong. Because we bear God's image, we are different from the animals, and all human life is sacred.

The tragedy is that God's image within us has been defaced and twisted by sin (although not destroyed). But Christ came to make us whole, and someday "we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2). In the meantime, make it your goal to grow closer to Christ and serve Him with all of your life.

Answer 2

Well actually it is said that we are made in God's image AND his likeness. So the second part of that statement suggests exactly what you are asking. It is the biggest thing that differentiates us from animals. Even though we are in a fleashly body that is very similar to many animals on earth and made up of the same substances, we are superior in that we are spiritual beings sharing the likeness of God.

Animals and people alike have brains that allow us to think and we both have emotions and feelings, however, animals act out of instinct, survival, and desire. In contrast, we have the ability to consider the consequences for our actions and we have the ability to discern between right and wrong. Man kind has demonstrated the ability to do things far beyond what any animal has been able to accomplish because we are the only beings on earth capable of altering nature and resisting the undesired effects of it.

We are able to turn men into women and vice versa. We are able to explore other planets. We are able to artifically impregnate women. We are able to genetically alter food, animals, and insects. We are able to blow up the world 22 times over with our nuclear weapons. We are able to rearrange the land area of the earth by creating man-made islands and by extending the shore lines way past where God originally put them. We go to areas of the world that are completely uninhabitable by ANY living creature and make it habitable for humans.

So given all of that and then some, I would say that it could NEVER be taken too literally.

Answer 3

It does describe other things like a conscious mind knowing the difference between good and bad. freedom to choose or not to choose to believe, physically and spiritually we were created in God's image. Jesus wept for us, He is God, we cry. You see, when did you see an animal cry?

Edited after reading answers to those who say God is a spirit The Almighty God is comprised of The Father, The Son (Word) and the Holy Spirit.

We are souls made into flesh and bones who will one day return to Our Father's house in spirit form. The gift Jesus promised the apostles once he ascended to heaven after his resurrection was the gift of the Holy Spirit entering his apostles this is why he instructed them to stay together until that gift was received and also instructed them not to concern themselves over the questions and tests the gentiles (non believers) would put upon them because the Holy Spirit would give them the words at the time as they required. The only sin that will not be forgiven is to speak against God's Holy Spirit.

Answer 4

I know many good Christians and none of them would say that "made in God's image" refers to physical appearance... (wait, I just thought of one person who used that phrase as a proof that evolution couldn't be true...) Okay, except for a few really strange people, Christians, for the most part, don't buy the physical appearance interpretation.

So, what does "made in God's image" mean to you? For me, it means this: The phrase is used in the context of creation. All of creation is the product of the consciousness of God. We are "made in the image of God" in the sense that our consciousness is creative. Everything we do, everything we say and every thought that enters our mind helps form one product. That product is our soul, and it is affected by everything we do. So everything, even every thought, has meaning and purpose in our lives.

Answer 5

Don the old coot is wrong. If it were true what he says, wouldn't everything created be made like he wanted it to be? Why would there be an extra line there saying "And in God's image he created them"? It only makes sense if the rest of creation wasn't in his image.

His image would only encompass physical characteristics and possibly consciousness. In the beginning of the Genesis it says that humans didn't know good or evil until they ate the forbiden fruit, so that gives clue that "in his image" can only be physical.

Answer 6

Question: "What does it mean that man is made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27)?"



Answer: On the last day of creation, God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). Thus, He finished His work with a “personal touch.” God formed man from the dust and gave him life by sharing His own breath (Genesis 2:7). Accordingly, man is unique among all God’s creations, having both a material (body) and an immaterial (soul / spirit) part.

Having the “image” or “likeness” of God means, in the simplest terms, that we were made to resemble God. Adam did not resemble God in the sense of God’s having flesh and blood. Scripture says that “God is a spirit” (John 4:24) and therefore exists without a body. However, Adam’s body did mirror the life of God, insofar as it was created in perfect health and was not subject to death.

The image of God refers to the immaterial part of man. It sets man apart from the animal world, fits him for the “dominion” God intended (Genesis 1:28), and enables him to commune with his Maker. It is a likeness mentally, morally, and socially.

Mentally, man was created as a rational, volitional agent—in other words, man can reason and man can choose. This is a reflection of God’s intellect and freedom. Any time someone invents a machine, writes a book, paints a landscape, enjoys a symphony, calculates a sum, or names a pet, he or she is proclaiming the fact that we are made in God’s image.

Morally, man was created in righteousness and perfect innocence, a reflection of God’s holiness. God saw all that He had made (mankind included) and called it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Our conscience or “moral compass” is a vestige of that original state. Whenever someone writes a law, recoils from evil, praises good behavior, or feels guilty, he is confirming the fact that we are made in God’s own image.

Socially, man was created for fellowship. This reflects God's triune nature and His love. In Eden, man’s primary relationship was with God (Genesis 3:8 implies fellowship with God), and God made the first woman because “it is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). Every time someone marries a wife, makes a friend, hugs a child, or attends a church, he is demonstrating the fact that we are made in the likeness of God.

Part of being made in God’s image means that Adam had the capacity to make free choices. Although he was given a righteous nature, Adam made an evil choice to rebel against his Maker. In so doing, Adam marred the image of God within himself, and he passed that damaged likeness on to all his children, including us (Romans 5:12). Today, we still bear the image of God (James 3:9), but we also bear the scars of sin. Mentally, morally, socially, and physically, we show the effects.

The good news is that, when God redeems an individual, He begins to restore the original image of God, creating “the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24; see also Colossians 3:10).

Recommended Resource: In His Image by Brand & Yancey.



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Answer 7

I think "believer in..." has it closest, but so far all I've seen are assumptions. The pharse "in his image" can be seen as figurative if you look at the meaning of the hebrew word which is here translated "image". The word comes from a hebrew root, which means "crude statue [of something]" or "shadow". Obviously we are not a literal "shadow", or a statue. The idea being communicated seems to be that we have "like"-qualities of god, but physicality is not necessarily implied.

Answer 8

when one considers the vastness of the universe and all the various forms of life that lie within it is absurd for mankind to believe that the creator chose man to take his or her or it's physical form. At the time in which these thoughts were put on paper mankinds focus was on himself and dealing with fear and other forms of emotion. Couple this with mans very small amount of intelligence and knowledgw of things outside himself at that time it is easy to understand that the authors of the various books of religion had a very small field to focus on and how this theory came about. The creator created all naturally existing things and I personally do not believe that I or any other human retain the physical or metaphysical characteristics of the supreme being or the creator

Answer 9

You're exactly right. Our being made in the image of God means every part of our being mirrors Him; our body, our mind, our heart, our intellect, reason, will. All of it. It's like describing how your are made in the image of your mom and dad. You might have your mom's eyes and your dad's nose and mouth and so on. You might even have similar ways of doing things, of thinking about things, feeling about things, that you got from your parents. The same is true of God, but it goes much deeper. That is why we can proudly hold our heads up as children of the Most High, His most beloved creations. He's our Dad, the top Dad. Ain't it cool?

Answer 10

It has been taken too literally and it does not refer to physical appearance at all. Jesus said that God is spirit which means we are also spirit, made of the very essence of God. God is as much a part of you as you are a part of God. An analogy would be a drop in the ocean. You are not the ocean (God) but you are made of everything that the ocean (God) is.