* I am relying heavily on Created in God’s Image by Anthony A. Hoekema. I have read several papers and examined several books on the subject and find Hoekema’s work to be the most helpful.

The Image of God in Man: A Timeline for God’s Redemptive Plan

Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

Hebrews 1:3a He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

In a previous post earlier this week I discussed the theological truth that all persons are created in the image of God. I hope to show that what the Bible has to say about the image of God in man is important for our thinking about how to relate Scripture to topics not explicitly addressed in detail in the Bible. The image of God in man is introduced in the first chapter of Genesis and fully developed in the New Testament. My post earlier this week focused on Old Testament revelation of the image of God and man.

To be human is to bear the image of God. That which distinguishes and separates man from other parts of the creation is resident in the image of God in man. At the Fall, the image was exhaustively perverted producing a spiritual inability to communicate with God in the way that Adam and Eve communicated with God in the Garden of Eden before the Fall. The image of God in man was not completely obliterated or totally extinguished at the Fall (Genesis 5:1-3, 9:6, James 3:9), but was exhaustively altered.

It is in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ that we see the image of God perfectly reflected. Colossians 1:15 states that Christ “…is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” “Image” is the Greek eikōn which is the equivalent of the Hebrew word for image. The author of Hebrews describes Christ as “…the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature…”. The “exact imprint” is the Greek word charaktēr. Vine’s Expository Dictionary says that charaktēr denotes “a stamp or impress, as on a coin or seal, in which case the seal or die which makes an impression bears the image produced by it, and, vice versa, all the features of the image correspond respectively with those of the instrument producing it.” (Hoekema, p. 21). While the image of God is soiled in man, the image is perfect in Christ! If you want to know want to know exactly what the image of God looks like, you need to look no further than Christ Jesus.

“What we see and hear in Christ Jesus is what God intended for man.” (Hoekema p. 22). The character qualities that were manifest in Christ Jesus are character qualities that should be evident in people, particularly his people. The way that Christ lived his life is the way that we should live our lives.

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. (John 14:8 -9a)

The disciples had Christ incarnate with them on a daily basis. Today, we have the Bible to reveal Christ to us and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to provide the ability to image Christ and therefore reflect the image of God in man.

I had the privilege of teaching business ethics several years ago. During my preparation for the class I was surprised to find Christians were not uniform in their understanding of ethical paradigms. An important part of understanding not only how we know the morally right thing to do, but it also how we then follow through and “be doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22), is to make the connection to the image of God in man.

I am going to make the connection through what I am calling “modified virtue ethics”.  [I do also think there is a strong deontological aspect to biblical thinking on ethics and I am not saying that either Aristotelian or more contemporary virtue ethics either closely or completely expresses biblical ethical thinking. What I am saying is that the image of God in man is a comprehensive biblical theme that can be expressed in virtue ethics terms and that we cannot think biblically about ethics if we ignore the image of God in man.] Virtue ethics may be explained as developing sound or virtuous character by learning the morally correct thing to do and practicing doing the right thing. As we do the right thing our character comes to reflect the right moral choice. Over time, by continuing to learn and practice the right thing we are transformed into persons who will be able to choose what is right and do what is right because we will have developed virtuous character.  I want to call this ethical thinking “modified” because we have in Christ Jesus the perfect example of the character image into which we are to conform.

9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. (Colossians 3:9-10)

20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self,  which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:20-24)

18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18-19)

29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.  (Romans 8:29)

Christians will be conformed into the image of Christ and therefore will ultimately reflect the image of God in man. Our salvation encompasses every area of our life and as the image of God in us has been exhaustively and comprehensively tarnished, the renewal of the image will be complete. Our salvation depends entirely on the finished work of Christ on the cross, but his work on the cross it Is always accompanied by the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we more perfectly image the Son. “And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians” (Acts 11:26). The word “Christian” was very likely a term of derision because early Christians were acting like Christ Jesus. As we “put off the old self” and “put on the new self”, (learn truth through the Scripture and obediently apply the truth in our lives – virtue ethics) we will be transformed in the totality of our being into people who more perfectly reflect the image of God in their lives. Living our lives through guidance from the Holy Spirit and obedience to God the Father will lead us into conformity with the Son (Galatians 5:16). The image of God in man will be reflected as the fruit of the Spirit.

22 … [T]he fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. (Galatians 5:22-26)

The renewed image of God in man is evident by a changed life, a life that is manifested by fruit of the Spirit. Christlike behavior is marked by a thought life anchored in joy, peace, and calmness because of faith in God. Christians have the capability through the Holy Spirit to show fruit of the spirit both internally in our hearts and externally as we deal with others. All of our relationships with other people should show conformity into the image of Christ and thereby reflect the image of God in man. All thought and action is influenced and “polished” to reflect the will of God in believer’s lives.

The Image of God in Man: Totality of Life Changed

One implication for believers created in the image of God is that all of our thinking, all of our relationships with others, all of our actions must be being conformed into very the thoughts and actions of God. So the way that we think about political economy must be washed through the knowledge of the risen Christ provided in Scripture and put into action through motivation to love all of humanity. Our continual failure to adequately reflect the image of God is a consistent reminder of our need of the substitutionary atonement of Christ Jesus and should produce in us humility about issues that are not directly addressed in Scripture. Topics that are directly dealt with in Scripture must always be expressed with love to people who do not agree with us, but topics that are not addressed directly in Scripture must be discussed with additional humility. Fallen humans will disagree with each other about issues of political economy.

All people, regardless of religious affiliation, are living with the outcome of the curse on the ground that God pronounced as a result of the Fall. All people, regardless of religious affiliation, are created in the image of God and do imperfectly reflect the image of God in man. Nonbelievers can and do have much important to say about political economy. Christians can and do learn much about issues that not directly addressed in Scripture from nonbelievers. The questions we must ask and answer deal with the consistency with and coherence to the Bible of what is being said by the non believing political economist or theoretician. When we disagree with either what a fellow believer is saying about political economy or what a nonbeliever states about political economy, we need to make an effort to do so with a loving humility which reflects the image of God in man.