Anthony Hoekema's 'Imago Dei'

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our like-ness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”(Gen . 1.26)

Throughout the course of humanity’s history many questions have risen that have posed a problem to us as a species. Questions such as the following: What is the proper relationship between individuals and society? What is beauty, and why is it important? Is there purpose in human existence?, and many others have caused enough trouble in humanity’s short existence on the earth to cause a near identity crisis. However, all of these questions fall under the shadow of the main question that has been asked since the creation of Adam- “What exactly is the real relationship and purpose of humanity towards the divine?”

Humans were created in Gods image. In Genesis 1-2, human beings are created to live and take care of what God has formed. God placed Adam, and then Eve, on earth. He created them from the dust of the earth. God spoke to Adam and gave him all the animals to name. Adam was also given the task of tending to and growing the Garden of Eden. Human nature is confirmed to be obedient to God and his word. (Bible - ESV, Genesis 1-2) God wanted human nature to be kind, just, obedient, good, faithful, etc. Gods ultimate creation was human life.

3. “Let us make man after our likeness.” Man was made also in the likeness of God. (In the Hebrew text these two words are sometimes used interchangeably.) This refers to the soul and character of God. This includes the Godlike attributes of love, joy, and peace, epitomised in the fruit of the Spirit

When you look around and gaze at the beautiful creation before you, do you reflect on how amazing God is? God made the creation, man, and everything surrounding the two. There are many different worldviews. This paper will focus on the Christian worldview. The Christian worldview involves God, humanity, Jesus, and restoration.

different from everything else he had created, molded in His image and likeness (Genesis 2), but

Throughout these stories God and humans are both described in similar ways. When God first created man, he "created humankind in his image"(Genesis

The image of God in man is a doctrine that is fundamental to understanding the soteriological implications of humanity, which is best understood through the examination of Christ’s humanity with regards to various views held.

The purpose of man is to praise and worship God, proclaim his glory, and to accomplish his will."… And whom I have created for My glory, …” (Isaiah 43:7 New International Version). God created all things in harmony. He established a perfect creation that he loves and over which he rules. The highest honor is given to mankind as the only part of creation made in God’s image. Humanity was created to love as God loves, to worship and praise his glory and commune with him as he does with us.

God does not hold Himself distant from His creation, but He embraces it; He walks with it. He engages with that which He created. The story of Creation shows that the author of it all is personal, intimate, and cares about what He created. Act one gives us a glimpse of how the world was supposed to be; a beautiful, intimate, God –in –the –midst life of perfect satisfaction with the absence of sin. However, this all crumbled in Act two when Adam and Eve decided to disobey God and take their lives into

In the creation of the world, God used creativity to create the things and people around us. Genesis 2 verses 19-20 reveals to us that God gave man an invitation to walking into cultivation and creativity. He gave man the opportunity to develop the abilities God had given him by allowing him to name the animals. God alone would have been more than capable enough to do such a small task, but He gave humanity

We tend elude the discussion of imago dei in the material language, and instead lean towards this discussion with relational language, is for several different reasons. The first being that material terms has unfortunate negative connotations, especially within our own society. “Men and women are seeking, inquiring, expectant beings.” Humans have a sense of infinite within them, whether they wish to acknowledge it or not. An interesting paradox which has shown up within human behavior is the fact that the more materialistic humans become the less satisfied they truly are. A great example from the history of the church would be Augustine’s famous prayer, “You have made us toward yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you,” which exemplifies the point. This restless is no better than a parasite which eats its carrier alive from the inside out. “Humans are radically temporal beings,”

God’s role in the Bible is characterized in several different ways, with dramatically competing attributes. He takes on many functions and, as literary characters are, he is dynamic and changes over time. The portrayal of God is unique in separate books throughout the Bible. This flexibility of role and character is exemplified by the discrepancy in the depiction of God in the book of Genesis in comparison to the depiction of God in the book of Job. On the larger scale, God creates with intention in Genesis in contrast to destroying without reason in Job. However, as the scale gets smaller, God’s creative authority can be seen in both books, yet this creative authority is manifested in entirely distinctive manners. In Genesis, God as

The Old Testament scriptures, the account of the deuteronomistic writers, and the actions of the God of the Hebrew Bible reveal to us many facets of God and the character of God. Several of the images are not images that we would like to consider when we envision the savior, the redeemer, the God who loves us and cares for us and this is difficult to reconcile with our Christian experience. In consideration of the overall image of God, Mills asserts that God’s image consists of “three elements – God the creator, God the judge, and God the redeemer.” God formed humanity in his likeness in the creation of Genesis, God judges and chastises humanity through their cycle of apostasy, and then God rescues, redeems and restores an oppressed and fallen Israel. Although at various points within the journey God was the punisher of Israel and exerted his wrath upon them, the anger was because of God 's love for Israel.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”