'Image' and 'Likeness' in Genesis

8/8/2019 'Image' and 'Likeness' in Genesis

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/image-and-likeness-in-genesis 1/49

IMAGE AND LIKENESS IN GENESIS

Creation, the First Day

1:1 In the beginning God created heaven and earth.1:2 The earth was without form and empty, with darkness on the face of the depths, but God's spiritmoved on the water's surface.1:3 God said, 'There shall be light,' and light came into existence.1:4 God saw that the light was good, and God divided between the light and the darkness.1:5 God named the light 'Day,' and the darkness He named 'Night.' It was evening and it was morning,one day.

The Second Day1:6 God said, 'There shall be a sky in the middle of the water, and it shall divide between water andwater.'1:7 God [thus] made the sky, and it separated the water below the sky from the water above the sky. Itremained that way.1:8 God named the sky 'Heaven.' It was evening and it was morning, a second day.

The Third Day1:9 God said, 'The waters under the heaven shall be gathered to one place, and dry land shall be seen.'It happened.1:10 God named the dry land 'Earth,' and the gatherings of water, He named 'Seas.' God saw that it wasgood.1:11 God said, 'The earth shall send forth vegetation. Seedbearing plants and fruit trees that producetheir own kinds of fruits with seeds shall be on the earth.' It happened.1:12 The earth sent forth vegetation, plants bearing their own kinds of seeds, and trees producing fruitscontaining their own kinds of seeds. God saw that it was good.1:13 It was evening and it was morning, a third day.

The Fourth Day

1:14 God said, 'There shall be lights in the heavenly sky to divide between day and night. They shallserve as omens [and define] festivals, days and years.1:15 They shall be lights in the heavenly sky, to shine on the earth.' It happened.1:16 God [thus] made the two large lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the smaller light to rulethe night. [He also made] the stars.1:17 God placed them in the heavenly sky to shine on the earth,1:18 to rule by day and by night, and to divide between the light and the darkness. God saw that it wasgood.1:19 It was evening and it was morning, a fourth day.

The Fifth Day1:20 God said, 'The water shall teem with swarms of living creatures. Flying creatures shall fly over theland, on the face of the heavenly sky.'

1:21 God [thus] created the great sea monsters, along with every particular species of living thing thatcrawls, with which the waters teem, and every particular species of winged flying creature. God saw that itwas good.1:22 God blessed them, saying, 'Be fruitful and become many, and fill the waters of the seas. Let theflying creatures multiply on the land.'1:23 It was evening and it was morning, a fifth day.

The Sixth Day1:24 God said, 'The earth shall bring forth particular species of living creatures, particular species of livestock, land animals, and beasts of the earth.' It happened.



1:25 God [thus] made particular species of beasts of the earth, particular species of livestock, and particular species of animals that walk the land. God saw that it was good.

1:26 God said, 'Let us make man with our image and likeness. Let him dominate the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock animals, and all the earth - and every land animal that walks the earth.'1:27 God [thus] created man with His image. In the image of God, He created him, male and female Hecreated them.

1:28 God blessed them. God said to them, 'Be fertile and become many. Fill the land and conquer it.Dominate the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every beast that walks the land.1:29 God said, 'Behold, I have given you every seedbearing plant on the face of the earth, and everytree that has seedbearing fruit. It shall be to you for food.1:30 For every beast of the field, every bird of the sky, and everything that walks the land, that has in ita living soul, all plant vegetation shall be food.' It remained that way.1:31 God saw all that he had made, and behold, it was very good. It was evening and it was morning,the sixth day.

Commentary:

In the beginning...Others translate this, 'In the beginning of God's creation of heaven and earth, the earth was without form

and empty...' (Rashi). Still others combine the first three verses: 'In the beginning of God's creation....whenthe earth was without form and empty....God said, 'Let there be light.' (Bereshith Rabbah).

Others: 'God's wind.'

sky

(Saadia) Rakia in Hebrew, literally 'spread' or 'expanse.' Usually translated as 'firmament.'

It remained that wayUsually translated, 'It was so.' Later, we translate this as, 'It happened.'

trees producing fruits...Or, 'specific species of trees that produce fruits with seeds.' See Genesis 1:21, 1:24.

heavenly skyLiterally 'the firmament of the heaven.'

sea monstersOr 'whales,' or 'dragons.' Taninim in Hebrew; see Exodus 7:9.

The Midrash states that it alludes to a pair of particularly great sea creatures, the Leviathan and its mate.See Isaiah 27:1, Psalms 74:14, 104:26, Job 3:8, 40:25.

land animals(Ramban, from Genesis 7:21). Others translate this as 'creeping things.' Remes in Hebrew.

Let usGod was speaking to all the forces of creation that He had brought into existence (cf. Targum Yonathan;

Ramban). Now that all the ingredients of creation had essentially been completed, all would participate inthe creation of man, the crown of creation.

Others interpret 'we' in the majestic sense, and translate the verse, 'I will make man in My image' (EmunothveDeyoth 2:9; Ibn Ezra).



with our image and likenessMan is thus a microcosm of all the forces of creation. A major part of the Kabbalah deals with explaining

exactly how this is so (see Nefesh HaChaim 1:1).Moreover, of all creation, only man resembles God in having free will (Maimonides, Yad, Teshuvah 5:1).

Others explain 'image' and 'likeness' here to refer to a sort of conceptual archetype, model, or blueprint thatGod had previously made for man (Rashi).

This 'model' is seen as the primeval man' (Adam Kadmon).

Be fertile...Some say that this is a commandment (cf. Chinukh), while others maintain that it is a blessing (see

Tosafoth, Yevamoth 65b, s.v. VeLo; Maharsha, Sanhedrin 59b, s.v. VeHarey).



Genesis Chapter 1 תיש רא ברץ א את ה ים, ו מ ש ים, את ה ה ל רא א ב ,תיש רא .א ב1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

מים פני ה

-לע תפ ח ר ים, מ ה ל ח א ום; ורו הת ינפ

-לע ,ך ש ח בהו, ו תה תהו ו י ה ,ץר א ה .ב ו

2 Now the earth was unformed and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of Godhovered over the face of the waters.

הי-אור י ו ;רו א יה י ,םיה ל מר א יא ו ג.3 And God said: 'Let there be light.' And there was light.

שך ח ן ה י ב ן האור ו י ב ,םיה ל בדל א י ו ;בו ט-יכ ,רו אה-תא ים ה ל רא א י ו ד.4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.

חד. {פ ום א י ,רק י-ב ה י ו בר י-ע ה י ו ;הל י ל אר ך ק ש ח ל ום, ו י רו אל םי ה ל רא א ק י ו ה}5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there wasmorning, one day. {P}

מים ים ל מ ן י ב ,לי דב הי מ ים, וי מ ך ה ע בתו קי הי ר י ,םיה מר אל יא ו ו.6 And God said: 'Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from thewaters.'

הי-כן י ו ;ע קי ר על ל שר מ ים א מ ן ה י ב ע, ו קי ר חת ל ת שר מ ים א מ ן ה י ב לדב י ו ,ע קי ר ים, את-ה ה ש אל ע י ו ז.7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waterswhich were above the firmament; and it was so.

קר, יום שני. {פ י-ב ה י ו בר הי-ע י ו ;םי מ ע, ש קי ר ים ל ה ל רא א ק י ו ח}8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. {P}

הי-כן י ו ;הש ב י ה ,הא ר ת חד, ו ום א קמ-לא םי מ ש חת ה ת ים מ מ קוו ה י ,םיה מר אל .ט ויא9 And God said: 'Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land

appear.' And it was so.

כי-טוב ,םיה ל רא א י ו ;םימ י אר ים ק מ קוה ה מ ל רץ, ו שה א ב י ל םיה ל רא א ק י ו י.10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas; and Godsaw that it was good.

הי-כן. י ו ;ץר א ו-בו על-ה ער שר ז מינו, א רי ל שה פ רי ע רע, עץ פ ע ז רי שב מז שא ע רץ ד א שא ה תד ,םי ה ל מר א יא ו אי 11 AndGod said: 'Let the earth put forth grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit-tree bearing fruit after its kind, whereinis the seed thereof, upon the earth.' And it was so.

כי-טוב. ,םיה ל רא א י ו ;והנימ ו-בו, ל ער שר ז רי א פ -הש עץ ע מינהו, ו רע, ל ע ז רי שב מז שא ע רץ ד א צא ה תו 12 And the earthיב ו brought forth grass, herb yielding seed after its kind, and tree bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof,after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

שי. {פ} קר, יום שלי י-ב ה י ו בר י-ע ה י ו גי 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. {P} שנים. מים ו י ל דים, ו ע למו תת ו א היו ל לה; ו י ל ן ה י ב ן היום ו י ב ,לי דב ה ים, ל מ ש ע ה קי ר רת ב א הי מ י ,םיה ל מר א יא ו די 14 AndGod said: 'Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years;

הי-כן. י ו ;ץר א יר על-ה א ה מים, ל ש ע ה קי ר רת ב מאו היו ל 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of theטו וheaven to give light upon the earth.' And it was so.



בים. כ כו את ה לה, ו י לה תלש מ מ טן ל ק מאור ה את-ה ום, ו יה תלש מ מ דל, ל מאור הג ים: את-ה ל ד רת הג א מ שני ה ת- א ,םי ה ש אל ע י ו זט16 And God made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule

the night; and the stars.

רץ. א איר, על-ה ה ים, ל מ ש ע ה קי ר ב ,םי ה תם אל תן א י ו זי 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heavento give light upon the earth,

כי-טוב. ,םיה ל רא א י ו ;ך ש ח ן ה י ב ן האור ו י ב ,לי דב ה ל לה, ו י ל ב ביום ו ,לש מ ל 18 and to rule over the day andיח וover the night, and to divide the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.

עי. {פ} בי קר, יום ר י-ב ה י ו בר הי-ע י ו טי 19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. {P}

מים. ש ע ה קי פני ר -לע ,ץר א פף על-ה יה; ועוף יעו ח ש פ רץ נ ש ם, י מ רצו ה ש י --םיה ל מר א 20 And God said: 'Let theכ ויאwaters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let fowl fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.'

רא י ו ,והנימ את כל-עוף כנף ל הם, ו מינ ים ל מ רצו ה שר ש שת א מ ר חיה ה ש ה פ את כל-נ לים; ו ד תנינם הג ים, את-ה ה רא אל ב י ו אככי-טוב. ,םיה , 21 And God created the great sea-monsters, and every living creature that creepethאלwherewith the waters swarmed, after its kind, and every winged fowl after its kind; and God saw that it wasgood.

רץ. א רב ב י ,ףו עה מים, ו י ב םי מ לאו את-ה מ רבו, ו פרו ו :רמ הים, לא ל תם א ך א ר ב י ו בכ 22 And God blessed them, saying:'Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.'

שי. {פ} מי קר, יום ח י-ב ה י ו בר י-ע ה י ו גכ 23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. {P}

הי-כן. י ו ;ה מינ רץ, ל א חיתו- ש ו מ ר מה ו ה ה, ב מינ ש חיה ל פ רץ נ א צא ה ים, תו ה ל מר א יא ו דכ 24 And God said: 'Let theearth bring forth the living creature after its kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after itskind.' And it was so.

כי-טוב. ,םיה ל רא א י ו ;והנימ מה, ל אד ש ה מ את כל-ר ה, ו מינ מה ל ה ב את-ה ה, ו מינ רץ ל א ית ה ח-תא ים ה ש אל ע י ו הכ 25 AndGod made the beast of the earth after its kind, and the cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepethupon the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

ש על- מ ר ש, ה מ ר כל-ה ב רץ, ו א כל-ה ב מה ו ה ב ב ים, ו מ ש בעוף ה דגת הים ו דו ב ר י ו ;ונת דמו מנו כ ל צ שה אדם ב ע הים, נ ל מר א יא ו וכרץ. א 26 And God said: 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominionהover the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.'

תם. רא א ב ,הב ק כר ונ רא אתו: ז ב םי ה ל לם א צ למו, ב צ אדם ב את-ה ים ה ל רא א ב י ו זכ 27 And God created man in Hisown image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.

שת מ ר יה, ה ח-לכ ב ים, ו מ ש בעוף ה ים, ו ה תגדב ודר ה; ו ש ב כ רץ, ו א לאו את-ה מ רבו ו פרו ו םי ה הם אל מר ל יא ו ,םיה ל א תם, ך א ר ב י ו חכרץ. א 28 And God blessed them; and God said unto them: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, andעל-הreplenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,and over every living thing that creepeth upon the earth.'

רע: לכם ע ז ר י-עץ, ז ר שר-בו פ עץ א כל-ה -תא רץ, ו א פני כל-ה -לע רש רע א ע ז ר שב ז כל-ע -תא םכ תי ל ת ים, הנה נ ה ל מר א יא ו טככלה. א היה, ל י 29 And God said: 'Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon theface of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed--to you it shall be for food;

הי-כן. י ו ;הל כ א שב, ל רק ע י -לכ -תא ה, י ח ש פ שר-בו נ א ץ, ר א ש על-ה מ כל רו ל מים ו ש כל-עוף ה ל רץ ו א ית ה ח-לכ ל 30 andל וto every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth,wherein there is a living soul, [I have given] every green herb for food.' And it was so.



שי. {פ} ש קר, יום ה י-ב ה י ו בר הי-ע י ו ;דא הנה-טוב מ שה, ו שר ע כל-א -תא םי ה רא אל י ו אל 31 And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, thesixth day. {P}



Genesis Chapter 1

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 Now the earth was unformed and void, anddarkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters. 3 AndGod said: 'Let there be light.' And there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and Goddivided the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. Andthere was evening and there was morning, one day. {P}

6 And God said: 'Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from thewaters.' 7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from thewaters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And therewas evening and there was morning, a second day. {P}

9 And God said: 'Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry landappear.' And it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waterscalled He Seas; and God saw that it was good. 11 And God said: 'Let the earth put forth grass, herb yieldingseed, and fruit-tree bearing fruit after its kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth.' And it was so. 12And the earth brought forth grass, herb yielding seed after its kind, and tree bearing fruit, wherein is theseed thereof, after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was

morning, a third day. {P}

14 And God said: 'Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; andlet them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmamentof the heaven to give light upon the earth.' And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; and the stars. 17 And God set them in thefirmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and todivide the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there wasmorning, a fourth day. {P}

20 And God said: 'Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let fowl fly above the earth inthe open firmament of heaven.' 21 And God created the great sea-monsters, and every living creature thatcreepeth, wherewith the waters swarmed, after its kind, and every winged fowl after its kind; and God saw

that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in theseas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.' 23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. {P}

24 And God said: 'Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind.' And it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth after its kind, andthe cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the ground after its kind; and God saw that itwas good.

26 And God said: 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over thefish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over everycreeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.' 27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.

28 And God blessed them; and God said unto them: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, andsubdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every livingthing that creepeth upon the earth.' 29 And God said: 'Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed,which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed--to you itshall be for food; 30 and to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing thatcreepeth upon the earth, wherein there is a living soul, [I have given] every green herb for food.' And it wasso. 31 And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was eveningand there was morning, the sixth day. {P}



New International Version (©1984)When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named himSeth.

New Living Translation (©2007)When Adam was 130 years old, he became the father of a son who was just like him--in his very image. Henamed his son Seth.

English Standard Version (©2001)When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named himSeth.

New American Standard Bible (©1995)When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness,according to his image, and named him Seth.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)When Adam was 130 years old, he became the father [of a son] in his own likeness, in his own image. He

named him Seth.

King James BibleAnd Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; andcalled his name Seth:

American King James VersionAnd Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; andcalled his name Seth:

American Standard VersionAnd Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and calledhis name Seth:

Bible in Basic EnglishAdam had been living for a hundred and thirty years when he had a son like himself, after his image, andgave him the name of Seth:

Douay-Rheims BibleAnd Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begot a son to his own image and likeness, and called hisname Seth.

Darby Bible TranslationAnd Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his likeness, after his image, and called hisname Seth.

English Revised VersionAnd Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; andcalled his name Seth:

Webster's Bible TranslationAnd Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and calledhis name Seth:

World English Bible



Adam lived one hundred thirty years, and became the father of a son in his own likeness, after his image,and named him Seth.

Young's Literal TranslationAnd Adam liveth an hundred and thirty years, and begetteth a son in his likeness, according to his image,and calleth his name Seth.Geneva Study Bible

And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own {c} likeness, after his image; andcalled his name Seth:

(c) As well, concerning his creation, as his corruption.

Wesley's Notes

5:3 Seth was born in the 130th year of Adam's life, and probably the murder of Abel was not long before.Many other sons and daughters were born to Adam besides Cain and Abel before this; but no notice istaken of them, because an honourable mention must be made of his name only, in whose loins Christ andthe church were. But that which is most observable here concerning Seth, is, that Adam begat him in hisown likeness after his image - Adam was made in the image of God; but when he was fallen and corrupted,

he begat a son in his own image, sinful and defiled, frail and mortal, and miserable like himself; not only aman like himself, consisting of body and soul; but a sinner like himself, guilty and obnoxious, degenerateand corrupt. He was conceived and born in sin, Psa 51:5. This was Adam's own likeness, the reverse of thatDivine likeness in which Adam was made; but having lost it himself he could not convey it to his seed.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

5:1-5 Adam was made in the image of God; but when fallen he begat a son in his own image, sinful anddefiled, frail, wretched, and mortal, like himself. Not only a man like himself, consisting of body and soul, but a sinner like himself. This was the reverse of that Divine likeness in which Adam was made; havinglost it, he could not convey it to his seed. Adam lived, in all, 930 years; and then died, according to thesentence passed upon him, To dust thou shalt return. Though he did not die in the day he ate forbiddenfruit, yet in that very day he became mortal. Then he began to die; his whole life after was but a reprieve, a

forfeited, condemned life; it was a wasting, dying life. Man's life is but dying by degrees.



http://www.ucg.org/bsc/03/imageofgod.htm

Man in the Image of God

The book of Genesis tells us that God created man in His own image, forming man from the dust of theearth and breathing into his nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7). The fact that God made manin his image and likeness delineates the most fundamental difference between humans and other creatures.All other distinguishing characteristics between man and the animal world fall within its broad spectrum.

The image of God imparts special meaning, harmony, intelligence and design to human life. To be humanis to be created in the image of God. This is the certain testimony of the Bible!

Three scriptures in the book of Genesis refer to our being created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27;9:6). As we will see, they show that the "image of God" is of crucial importance to the grand purpose of humanity on planet earth. They are not just statements of historical fact; they point directly to mankind'sawesome destiny.

We begin our formal study with an overview of this intriguing subject.What does the first chapter of Genesis teach us about the image of God?

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth..." (Genesis 1:26).

Man stands apart from all other living creatures because of his relationship to God. The flora and fauna hadalready been created when God brought man onto the scene. Man was the crown of the physical creationand was designed to rule over it. Of all that God created, only man was made in God's image and likeness.

The Hebrew Scriptures do not precisely explain what is meant by the image and likeness of God. TheCambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges says of the words image and likeness: "'Image' suggestsreproduction in form and substance, physical or spiritual: and 'likeness' gives the idea of resemblance andoutward similarity."

Man, of course, by no means possesses all the powers, characteristics and attributes of the great Creator God. Nevertheless, we have been created as much as is physically possible in God's own image andlikeness.

Throughout the Bible the relationship of God to man is represented as that of a father to his children. Andchildren usually have a strong resemblance to their parents. The author of Hebrews explains our relationship to God: "For both He who sanctifies [Christ] and those who are being sanctified [Christians]are all of one [Father], for which reason He [Christ] is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: 'I willdeclare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.' And again: 'Iwill put My trust in Him.' And again: 'Here am I and the children whom God has given Me'" (Hebrews2:11-13).

The verses quoted above also express and envision God's remarkable purpose for humankind. The message

of the Bible shows that God created man with a mind capable of communicating with God and thinkinglike He thinks. And God wants us to be even more like Him—both in character and, ultimately, incomposition. Our destiny is to be like Jesus Christ now is as the glorified Son of God (1 John 3:2).Are both sexes included in God's grand purpose for humankind?

"So God created man in His own image; the image of God He created him; male and female He createdthem" (Genesis 1:27; compare 5:1-2).

In verse 27 the Hebrew word for "man," etadam (including the accusative particle et), is a collective nounmeaning humanity or the race as a whole—not just the proper name of Adam, who was the first man (1





Corinthians 15:45; 1 Chronicles 1:1). So the image of God applies both individually and collectively. Each person, male and female, is made in God's image, as is the human race as a whole.Is this weighty account in Genesis 1 repeated at a key juncture in early human history?

"This is the book of the genealogy [generations, KJV] of Adam. In the day that God created man, He madehim in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankindin the day that they were created" (Genesis 5:1-2).

After the original description of the creation of mankind in the Garden of Eden, we are again reminded of our uniqueness at the beginning of a new epoch in human history.Are human beings once again told of their creation in the Bible's first book?

"Whoever sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God He made man"(Genesis 9:6).

A person created in God's image is so precious in our Creator's sight that anyone who would deliberatelyand maliciously take another's life could himself be facing the death penalty from his peers. This finalreminder in Genesis is positioned just after the time of Noah's flood—another benchmark in history. Allthree accounts of this essential theme in the human story of God's creation of us in His own image appear in the immediate context of human reproduction. Two appear directly before a command "to be fruitful and

multiply," and the third appears at the head of the first genealogical record. This reproductive relationshiphas some important spiritual implications in terms of God's ultimate plan and purpose for mankind.Does the Bible also mention the two words image and likeness in connection with the normal reproductionof a human being?

"And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, andnamed him Seth" (Genesis 5:3).

The Bible interprets the Bible. The context (verses 1-2) mentions God making men and women in His ownlikeness. Does this passage give us an important indication as to what our Creator intends by the expression"the image of God"? Just as our Creator made humans in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27), so didAdam have a son, Seth, who was in Adam's image and likeness (the same Hebrew words are used in both passages). As The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible observes: "Man's resemblance to God is analogous

to Seth's resemblance to his father Adam. This makes it certain that physical resemblance must not beexcluded" (p. 683).

In other words, just as children resemble their human parents, so do all humans resemble our Creator.Although God is spirit (John 4:24) rather than a physical being, all humans bear a physical resemblance toHim. He actually showed Moses His back in His glorified form (Exodus 33:18-23). In regard to such physical resemblance, it is noteworthy that Jesus Christ appeared in human form and shape to His disciplesafter the resurrection. In the Transfiguration account (Matthew 17:1-9), Jesus also appeared in the sameglorified form to Peter, James and John.

When God appeared in vision to the biblical prophets they described Him in human form. Certainly manhas been physically designed to be as much like God as it is possible for a physical being to be made in theimage and likeness of the awesome spirit being that God is. In this lesson we will also discover that there

are other ways we humans are intended to become like our Creator, and why.



1:26 Hebrew OT: WLC (Consonantsבראשית Only)׃ץ ר א ה ל ־ ־להרמש הרמש ע כ ב ו ץ ר א ה ל ־ ויאמר אלהים נעשה אדם בצלמנו כדמותנו וירדו בדגת הים ובעוף השמים ובבהמה ובכ

1:26 Hebrew OT: WLC (Consonantsבראשית & Vowels)׃ץ ר א ה ־ל ש ע מ ר ש ה מ ר ה ־ל כ ב רץ ו א ה ־ל בכ מה ו ה ב ב מים ו ש וף ה ע ב דו בדגת הים ו ר י ו ונת דמו מנו כ ל צ שה אדם ב ע הים נ ל מר א יא ו

1:26בראשית Hebrew Bible׃ץ ויאמר אלהים נעשה אדם בצלמנו כדמותנו וירדו בדגת הים ובעוף השמים ובבהמה ובכל הארץ ובכל הרמש הרמש על האר

Apocalypsis 22:21 Latin: Biblia Sacra Vulgataet ait faciamus hominem ad imaginem et similitudinem nostram et praesit piscibus maris et volatilibus caeliet bestiis universaeque terrae omnique reptili quod movetur in terra

Génesis 1:26 Spanish: La Biblia de las Américas (©1997)Y dijo Dios: Hagamos al hombre a nuestra imagen, conforme a nuestra semejanza; y ejerza dominio sobrelos peces del mar, sobre las aves del cielo, sobre los ganados, sobre toda la tierra, y sobre todo reptil que searrastra sobre la tierra.

Génesis 1:26 Spanish: La Nueva Biblia de los Hispanos (©2005)Y dijo Dios (Padre, Hijo y Espíritu Santo): "Hagamos al hombre a Nuestra imagen, conforme a Nuestra

semejanza; y ejerza dominio sobre los peces del mar, sobre las aves del cielo, sobre los ganados, sobre todala tierra, y sobre todo reptil que se arrastra sobre la tierra."

Génesis 1:26 Spanish: Reina Valera (1909)Y dijo Dios: Hagamos al hombre á nuestra imagen, conforme á nuestra semejanza; y señoree en los pecesde la mar, y en las aves de los cielos, y en las bestias, y en toda la tierra, y en todo animal que andaarrastrando sobre la tierra.

Génesis 1:26 Spanish: Sagradas Escrituras (1569)Y dijo Dios: Hagamos al hombre a nuestra imagen, conforme a nuestra semejanza; y señoree en los pecesdel mar, y en las aves de los cielos, y en las bestias, y en toda la tierra, y en toda serpiente que se andaarrastrando sobre la tierra.

Génesis 1:26 Spanish: ModernEntonces dijo Dios: "Hagamos al hombre a nuestra imagen, conforme a nuestra semejanza, y tengadominio sobre los peces del mar, las aves del cielo, el ganado, y en toda la tierra, y sobre todo animal quese desplaza sobre la tierra."

Genèse 1:26 French: Louis Segond (1910)Puis Dieu dit: Faisons l'homme à notre image, selon notre ressemblance, et qu'il domine sur les poissons dela mer, sur les oiseaux du ciel, sur le bétail, sur toute la terre, et sur tous les reptiles qui rampent sur la terre.

Genèse 1:26 French: DarbyEt Dieu dit: Faisons l' homme à notre image, selon notre ressemblance, et qu'ils dominent sur les poissonsde la mer, et sur les oiseaux des cieux, et sur le bétail, et sur toute la terre, et sur tout animal rampant quirampe sur la terre.

Genèse 1:26 French: Martin (1744)Puis Dieu dit : Faisons l'homme à notre image, selon notre ressemblance, et qu'il domine sur les poissons dela mer, et sur les oiseaux des cieux, et sur le bétail, et sur toute la terre, et sur tout reptile qui rampe sur laterre.

Genèse 1:26 French: Ostervald (1744)Puis Dieu dit: Faisons l'homme à notre image, selon notre ressemblance, et qu'il domine sur les poissons dela mer, et sur les oiseaux des cieux, et sur le bétail, et sur toute la terre, et sur tous les reptiles qui rampentsur la terre.



1 Mose 1:26 German: Luther (1912)Und Gott sprach: Laßt uns Menschen machen, ein Bild, das uns gleich sei, die da herrschen über die Fischeim Meer und über die Vögel unter dem Himmel und über das Vieh und über die ganze Erde und über allesGewürm, das auf Erden kriecht.

1 Mose 1:26 German: Luther (1545)Und Gott sprach: Laßt uns Menschen machen, ein Bild, das uns gleich sei, die da herrschen über die Fischeim Meer und über die Vögel unter dem Himmel und über das Vieh und über die ganze Erde und über allesGewürm, das auf Erden kreucht.

1 Mose 1:26 German: Elberfelder (1871)Und Gott sprach: Lasset uns Menschen (H. Adam, d. i. von der Erde; adama Erdboden) machen in unseremBilde, nach unserem Gleichnis; und sie sollen herrschen über die Fische des Meeres und über das Gevögeldes Himmels und über das Vieh und über die ganze Erde und über alles Gewürm, (Eig. sich Regendes) dassich auf der Erde regt!

創世記 1:26 Chinese Bible: Union (Traditional) 神說：我們要照著我們的形像、按著我們的樣式造人，使他們管理海裡的

魚、空中的鳥、地上的牲畜，和全地，並地上所爬的一切昆蟲。

創世記 1:26 Chinese Bible: Union (Simplified) 神说：我们要照着我们的形像、按着我们的样式造人，使他们管理海里的

鱼、空中的鸟、地上的牲畜，和全地，并地上所爬的一切昆虫。

創世記 1:26 Chinese Bible: NCV (Simplified)“创造人类神说：我们要照着我们的形象，按着我们的样式造人；使他们管理海里的鱼、空中的

”鸟、地上的牲畜，以及全地，和地上所有爬行的生物！

創世記 1:26 Chinese Bible: NCV (Traditional)“創造人類神說：我們要照著我們的形象，按著我們的樣式造人；使他們管理海裡的魚、空中的

”鳥、地上的牲畜，以及全地，和地上所有爬行的生物！And God said Let us make man in our image after our likeness and let them have dominion over the fish of

the sea and over the fowl of the air and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thingthat creepeth upon the earthAnd God'elohiym (el-o-heem')angels, exceeding, God (gods)(-dess, -ly), (very) great, judges, mighty.said'amar (aw-mar')to say (used with great latitude)Let us make`asah (aw-saw')to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application man'adam (aw-dawm')ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.) -- another, + hypocrite, + commonsort, low, man (mean, of low degree), person.in our imagetselem (tseh'-lem)

a phantom, i.e. (figuratively) illusion, resemblance; hence, a representative figure, especially an idol --image, vain shew.after our likenessdmuwth (dem-ooth')resemblance; concretely, model, shape; adverbially, like -- fashion, like (-ness, as), manner, similitude.andlet them have dominionradah (raw-daw')to tread down, i.e. subjugate; specifically, to crumble off -- (come to, make to) have dominion, prevailagainst, reign, (bear, make to) rule,(-r, over), take.over the fishdagah (daw-gaw')fish.of the sea



yam (yawm)from an unused root meaning to roar -- sea (-faring man, (-shore), south, west (-ern, side, -ward).and over the fowl`owph (ofe)a bird (as covered with feathers, or rather as covering with wings), often collectively -- bird, that flieth,flying, fowl.of the air shamayim (shaw-mah'-yim)air, astrologer, heaven(-s).and over the cattle bhemah (be-hay-maw')a dumb beast; especially any large quadruped or animal (often collective) -- beast, cattle.and over all theearth'erets (eh'-rets)the earth (at large, or partitively a land) -- common, country, earth, field, ground, land, natins, way, +wilderness, world.and over every creeping thingremes (reh'-mes)a reptile or any other rapidly moving animal -- that creepeth, creeping (moving) thing.that creepethramas (raw-mas')to glide swiftly, i.e. to crawl or move with short steps; by analogy to swarm -- creep, move.upon the earth'erets (eh'-rets)the earth (at large, or partitively a land) -- common, country, earth, field, ground, land, natins, way, +

wilderness, world.

Genesis 1:26 Multilingual Bible

Genèse 1:26 French

Génesis 1:26 Biblia Paralela

創世記 1:26 Chinese Bible

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Informationvisit http://www.lockman.org.

http://www.lockman.org/

http://www.lockman.org/



BibleToolsBIBLES | DEFINITIONS | TOPICAL STUDIES | LIBRARY | EMAIL | ABOUT

Topical Studies

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | ZPrinter-Friendly E-mail this page

Image and Likeness of God(From Forerunner Commentary)

Genesis 1:26 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

Moses writes that man is created in God's "image" and "likeness." Any reliable lexicon mentions that"image" and "likeness" reinforce each other in a manner common to Hebrew. It means we are like God inform and implies that, like Him, we have a spiritual capacity which animals do not have.

John W. Ritenbaugh

God Is . . . What?

Genesis 1:26-27 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

Here in the Bible's first chapter, God states His goal: He is making man in His own image! By using both"image" and "likeness," God explained that He would create man to be just like Him! Man would not onlylook like God, but humanity would also have a spiritual ability to understand His nature and learn toconform to it. Through the experiences of life and the process of building godly character, humankind can put on the image of God and be resurrected into His Family (I Corinthians 15:49-53).

Richard T. Ritenbaugh

God's Master Plan


When God molded Adam of the dust, He shaped him in the outward form of Himself; He gave thisunique form to man alone. Besides this, God gave man dominion over his environment, and to do this job,He gave him abilities like His own. Man can think, reason, make decisions, and plan. He can originate andevaluate ideas and bring them to completion. He can communicate and express complex concepts that can be understood by other men. Mankind understands and marks the passage of time.

No animals have these abilities! But there is more: Man has a unique ability to imagine and desire life

after death (Ecclesiastes 3:11)! Men want to live forever! The problem is that without the revelation of God, they have NO IDEA how to attain it!

William GrayTaking It Through the Grave




Notice the overall context of these verses. It is the very first chapter of the Bible, and God is laying thefoundation for what will follow. If the foundation is not laid correctly, then the rest of the building iscrooked. God is beginning to establish our vision of what His purpose is and where we are headed with our lives, and being what we are, we need to have some insight into what He is. So He tells us immediately thatwe are made in His image and His likeness.

He contrasts us with the animals. Each one of them reproduces after its kind. And when they reproduce,they look like their parents. They look like each other. God is clearly implying that He is reproducingHimself and that His purpose is that we will be exactly like Him when He is finished with us. Even now, inour physical forms, we are made in His image so that we will have the potential to be exactly like Him.

Virtually every explanation of these two verses begins with an assumption: that God did not really meanwhat He clearly states.

Verse 26 says the creation of man is about to occur. It is yet future. Verse 27 says the creation in the pasttense. By the time the statement in verse 27 is done, man is already in His image. It is not future. It is pasttense. It is not an image and likeness in progress as in the creation of a character image, but within thecontext, the image was already accomplished. A physical image and likeness of God has been made.

Who knows better? The God who authored the Book and the people He used to write these things down

—or people who are looking at it centuries after the fact and have never seen God or heard His voice, people who are using a combination of Bible verses, metaphysics, philosophy, science, and assumption?

What is the assumption based on? It is usually on men's definition of the word "spirit." They combinethat with John 4:24, which says that "God is Spirit." Adam Clarke provides a typical explanation: "Now asa divine being is infinite, he is neither limited by parts or definable by passions. Therefore he can have nocorporeal image after which He made the body of man" (vol. 1, p. 38).

That is a direct contradiction based upon an assumption. It is based upon disbelief. Certainly, God doesnot have a material body, but that does not address the issue. The issue is whether He has a spiritual body,which served as a model for mankind, and whether He has a body that has parts.

This is important because men within the church of God are now telling members that God does not have

form in mind at all in this verse, but only character image. This is important to us in understanding thenature of God and getting a correct perspective of the goal and purpose of life itself. They are associatingHim with being not much more than the Catholic beatific vision or with man becoming part of a vague,immaterial blob without independence. This would effectively do away with the doctrine of being bornagain into a constructive and developing Family of creators.

John W. RitenbaughImage and Likeness of God (Part 1)


At the very beginning of the life of men, God says something that implies a great deal more: that Hewould make man "in Our image." In a nutshell, this is God's purpose for mankind.

John W. RitenbaughThe Covenants, Grace and Law (Part 1)




The actual creation of Adam and Eve and the placing of them in the Garden of Eden was not an end initself but only a necessary step at the beginning of a process that continues right down to today.

God is creating a community.

From the very beginning, God implies the expansion of His own community. He says, "Let Us,"indicating a community already exists. Man was made, physically, in God's image, and he begins withcharacteristics of shape and form in common with his Maker. The rest of the Bible fills in the details of how mankind is being brought from having not only form and shape in common with his Maker, but alsocharacter, so that he fits perfectly into the community that the Maker is expanding.

When the Son of God came, He came with a message from His Father. Jesus gave as the title to themessage that He brought, "the good news of the Kingdom of God" (Mark 1:14-15). This is the BossHimself, and this is the title He Himself gave. It was the good news of the Kingdom of God.

Is there any doubt in our minds that God is forming a community? Is there any doubt that Jesus Christwill rule this community, first, and that afterward, He will turn everything over to the Father? (ICorinthians 15:28)? There is nothing ambiguous here. Is God forming a community?

The important thing for us is what ramifications the good news of the Kingdom of God has on the way

we live our lives. In the course of the unfolding of Christ's ministry, and the apostles' afterward, we findsome interesting things that have a direct impact on the way we live our lives.

First, Christ was the Son of God. Does not a son indicate a family relationship? “Son” is used in theBible in at least two different ways. One means "a direct descendant of." The other is used in the sense of "characteristics of, but not necessarily direct descendant of." The Bible says plainly that Jesus was the Sonof God, a direct relationship. Since He was of the same Family, there is a family relationship. He was notonly a literal Son born of Mary of the Holy Spirit, but He also showed the characteristics of God. He wasGod.

Is Christ indicating a family relationship with us in Mark 3:34-35? We have already seen that thecommunity that He is creating is a kingdom. This kingdom is also a Family. Everybody is related, all beingsons of the Creator. Everybody has the same characteristics. Do not the descendants of parents look like

their parents? Sure they do.

Everything fits together beautifully, and logically. God is reproducing Himself.

Consider Romans 8:14-15. Is that a family? Thus, if we have the Spirit of God, we are part of a family.We are Jesus' brothers. We are Jesus' sisters. We are Jesus' mothers (see Matthew 12:50). We have thesame Father as He did.



At the very beginning of the Book, God tells us what He is doing. His project, His work, began with theformation of man as a physical being in the bodily form of God, and it will not end until mankind is in thenature and character image of God.

To accomplish this, God gave men free moral agency to enable us to choose to follow His way and assistin the development of His image in us, since we cannot be in His image unless we voluntarily choose to doso. Then the character is truly ours, as well as being truly His, because it is inscribed in us as a result of what we have believed and experienced.



God is not merely eternal. He is supreme in every quality of goodness, and in Him absolutely no evildwells. In the Bible, this goodness is called holiness, which is transcendent purity. It permeates everyaspect, every attribute, of God-life. God's character is holy, and it flows out from Him in acts of love,making it impossible for Him to do anything evil. This is the state towards which He is drawing us.

Law must be seen in this context. If we tear law from the context of God's purpose, then we can come upwith anything we want to say about law. We can say, "Oh, it is all done away," or "We do not need to dothis." However, we cannot tear it away from the purpose of God, and there is a reason for this.

Does God abide by law? The creation screams at us that He does! Everything He creates operates by law,and it does so because it came from His wonderfully orderly and organized mind. It is a reflection of whatHis mind is like because this is the way He is. He is a law-abiding God.

However, we cannot see Him—not literally, with our eyes. It is here that faith enters the picture: We cansee evidence of Him, and we can believe what He says. His law outlines the way that He lives. It is the wayof this holy, law-abiding God.



As God created, it is extremely significant that of all He created, only one creation is in His image,mankind. This is important to the purpose God is working out. Also, it is significant that of all the creaturesGod created, only mankind is given dominion over anything else, animate or inanimate.

Verses 26 and 28 show the first inkling of man's awesome potential. We are in God’s likeness and Hisimage, and have been given dominion in order to fulfill that potential.

If one looked up the word "image" in a Hebrew dictionary, it would not be very satisfying, being atypical textbook definition. It merely means "a shadowing forth, a phantom, a sketch, an outline." It gives

the impression of a mere shape, a stickman. However, it has another, more interesting definition that means"whatever makes a man remarkable or procures respect."

The word "likeness" is commonly thought by linguists to mean nothing more than an intensification of the word "image." Even though it is a different word, its meaning is very similar. Putting those two wordstogether, the Hebrew clearly shows that we are remarkable, especially in comparison to all other life. Weare in the image of God.

Though we are remarkable, we are merely an outline, a mere copy or representation. We are illusorycompared to God, because He is the reality.

The word “image” deserves further examination. The word "image" could evoke different mental imagesdepending upon one's perspective. Over the past several decades in the United States, "image" has acquired

a deceptive application that obscures its true meaning. This application skews one's understanding,interfering with the meaning God intends.

For example, today, a politician hires a publication firm to create an image for him that the people willfind acceptable, and, thus, vote him into office. If someone is trying to find employment, they dress acertain way to project a particular image for employers to perceive. Corporations also try very hard to findthe right image before the public.

To an American, an “image” has subtly come to mean "the illusion of what something is presented to be"rather than "the essence of what it really is."



In Hebrew, the word translated "image" is not "a deceptive illusion." Rather, image means "the likeness

of one subject expressed in another." This difference is important. It means, "the likeness of one subject,God, expressed in the other, man." The verse indirectly says that man is very much like God.

The Hebrew meaning is frequently used in English in reference to family resemblance or characteristics.We say that a child is the spitting image of his father or his mother, possibly referring to physical or socialtraits.

The "image" is no illusion; it is the reality. It is the family trait. It is the essence of reality.

John W. RitenbaughThe Right Use of Power


From our childhood, we carry an image of God kneeling over the created but inert Adam. He is lifelessuntil God performs the first mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and then Adam springs to life! His eyelids

flutter, he takes a deep breath, and then he bends from his waist and sits up.

Nowhere does the Bible show God breathing life into any animal that He created. When He createdthem, they started breathing. Why should man be any different?

He is different because he is in the likeness of God. He did something to man that actually made maninto the image of God. While he was lying there on the ground, he was still yet a creature. Butwhen Godknelt down and breathed into him, the infusion of the spirit in man occurred. That is what made man in theimage of God! That is what gave man the power to have dominion. It gave man the intellect he needed torule what God has created.

Man has creaturely life, but with the infusion of the spirit in man, he is more—a living being withintelligence. Man was given the power to govern his actions, not by instinct, but by memory, by

conceptualization and thinking spatially. A man can appreciate beauty, communicate verbally, or write. Ahuman being has feelings that are—in the of their subtly and power—far above an animal in terms of loveor hate, and above all of the emotions that fall in between.

We can create and destroy. The power is in a man to do these things. The power is in the spirit whencombined with the brain, but it has to be developed.

God shows very clearly that, as we are, we are nothing more than a pale representation of what we can be. Yet, we are endowed with powers that lift us so far above the animals on earth that we can havedominion over them.

Mankind is then commanded to fill the earth and subdue it. Subdue means "to tread upon," which implies"to bring into subjection." It does not mean "to destroy" or "to treat violently," but "to control and direct."

In Genesis 1:26 and 28, God implies that He has conferred powers to mankind not given to animals.

It is also the first indication, when combined with Genesis 2:7 and 15, that when God confers aresponsibility, He also confers the powers to carry out that responsibility.

John W. RitenbaughThe Right Use of Power




When we read in Genesis 2:17, do we not subconsciously read into it, "Yes, but He does not really meanthat. He means we will eventually die"? We soften it, expecting that God will not carry through with whatHe literally says.

The Keil-Delitzsch Commentary says about this verse, "That in the day that you eat thereof you shalldie." It means as soon as he ate, he would die. The Keil-Delitzsch is a very conservative commentary. TheInterpreter's Bible Commentary, which is one of the most liberal commentaries, says, "Death would followimmediately!" From one of the most conservative commentaries, Keil-Delitzsch, to one of the most liberal,The Interpreter's Bible Commentary, they agree the verse says that when they touched that tree, thusshowing the intent of their heart, they would die.

In the beginning, at creation, all sin is deemed as worthy of death. Every sin is a capital offense. Increation, God was not obligated in any way to give life to you or me. Life is a gift that puts us under obligation, and that obligation is stated, or at least implied very strongly, right when man is being created.God gave life to man and put him under the obligation of being the image-bearer of God (Genesis 1:26).That is why we were created.

In chapter 2, we are further obligated by God's command to take of the Tree of Life, and not the other

tree. The implication there is that only God knows how we are to live in order to fill our obligation to be theimage-bearer of God. We have to learn that the root of sin lies in the desire of men to live their lives in self-centered independence from God. This is what keeps us from being the image-bearers of God that Heintended us to be. If we deviate from this, have we not broken our obligation to God? If we deviate fromthis—if we go from the path, if we miss the mark—we have sinned. We have broken our obligation tomirror and reflect the holiness of God.

Implied by the name “Tree of Life,” God is telling us that we do not intrinsically possess the kind of lifethat God has, and that if we want that kind of life, it must be added. It is added through what the Tree of Life symbolized. What if we do not meet our obligations? We forfeit the gift of life when we sin.

Is God unfair if something is so clearly stated? Do we see why He commands us to choose life? He sets before us two different ways. He commands us to go in a certain direction, because if we go in the other

direction we have broken our obligation to be image-bearers, and then He is not obligated any longer after that to continue our lives. He is under no obligation to continue the life that He gave to us as a gift. God isnot acting unfairly nor with injustice, for the commands are very clear.

When the penalty was stated to Adam and Eve, did God say, "If you sin, some day you will die"? No.The penalty is clearly stated to be instant death, just as suddenly as it fell on Nadab and Abihu, and onAnanias and Sapphira, and Uzza.

Let us look at this realistically and let us not try to soften what God very clearly and literally says. Hemeant the death penalty in the fullest sense of the word. The only reason they lived was because it was rightat that point that God extended grace. God was no longer obligated to continue their life.

They had broken His Word, deviated from the path, and the just thing for God to have done would have

been to kill them just as He did Uzza. That is not what He did though. Instead, He gave them mercy, andHe gave them grace. There is a saying, "Justice delayed is justice denied," but not always so. In this casewith Adam and Eve, the full measure of justice was delayed for grace to have time to work.

We need to be thinking of this in relation to ourselves, because He is establishing a pattern. Justice wasdelayed so grace would have time to work. In this case, the delay of justice was not the denial of justice, but the establishing of mercy and grace. So right at the very beginning of the Book, in its third chapter,grace is introduced.

John W. Ritenbaugh



Justice and Grace


In Genesis 2:24, when the marriage covenant is ordained, man and woman are designated as "oneflesh"—one unit. God is indeed creating a Family modeled after His own characteristics, but not allGodlike characteristics are found in one sex or gender, any more than they are found in one race. It bearsrepeating that God did not create a superior and inferior sex, any more than He created a superior andinferior race.

God has characteristics (revealed throughout Scripture) that are considered to be masculine andfeminine. Our own bodies mirror this. Human reproductive glands, for example, manufacture both maleand female hormones. Women's ovaries produce small, but significant amounts of androgen (a malehormone). Likewise, men's testicular canals produce not only testosterone, but also a small but significantamount of estrogen (female hormones). God has also designed the human anatomy so that both sexes havevestigial equipment of the opposite sex. No one is 100% male or 100% female—not even the mostmuscular man or the curviest woman can claim this distinction.

Together, men and women make up a composite image of the living God. Individually, we areincomplete, partial, and lacking something in our personality. One of the reasons God gave us marriagestate (a God-plane relationship) is to learn how the other half of the God-image behaves. We learn from our mate's traits and characteristics of the opposite sex in order to become complete God-beings. The BruceWillis/Russell Crowe macho-warriors and the Nicole Kidman/Meg Ryan goddess stereotypes areinsufficient models for a God-being. God the Father is not in the process of making macho-warriors or goddesses, but balanced members of His Family.

Part of this process—incredible as it sounds—involves the male incorporating Godlike feminine (noteffeminate) characteristics such as tenderness, mercy, and patience. Similarly, the female needs to learn or adopt masculine (not tomboy or butch) characteristics such as strength, assertiveness, and decisiveness. If we make a thorough search of the Scripture, we would find the masculine and feminine traits of Godequally distributed. Ironically, if gender-neutral advocates had their way, these delightful differences would

be blotted out.

Space permits elaboration on only a few from each list. We see ample and abundant masculine traits inthe Bible: strength, power, decisiveness, aggressiveness, provider, ruler, and leader. Feminine traits are alsoabundant: beauty, grace, mercy, tenderness, caring, and affectionate. In order to qualify as members of God's Family, both men and women need to incorporate all these characteristics into their personalities.

Men often have a hard time being as loving and affectionate as their wives are. Little boys know thatMommies make the best pillows, and Daddies make the best armrests. If some of the women in thecongregation would enlist the aid of the men in the congregation to hold their babies, the men might break out in a cold sweat. Nevertheless, motherly feelings and instincts come from God. It did not bother JesusChrist to express a motherly instinct: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem. . . ! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. . . !" (Matthew 23:37).

David F. MaasIs God a Male Chauvinist?


Critics assert that Israel's history demonstrates the weakness of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, inthat their God could not keep His promises. Is that so? We need to set the record straight.



The Old Testament is a chronicle of Israel's repeated failure to obey God, of its refusal to keep Hiscommandments and statutes. In Psalm 78:10-11, 40-42, 56-57, the psalmist mentions that Ephraim(meaning Israel at large)

did not keep the covenant of God; they refused to walk in His law, and forgot His works and Hiswonders that He had shown them. . . . How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, and grieved Him inthe desert! Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They did notremember His power. . . . Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God, and did not keep Histestimonies, but turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers.

II Kings 17:7-8 speaks of the sins of the Kingdom of Israel, up north:

For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought themup out of the land of Egypt, . . . and they had feared other gods, and had walked in the statutes of thenations whom the LORD had cast out from before the children of Israel.

The prophet Jeremiah, in Jeremiah 32:30, quotes God's scathing indictment of the people of bothKingdoms: "[T]he children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only evil before Me from their youth."

Because of their sins, as II Kings 17:18-20 indicates, God

was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight. . . . Also Judah did not keep thecommandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. And theLORD rejected all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of plunders,until He had cast them from His sight.

In Psalm 78:59-62, the psalmist Asaph relates that God, when He became aware of the idols of Israel,

was furious, and greatly abhorred Israel, so that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, . . . and deliveredHis strength into captivity, and His glory into the enemy's hand. He also gave His people over to the sword,and was furious with His inheritance.

As early as the days of the founder of the Kingdom of Israel, Jeroboam I, God understood the directionIsrael was taking. In I Kings 14:15, God warns that He will ultimately

strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gaveto their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the [Euphrates] River, because they have made their woodenimages, provoking the LORD to anger.

Much later, Amos warned Israel, "Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful kingdom, and Iwill destroy it from the face of the earth" (Amos 9:8).

The patriarchs were, as God attests again and again, faithful. However, the people of Israel failed to

observe the terms of God's conditional promises to them. Israel exhibited again and again its refusal to obeyGod. As a result, it has yet to enter into the peace, prosperity, and eternal possession of the land He promised the patriarchs. Hebrews 3:8-11 summarizes the matter: "In the day of trial in the wilderness, [thechildren of Israel] . . . tested Me, proved Me, and saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry withthat generation. . . . So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.'"

Because of the peoples' recalcitrance, God withheld His blessings, ultimately separating Himself fromthem by casting them out of the land He had promised the patriarchs. God punished Israel for itsdisobedience by deferring the fulfillment of His promises to the patriarchs. This deferment did not make



To have His likeness is not just to be spirit as He is, but also to be like Him in quality of life. If we are,then the relationship with Him and His other sons will continue for all eternity. That is the Christian hope!

John W. RitenbaughThe Resurrection From the Dead

Isaiah 30:1 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

"Spirit" is ruach, and it is used in the sense of invisible force or power. Thus ruach, depending on thecontext, is used to express intelligence, will, truth, hope, faith, knowledge, wisdom, discernment,omnipotence, omnipresence, infinity, invisibility, or holiness. These words are different from those inreference to God's soul (see Leviticus 26:11), which had to do mostly with feelings, with emotionalqualities. Here ruach covers aspects that have to do with mind power.


Isaiah 40:12-31 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

Making and worshipping an idol is foolishness and a lie, because a manmade image can never truthfullyrepresent the Eternal God. For a son of God, worshipping idols is irrational (Acts 17:29); to look tosomething physical as important or more important than God defies all wisdom. The way the world looksto physical objects is superstition (e.g., good luck charms, religious crosses, shrines).

Martin G. CollinsThe Second Commandment

Isaiah 57:15 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

He put this in His Word to impress us and thus encourage us with the greatness of His power, wisdom,and humility. If we are so impressed and encouraged, we respond by honoring Him through our humbleobedience, thus glorifying Him and enabling Him to form us into His image.

John W. RitenbaughThe First Commandment

Daniel 7:13-14 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

The Ancient of Days, the One who became known as the Father, is seated on a throne. He wears clothingand has shining white hair. Yet, the "One like the Son of Man" is also a divine Being. So, we see two GodBeings in the same place and at the same time, and it is designated that the second is the One who will bear rule in the kingdoms of men.




Matthew 17:1-5 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

When Peter recollected in II Peter 1:16, he was recalling the event in Matthew 17. When Jesus wastransfigured, glorified before them, He did not take on a different shape and form than He had before. Hestill had a recognizable face. He still had clothing on, but everything became shining and bright.Undoubtedly, this was done to impress on the minds of these three men that this Jesus was God in the flesh.


Luke 9:29 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

The word "appearance" is eidos, "that which can be seen with the eye."


Luke 24:36-40 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

Consider the context and the time. He is resurrected, composed of Spirit. He is God. Does He indicate atall that being in the body is only a part-time experience for God? No, instead He teaches them that a spirit being's body is not vaporous like a ghost and that it is not composed of earthly flesh and bone.

The implications are important in relation to other parts of the Bible. In this case, what He does not say isimportant because He wants them to answer in their own minds just the opposite of what they originallythought, "This is a ghost. It has no form or shape."

Yes, He did have form and shape, and it was solid to the touch. They felt Him, and their hands did not pass through Him. He is saying that He has flesh and bones, but they are not physical. They are spirit flesh

and bones.


Luke 24:36-39 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

This passage makes it very plain that God in composition is spirit, that He does have form, that He issolid, and He has skin and bones. The description even includes scars in His hands and feet!

John W. Ritenbaugh

The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part 1)

John 3:5-8 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

Ruach is translated as "wind" in the Old Testament. Here, the Greek word is pneuma, which is theequivalent of the Hebrew ruach meaning "an invisible force or power." The illustration refers to wind. A person cannot see air, but it is real, is it not? Its molecules can be packed so solidly, so close together, thatthey will lift a huge airplane right off the ground. One cannot see the molecules, the atoms, the electrons, or



protons, but they are there. We deal with other invisible forces or powers, like electricity and light, on adaily basis, and they certainly exist.

That is the gist of the meaning of spirit. No one would argue that air, of which wind is constituted, is notreal, and though it is invisible, it is made up of particles too small for the unaided eye to see. The Bible provides ample evidence to prove that God and angels are not universal nothingness floating around innowhere. God is not universal mind, conscience, or goodness. He is not an abstract power filling the wholeof space. Except for the vast differences in power and potential, the only difference between humans andGod is that mankind is earthly flesh and bone whose life is in the blood, while God's body is also flesh and bone but composed of Spirit and immortal.

This has practical ramifications that must be explored because it means that God cannot be omnipresentin the body. The Bible's consistent description of God shows Him at one place at one time, and He isgenerally seen managing or participating in His creation. We see Him sitting, standing, walking, talking,eating, drinking, commanding, etc., in specific locations. Nowhere is there any mention of God's size, andtherefore the conclusion must be that He is of ordinary, human size, and when He became a man, theScripture says, there was nothing notable about Him except His character and His powerful teaching.


John 4:24 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

The King James has wrongly translated this verse from the Greek. It really says "God is spirit," not "a"spirit—there is no indefinite article in the Greek. Basically, Jesus is saying that God is invisible andimmaterial.

This scripture directly refers to the Father. "Spirit" is used in the sense of composition. However, just because the Father and the Son are spirit does not mean they have no form. If they had no form, how couldthe Bible honestly say that humans were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26)? They do have form.Physically, we are in Their image.

John W. RitenbaughThe Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part 1)


"Hitherto" is not a word that we are familiar with. It means, "to here," so in this context it implies "to thisvery day." Jesus is saying, "My Father is working right up to this point of time, and I am too." God is anactive Creator. He did not create everything physical, and then just sit back, cross His legs, and twiddle Histhumbs. He is an active Creator.

God created this universe to carry out the next step in His purpose, which is His ongoing work. He iscreating a Family of beings just like Himself. He is reproducing Himself by creating us in His image."Conversion" is the word that describes this process of transformation—"from glory to glory"—from theglory of man to the glory of God. We are being brought into the image of God.

This image is not in the way that we look, but in certain knowledge and attitudes that we believe, accept,submit to in thought and in conduct. It is accomplished by putting the mind of God in us. This regeneration begins a growth process. In our case, it is the growth of God's mind in ours.



God's mind, just like ours, is more than words. It is also attitudes, feelings, moods, passions, inclinations,and perspectives. These things can be described by words, but they are not words. They develop throughthe combination of knowledge and experience, most frequently within relationships. We really cannotrelate to a machine, but we can relate to other beings—we can have relationships with God and men— fellowships, social intercourse, work, play, and interaction. From these experiences, these mental,emotional, and attitudinal aspects of the mind, beyond mere words, create and develop.

As is happens, nothing actually is produced that has form, weight, or can be measured. Rather it isknowledge gleaned from experience, and it is accompanied by God personally and actively working andcreating to enable us to accomplish our part in carrying out His will. Remember, Paul said, "For it is Godwho works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).



Jesus gives no indication that the Father has no form. He is saying here that He does indeed have a form.

He teaches that He has a voice and shape.

The word "form" here is from the Greek eidos, which means, "form, shape, appearance, fashion." It isused in a context indicating what can be seen with the eye. That is what Jesus says, "You have not seen Hisform"—that is, with the eyes. He does not mean something visualized in the mind.

Luke 3:22 says, "And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form." Those who were there saw it with their eyes, and it had shape to it. Likewise, the Father has shape that is visible to the eyes and a voice that isaudible to the ears.



The word in could prove to be quite a puzzle because, if we understood it as "inside" rather than "inunion with," we would have God and Christ crawling inside and out of each other. It would create afarcical, "Where is He now? The Son is in the Father. No, the Father is in the Son." Or, because Christiansare included in verse 20, it would be, "No, He's in me." "No, He's in you." Or, "No, I'm in Him." We couldget all confused. But God is logical.

Here, the sense is definitely "in union with." The Father and Son are two separate Beings who sit side byside in carrying out the responsibilities of providing for and maintaining the operation of His creation both physically and spiritually. When the Son was on earth, He was in union with the Father, and the Father was

in union with Him.

It is almost as if they were—well, humanly, we would say "one flesh." When a man and a woman marry,are they two different beings? Yes, they are. Are they commanded by God to marry for the purpose of becoming one, in union with each other? Yes (Genesis 2:24).

Do they crawl in and out of each other? No, of course not. Nevertheless, a blending takes place: a blending of mind and personality. And what eventually happens? It is something that begins even beforethe two become married. No matter where one of them goes, because of their experiences together, he or



she carries the presence of the other with him or her, and they can call up those memories in the blink of aneye. Is that not simple?

The same principle is involved in the union of the Father and the Son—and the union of God and theChristian.



He speaks directly to us, stating a principle we must learn to live with. The power to do spiritual works,to overcome, to produce the fruit of God's Spirit, to be used by God in any righteous manner comes fromabove. Israel's journey through the wilderness illustrates this. Every step of the way was physicallyempowered by the manna and water God provided.

Understanding God's hand in our preparation for the Kingdom of God is also advanced by rememberingthat we are the clay sculpture our Creator is molding and shaping (Isaiah 64:8). Does any work of art—any

painting, carving, drawing, tapestry, work of literature, or fine meal for that matter—have inherent power to shape itself?

The natural man, even apart from God's purpose, is a magnificent work of art. David writes in Psalm139:14, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Yet, when we have put on incorruption and immortality,and have inherited the Kingdom of God, we will be the most magnificent masterpieces there are, far superior to what we are now. To mold and shape us into God's image requires love, wisdom, and multipleother powers far beyond anything any person—even Jesus as a human being—has.

John W. RitenbaughPower Belongs to God (Part Two)

Romans 5:6-10 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

Sanctification and justification are not the same. They are, however, different processes within the same purpose, and they are definitely related issues. They both begin at the same time: when we are forgiven, justified, and sanctified. Justification has to do with aligning us with the standard of God's law that in turn permits us into God's presence. We will never be any more justified than we are at that moment; justification does not increase as we move through our Christian lives.

Some believe that Jesus Christ lived and died only to provide justification and forgiveness of our sins.However, those who believe this are selling His awesome work short. As wonderful as His work is in providing us with justification, His labors in behalf of our salvation do not end there. Notice that verse 10says we are "saved by His life." Jesus rose from the dead to continue our salvation as our High Priest. God's

work of spiritual creation does not end with justification, for at that point we are far from complete. We arecompleted and saved because of Christ's labor as our Mediator and High Priest only because He is alive.

Sanctification unto holiness continues the process. Hebrews 2:11 states that Jesus is "He who sanctifies,"and those of us who have come under His blood are called "those who are sanctified." Note these versescarefully:

» John 17:19: And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.



» Ephesians 5:25-26: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gaveHimself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.

» Colossians 1:21-22: And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works,yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, andabove reproach in His sight. . . .

» Titus 2:14: . . . who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

Sanctification has a definite purpose that is different from justification. In one respect, justification—asimportant as it is—only gets the salvation process started. Sanctification takes a person much farther alongthe road toward completion. It occurs within the experiences of life generally over the many years of one'srelationship with the Father and Son. How long did God work with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses,David, and the apostles to prepare them for His Kingdom? By comparison, will our perfection be achievedin just a moment?

Sanctification is the inward spiritual work that Jesus Christ works in us. Notice His promise, made on theeve of His crucifixion, in John 14:18: "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." Moments later,when asked by Judas, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?" (verse

22), Jesus replies, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We willcome to him and make Our home with him" (verse 23). These clear statements show that Jesus wouldcontinue His work with them following His resurrection.

As our High Priest, He continues that work in us after our justification. He not only washes us of our sins by means of His blood, but He also labors to separate us from our natural love of sin and the world. Heworks to instill in us a new principle of life, making us holy in our actions and reactions within theexperiences of life. This makes possible a godly witness before men, and at the same time, prepares us for living in the Kingdom of God.

If God's only purpose was to save us, He could end the salvation process with our justification. Certainly,His purpose is to save us, but His goal is to save us with character that is the image of His own.

Notice Hebrews 6:1: "Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us goon to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God."This verse and those immediately following confirm that, at the time of justification, we are not perfect or complete. Justification is an important beginning, but God intends to complete the process of spiritualmaturation that He began with our calling. When sanctification begins, our Christian walk truly begins inearnest.

Sanctification, then, is the outcome of God's calling, faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, justification, andour becoming regenerated by God through receiving His Spirit. This combination begins life in the Spirit,as Paul explains in Romans 8:9: "But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of Goddwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His."

At this point in Christian life, the principles of Christianity must be practically applied to everyday life.

At this juncture, it might help to recall what righteousness is. Psalm 119:172 defines it succinctly: "Mytongue shall speak of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteousness." The apostle John adds toour understanding in I John 3:4: "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness."Both rectitude and love concisely characterize the same standards, the Ten Commandments, and we arerequired to labor to perform both.

John W. RitenbaughIs the Christian Required To Do Works? (Part Four)



1 Corinthians 2:10-11 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

There is a human spirit in which all of mankind shares. It is what, more than any other component of what we are, that enables us to be in God's image, and yet each person is a different personality. We aredistinct from each other so that each person's spirit is also distinct. It is his own. Your spirit is yours, andmy spirit is mine.

My spirit projects John Ritenbaugh. It projects my personality, my mind, my attitudes, my knowledge,my understanding, my wisdom, and my discernment—things that have come to me as a result of myexperiences. Yours is exactly the same way.

What spirit goes back to God when we die? Is the spirit that goes back to God after your death differentfrom the one that goes back to God from me when I die? Of course it is. Mine is mine, and yours is yours.In reference to God, His Spirit is Holy Spirit, but it is uniquely His. Are not He and the Son distinct fromone another? They are.


1 Corinthians 6:17 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

Being in or in union with God does not mean to be bodily inside of each other, because in all the versesthat describe people who were "in" another, they had bodies of their own. So being in means "joined with"toward the accomplishment of the same purpose, and in our case, it is for the fulfilment of God's purposethat we are in union with Him.



The word "image" is the Greek icon. Anybody who has a computer running Windows knows what anicon is. In Greek icon means "a likeness," "a resemblance," or "a representation or image," and it is oftenused in the sense of the image of a man—something made of wood, gold, silver, or other material. Man isin the image of God.



Do things ever change, or do the same questions keep coming around all the time? This sounds asmodern as last year—God has no body. So people in the first century were questioning what kinds of bodythe sons of God will have in the resurrection. Why were they questioning that? Because there wereundoubtedly people, most likely of the Gnostic persuasion, who were saying that God does not have a body. And, they argued, since we are to be made in the image of God, we will not have a body either.





Paul says a change will take place, and he refers again to what comes out of the grave being a body—aspirit body.



There is no question in Paul's mind that there are celestial bodies. What is a celestial body? Many Biblestranslate "celestial" as "heavenly." Paul is speaking about spirit bodies. He says plainly that spirits have bodies.

John W. Ritenbaugh

Image and Likeness of God (Part 1)


All things in creation have bodies designed for their purpose in creation. And though there aresimilarities in design, they are different because of function. Notice how often the word "body" appears inthis context, and within its purview, the cherubim, seraphim, and angels are included.



The image Paul speaks of is not merely that we will be composed of spirit even as Christ is, but that our very nature and character be like His. If God desired that we merely be spirit, He could have made us likeangels. Angels, however, are not God; they are angels. God is doing a work in us through which we will become like Him, not like angels.

His purpose requires that we cooperate. Though our part is very small by comparison to what He isdoing, it is nonetheless vital. Notice how Paul draws this beautiful section of I Corinthians to a conclusion by drawing our attention to what it will take on our part to make God's purpose work: "But thanks be toGod, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast,

immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord"(I Corinthians 15:57-58).

John W. RitenbaughThe Elements of Motivation (Part Three): Hope




Are we sons of Adam? Why do we have this image? Why are we like him? Because we are hisoffspring! We have been born into this earth, the offspring of Adam, as Acts 17 clearly proves. When weare resurrected we will bear the image of our Father. We will be just like Him (I John 3:2), even as we arenow just like Adam was. We will be God!

Incidentally, the word image means "that which corresponds to and reproduces the original." No image —whether it is a reproduction in a flat mirror, a three-dimensional hologram, or a living child of a parent— is an exact replica or image, because each person has his own peculiarities. That is so evident and logicalthat everybody should be able to understand that nobody can be God exactly as God is God, because each person is an individual personality. We will be a reproduction of Him, but we will be unique—because weare who we are, and He is who He is. He has His life and His history, and we have ours. However, we willstill be God. We will be just as much "God" as a baby in the human family is a "human" like its parents.



The "heavenly Man" is Jesus Christ. We will be transformed to be like His glorious body. If we are tohave a body, which will be like His, then He must also have a body now. When God restored Him to Hisformer glory (Jesus' prayer in John 17:3-5 requests He be restored to the glory He had with the Father before the world was), He then returned to the kind of body He had before when He was the model for Adam.

Do we understand what this means? When He was resurrected, He was restored to what He was beforewhen He was the model for mankind. As the model for Adam, He was like He was when He wasresurrected. He was God. The composition was spirit, not flesh, but His body had shape and solidity(remember that He was touched in His resurrection appearances).



I Corinthians 15:49 shows the end of the process, which it encompasses in just a brief phrase, "we shallalso bear the image of the heavenly." We were born into the human family, and we have borne the image of that family, an image that all of mankind has in common. All of us have the human spirit. We may bedifferent ethnically. We may look different from the person sitting next to us, but now in Christ Jesus He is building a commonality, one God intends us to use to increase our fellowship with Him, as well as increaseand deepen the respect and fellowship that we have for each other until we come to bear the image of theheavenly. Then, of course, the fellowship will be in totality. That is where Christians are headed.

John W. RitenbaughTruth (Part 4)


In this verse, which refers directly to Jesus Christ, "spirit" is used in the sense of composition. But just because the Father and the Son are composed of spirit does not mean they have no form. If they had no



form, how could the Bible honestly say that humans were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26)?They do have form. Physically, we are in Their image.


Galatians 4:5 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

It is an obscene fallacy to consider that mankind needs to be "redeemed" from God's law. The law doesnot keep one in bondage—sin does. The law just points out why that man is in bondage. As the notes atGalatians 4:3 show, God's intent and desire is to free us from the bondage of sin, just as He redeemed theIsraelites from Egypt. Right before God gave Israel the Ten Commandments, in a preamble of sorts, Hestated very clearly, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the houseof bondage" (Exodus 20:2). God's law points out to people why they are reaping the negative consequencesof the choices they make—why they are in bondage to sin and condemned to pay the physical and spiritual price.

Jesus Christ was supernaturally conceived ("made of a woman") and took on the consequence of all of

our sins ("made under law"), so He could redeem—pay the price for—everyone who was also under thecondemnation of the law. We are redeemed from the bondage of sin and its consequences, not from the perfect law of God! It should be noted that He did this for all men, not just for the Jews. Hence, the"redemption" could not be referring to redemption from the moral instructions of what is right and wrong,simply because the Gentile Galatians were not familiar with God's law before He called them.

Prior to God's call from this satanic system, we were Satan's children. We bore his image, and resembledhim in word, deed, and attitude (Ephesians 2:1-3; John 8:38-44). When God calls us into a relationship withHim, He justifies us—brings us into alignment with His perfect law—and gives us a measure of His Spiritso we may begin to understand His ways. To those that He chooses and who properly respond, He gives theauthority to become His sons (John 1:12). This sonship is by adoption, because our first father was Satanthe Devil!

At the beginning of our relationship with God, we are begotten by Him but not yet born (John 3:3-8; ICorinthians 15:20-54; I John 3:9; 5:18). Genesis 1:26 shows that God's intent is to recreate Himself and tohave a Family of spirit beings. Because He loves us, He gives us the opportunity to be called the "sons of God," which alienates us from the world because the world still bears the image of Satan (I John 3:1).Through the sanctification process we are changed, and become more and more in His likeness, and uponour resurrection we will be raised with incorruptible spirit bodies, fully born into the Kingdom—the Family —of God.

David C. Grabbe

Ephesians 1:3-4 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

"For I am the LORD. I do not change" (Malachi 3:6). He has never deviated from His purpose from thefoundation of the world. Once He had planned what He would do, He set out on to fulfill His purpose, andHe has never strayed from it. Genesis 1:26 suggests this strongly: "Let Us make man in Our image." Whatis He doing? He is reproducing Himself. If He is creating man "in His image," then He is reproducingHimself!




Ephesians 4:17-32 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

Most of us realize that the unity of the church of God courses through the book of Ephesians as a generaltheme. Paul illustrates the church as a complete body of which Jesus, though in heaven, is the Head, and theelect here on earth comprise the rest of it. Early on, Paul declares how God has planned the organization of His purpose from the very beginning, determining whom He would call, give His Spirit to, and perfect asHis children.

In Ephesians 4, the apostle begins to clarify our Christian responsibilities regarding works. He appeals tous in verse 1 to make every effort to live a manner of life that measures up to the magnificence of our highcalling. He then makes sure we understand that we must carry out our responsibilities in humility, kindness,and forbearance as we strive to maintain doctrinal accord in purity.

He explains that Christ has given each of us gifts to meet our responsibilities in maintaining the unity of God's church. Foremost among these gifts are teachers who will work to equip us for service in the churchand eventually in the Kingdom. This same process will enable us to grow to completion, to mature, nolonger wavering in our loyalties, certain in the direction of our lives, and not deceived by the craftiness of men.

With that foundation, the "therefore" in verse 17 draws our focus to the practical applications necessaryto meet the standards of the preceding spiritual concepts. We must not conduct our lives as the unconverteddo. They are blinded to these spiritual realities and so conduct life in ignorance, following the lusts of darkened minds.

Because we are being educated by God, the standards of conduct are established by His truths and aretherefore exceedingly higher. We must make every effort to throw off the works of carnality and strive toacquire a renewed mind through diligent, continuous effort so that we can be created in the image of God intrue righteousness and holiness (verse 24).

In verses 25-29, Paul moves even further from generalities to clear, specific works that we must do. Wemust speak truth so that we do not injure another through lies, as well as to maintain unity. Because deceit

produces distrust, unity cannot be maintained if lying occurs. We must not allow our tempers to flare out of control, for they serve as an open door for Satan to create havoc.

We must be honest, earning our way so that we are prepared to give to others who are in need. We must be careful that what we speak is not only true but also edifying, imparting encouragement, empathy,sympathy, exhortation, and even gentle correction when needed.

In verse 30 is a brief and kind reminder that, in doing our works we must never forget that we oweeverything to our indwelling Lord and Master. We must make every effort to be thankful, acknowledgingHim as the Source of all gifts and strengths, enabling us to glorify Him through our works.

In the final two verses of the chapter, Paul delineates specific responsibilities concerning our attitudestoward fellow Christians within personal relationships.

This brief overview of just one chapter shows clearly how much works enter into a Christian's life as practical requirements that cannot be passed off as unnecessary. How else will a Christian glorify God?How else will he grow to reflect the image of God? How else will he fulfill God's command to choose life(Deuteronomy 30:19) except by faithfully doing those works that lead to life?

Through the whole process of sanctification, the Christian will make constant use of two additionalworks: daily prayer and Bible study, which must be combined with his efforts to obey God. No one who iscareless about performing these works can expect to make progress growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ during sanctification.



Why? Without them, he will have no relationship with either the Father or the Son, and thus will not beenabled to achieve the required works. They are the Source of the powers that make it possible for us to dothe works God has ordained. If we do not follow through on these two works, we will surely hear ourselvescalled "wicked and lazy" and be cast into "outer darkness" where there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth"(Matthew 25:24-30).

John W. RitenbaughIs the Christian Required To Do Works? (Part Four)

Philippians 3:21 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

There is nothing ambiguous, cloudy, or vague about this. Our bodies will be conformed to be like His. Itdoes not say they will be conformed to be like an angel's. It does not say they will be conformed to be like a better human being. They are going to be conformed to be like His body. Paul is referring to the Lord, whois God! Our bodies will be like God's body.

The word conform or, as it is in the King James, fashioned means "to make similar to or identical with."

Will our bodies be "similar to" or "identical with" God's? Which one does Paul intend us to understand?John writes in I John 3:1-3:

Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God. Therefore the world does not knows us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now are we arechildren of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we know that, when He is revealed,we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifieshimself, just as He is pure.

When he says, "it has not yet been revealed what we shall be," he means that we do not know some of the specifics about what our nature will be like, but we do know what it will be in a generality: "We shall be like Him."

What other creature that God has created has been given the Spirit of God and is being conformed to Hisimage? Angels? Hebrews 1 says that the angels of heaven worship Jesus Christ. He is greater than angels,and we are going to be conformed to Him! We are not going to be conformed to angels. The conforming isto be to God.

Another thing that John adds here is that this hope—to be conformed to the image of God in Jesus Christ —is what motivates a person to purify himself. It is the engine that drives a person along the Way, becausehe knows where he is headed. He is not going to be someone slightly above angels but someone like theSon of God, one who is worshipped and is worthy of the worship of angels. This doctrine is not ambiguousin any way. We are going to be like Him, and He is worthy of worship.

Does it not say in Revelation 3:9 that people will worship the saints? Do people worship angels? No, theangels tell them, "Get off your knees, because I am a servant as you are" (see Revelation 19:10). God says

we will be worthy of worship as part of the God Family.


Philippians 3:21 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)



When Jesus was resurrected, He took pains to make it clear to His disciples that He was not a ghost, notmerely an essence. He had flesh and bone. He was plainly saying that there was substance to what He wasthen—and thus to what He is today.

To put it bluntly, He was saying that He was corporeal. Corporeal from Webster's means "havingtangible qualities of a body such as shape, size, and resistance to force." If a person leans against the wall, itresists him. Why? Because it is solid, tangible. If Jesus was not solid, whenever His disciples stretched their hands out to Him or perhaps ran their fingers against the palm of His hand where the nail marks were, theywould have felt nothing, yet there was substance.


Colossians 3:10-15 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

When Paul speaks of putting on the new man here, he gives us several attitudes we need to emulate asfollowers of Christ. Most of them involve the way we deal with each other because a major part of whatGod is teaching us has to do with building and solidifying our relationships. As we see in the next few

verses, he comments specifically on the husband-wife, parent-child and employer-employee relationships.

Why? Largely, our judgment by our Savior hangs on the quality of our relationships. We should never forget the principle found in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats: "Inasmuch as you did it to one of theleast of these My brethren, you did it to Me" (Matthew 25:40, 45).

Richard T. RitenbaughThe Road Less Traveled

1 Peter 1:2-5 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

We have been summoned to a great cause. The summons is personal and specific. It presents us thechallenge of choosing to live a life worthy of the awesome vocation to which God has summoned us. Our calling has become our life's work. God has summoned us to yield to His creative efforts of reproducingHimself, just as II Corinthians 3:18 instructs us: "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

John W. RitenbaughThe Elements of Motivation (Part Five): Who We Are

1 John 2:8-11 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

Life without love is death because it is a life of selfishness, the opposite of what God is. John says it islike being blindfolded and having blurred judgment besides. Yet we have the love of God; He has shed itabroad in our hearts by His Spirit (Romans 5:5). This is not an abstract love for people in distant lands butis toward and for those with whom we have daily contact. God's love not only enables us to make progressin His way, it is the solution to the murder problem.

Hatred, the spirit of murder, destroys fellowship with God and man. If one has hatred toward another, it proves he does not love God. God is love. No one with the spirit of murder within him is in the image of God. Such an attitude must be overcome, for no murderer will enter His Kingdom.



John W. RitenbaughThe Sixth Commandment (Part One) (1997)

Revelation 7:9-12 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

The Bible tells us that all the redeemed will see God's face. Here is a picture of the redeemed, projectedforward to the time when they are in the Kingdom of God before His throne. What are they looking at? TheBible says they will see His face.

God has a face, prosopon, which literally means "toward." It also means "the eye" or "the face." Whenused in reference to a person, it means "the part toward, at, or around the eye," "the face," or "thecountenance."

Why would John use this word? When one person is talking with another, they are looking at each other, beholding what is toward each one, and the focus of their attention is on the other's face, that is, the eyesand what is around them. Hence, this word is almost variably translated face, countenance, presence, or person in the New Testament, depending on how expansive the context is.


Revelation 20:12-13 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

Since all are to be judged according to their works, what if one claiming to be Christian has no works toshow when God clearly expects them? James 2:19-20 clinches the argument: "You believe that there is oneGod. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, thatfaith without works is dead?"

This entire issue is actually quite simple. No amount of works can justify us before God. Justification byfaith in Christ's atoning blood makes one legally free to access God and to begin a relationship with Him.However, from that point on, works are absolutely required for sanctification unto holiness—to the extentthat, not only is one's reward contingent upon them, but also salvation itself. Will God reward one who canshow no works at all, or provide salvation to one whose faith is so weak it produces bad works? Such a person would be totally out of place, unfit for living eternally in the Kingdom of God.

Ephesians 2:8-10 makes this reality even stronger. Even though we are saved by grace through faith, thevery reason we are created is for good works that God Himself prepared beforehand for us to walk in. Thegospel of the Kingdom of God provides the reasons for which works are required—the major one being to prepare us for living in God's Kingdom.

God intended Israel's forty-year journey through the wilderness to prepare them for living in the

Promised Land. However, even though Israel had the gospel preached to them and had godly leadership provided by the likes of Moses, Aaron, and Joshua, in their stiff-necked unbelief they refused to submit inobedience to God's commands. They thus failed to receive the necessary preparation for using the PromisedLand rightly, becoming an eternal example of why works of preparation are needed (Hebrews 4:1-2).

Can we learn a lesson from their examples? When God brings us out of spiritual Egypt, He is not donewith us yet. In fact, a great deal of spiritual creating within us remains to be accomplished before we will be fit to live and occupy a working position in God's Kingdom. We are being created in Christ Jesus,created in His image. Can we honestly say we are already in His image when we are merely legally cleared



I. Plural pronouns used of God proving the trinity:

Click here for detailed study of plural references to God

A. Three plural pronouns, (We, Us, Our) used 6 different times in four different passages. Remember theword God (elohim) is also plural every time it is used in the Old Testament. Gen 11:7 also includes a pluralverb (confuse) which even further, through grammar reinforces the plural "elohim" and the plural pronounUS.

1. "Our" Gen 1:262. "Us" Gen 1:26; 3:22; 11:7; Isa 6:83. "We" Isa 6:8

B. These are the four passages where God speaks for Himself and uses plural pronouns:

1. "Then God [plural elohim] said, "Let Us [plural pronoun] make man in Our [plural pronoun] image,according to Our [plural pronoun] likeness" Genesis 1:26

2. "Then Yahweh God [plural elohim] said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us [plural

pronoun], knowing good and evil" Genesis 3:223. "Come, let Us [plural pronoun] go down and there confuse [plural form of balal] their language, so that

they will not understand one another’s speech." Genesis 11:74. "Then I heard the voice of the Lord [plural elohim], saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for

Us [plural pronoun]?"" Isaiah 6:8

II. Christ is the identical image of God, angels are not

A. Jesus Christ is our co-creator who is the exact image of God.

1. "see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. " 2 Corinthians 4:42. "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. " Colossians 1:153. "And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things

by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of theMajesty on high, " Hebrews 1:3

B. There is no reason to suggest the plural pronoun is the "plural of Majesty", since both Jesus and theFather are described as having the same image.

Click here for a full discussion of "plural of Majesty"

III. Angels are not included in "we" and "us":

A. Anti-Trinitarians claim that when God said, "Let US make man in OUR image". (Gen 1:26) he wasspeaking to angels.

1. Angels are not created in the image of God, only man.2. If angels are included in "Let US make", then angels AND God are equally our creator.3. Jehovah’s Witnesses actually get this one right: The US includes (at least) the Father and Jesus in this

creation. Jesus, being God, is the creator of all things:"All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come

into being. " John 1:3

IV. Christ cannot be the angel Michael the arch-angel:



1. Jehovah's Witnesses are taught through their Watchtower, that Jesus is the created arch-angel namedMichael. This is false doctrine and heresy.

2. Hebrews 1:5 proves Jehovah’s Witnesses false teachers when they say Jesus is an angel: "For to whichof the angels did He ever say, "You are My Son, Today I have begotten You"? And again, "I will be aFather to Him And He shall be a Son to Me"? " (Hebrews 1:5) Of course the answer is rhetorical: Godnever said to any angels "Today I have begotten You". But he did say this to Jesus. Therefore Jesus cannot be an angel, but we begotten at his resurrection as Acts 13:33 says, thereby fulfilling Ps 2:7.

3. The self contradictory doctrine of the Watchtower has Jesus the creature, functioning as our co-creator (Jn 1:3; Col 1:16). But this violates Rom 1:25:

"worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator". This passage teaches that if Jesus is thecreator, as the Bible says he is, then he cannot be a creature. Jesus cannot be creator and creature at thesame time!

V. The apostolic Fathers unanimously taught that the "we" in Gen 1:26, refers to the trinity:

More trinity quotes from the apostolic Fathers

1. 74 AD Epistle of Barnabas: "For the Scripture says concerning us, while He speaks to the Son, "Let Usmake man after Our image, and after Our likeness" (Epistle of Barnabas, Chapter VI.—The Sufferings of Christ, and the New Covenant, Were Announced by the Prophets.)

2. 150 AD Justin Martyr: Speaking of Jewish theologians Justin calls the Jewish teaching that God spoketo angels a hersey: "In saying, therefore, ‘as one of us, ’[Moses] has declared that [there is a certain]number of persons associated with one another, and that they are at least two. For I would not say that thedogma of that heresy which is said to be among you (The Jews had their own heresies which supplied manythings to the Christian heresies) is true, or that the teachers of it can prove that [God] spoke to angels, or that the human frame was the workmanship of angels. But this Offspring, which was truly brought forthfrom the Father, was with the Father before all the creatures." (Dialogue of Justin Martyr, with Trypho, aJew: Chapter LXII.—The Words "Let Us Make Man")

3. 180 AD Irenaeus "It was not angels, therefore, who made us, nor who formed us, neither had angels power to make an image of God, nor any one else, except the Word of the Lord, nor any Power remotelydistant from the Father of all things. For God did not stand in need of these [beings], in order to theaccomplishing of what He had Himself determined with Himself beforehand should be done, as if He didnot possess His own hands. For with Him were always present the Word and Wisdom, the Son and the

Spirit, by whom and in whom, freely and spontaneously, He made all things, to whom also He speaks,saying, "Let Us make man after Our image and likeness; " [Gen. 1:26]" (Against Heresies 4:20:1).

4. 200 AD Tertullian: "If the number of the Trinity also offends you, as if it were not connected in thesimple Unity, I ask you how it is possible for a Being who is merely and absolutely One and Singular, tospeak in plural phrase, saying, "Let us make man in our own image, and after our own likeness; " whereasHe ought to have said, "Let me make man in my own image, and after my own likeness," as being a uniqueand singular Being? In the following passage, however, "Behold the man is become as one of us," He iseither deceiving or amusing us in speaking plurally, if He is One only and singular. Or was it to the angelsthat He spoke, as the Jews interpret the passage, because these also acknowledge not the Son? Or was it because He was at once the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, that He spoke to Himself in plural terms,making Himself plural on that very account? Nay, it was because He had already His Son close at His side,as a second Person, His own Word, and a third Person also, the Spirit in the Word, that He purposelyadopted the plural phrase, "Let us make; "and, "in our image; "and, "become as one of us." (Tertullian,

Against Praxeas, Chapter XII. Other Quotations from Holy Scripture Adduced in Proof of the Plurality of Persons in the Godhead.)

5. 200 AD Tertullian: Tertullian rejects the idea that God was speaking to Angels because our head is thecreator, not a creature: "Since then he is the image of the Creator (for He, when looking on Christ HisWord, who was to become man, said, "Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness"), how can I possibly have another head but Him whose image I am? For if I am the image of the Creator there is noroom in me for another head" (Tertullian, Book V, Elucidations, Chapter VIII.—Man the Image of theCreator, and Christ the Head of the Man.)

6. 200 AD Tertullian: "In the first place, because all things were made by the Word of God, and withoutHim was nothing made. Now the flesh, too, had its existence from the Word of God, because of the



principle, that here should be nothing without that Word. "Let us make man," said He, before He createdhim, and added, "with our hand," for the sake of his pre-eminence, that so he might not be compared withthe rest of creation." (Tertullian: On the Resurrection of the Flesh, Elucidations, Chapter V.—SomeConsiderations in Reply Eulogistic of the Flesh. It Was Created by God.)

7. 250 AD Ignatius "For Moses, the faithful servant of God, when he said, "The Lord thy God is oneLord," and thus proclaimed that there was only one God, did yet forthwith confess also our Lord [Jesus]when he said, "The Lord [Jesus] rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah fire and brimstone from the Lord." Andagain [he confessed a second time our Lord Jesus by saying], "And God said, Let Us make man after our image: and so God made man, after the image of God made He him."" (The Epistle of Ignatius to theAntiochians, Chapter II.—The True Doctrine Respecting God and Christ.)

8. Origen: "it was to Him that God said regarding the creation of man, "Let Us make man in Our image,after Our likeness." (Origen Against Celsus, Book V, Chapter XXXVII)

9. Novatian: "For who does not acknowledge that the person of the Son is second after the Father, whenhe reads that it was said by the Father, consequently to the Son, "Let us make man in our image and our likeness; " and that after this it was related, "And God made man, in the image of God made He him? "Or when he holds in his hands: "The Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah fire and brimstone from the Lordfrom heaven? " (A Treatise of Novatian Concerning the Trinity, Chapter XXVI. Argument.—Moreover,Against the Sabellians He Proves that the Father is One, the Son Another.)

10. Constitutions of the Holy Apostles: "the divine Scripture testifies that God said to Christ, His only- begotten, "Let us make man after our image, and after our likeness. And God made man: after the image of

God made He him; male and female made He them."(Constitutions of the Holy Apostles, Book V., VII)

By Steve Ruddcontact the author

Click Your Choice

Go To Start: WWW.BIBLE.CA



Comparing Adam in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2Defining "Man" in the Bible Comparing 'Adam in Hebrew

In English the Hebrew word "'adam" is translated to mean "man, men, and mankind". To any who havenever encountered or studied Hebrew, this fits perfectly in explaining the man named Adam in the Gardenof Eden. In comparing the use of the word for man ('adam) in Genesis 1 and Gensis 2, the meaning in eachcase requires a closer look for fuller understanding.

In numerous places within the King James Version of the Bible the full essence and meaning of someHebrew and Greek words are lost in the translation. Some individual words were understandably translatedas a single word in English, and yet a full paragraph much like the definition in a dictionary would berequired to get the exact meaning. Variations of these unique words used in extended phrases can add to theconfusion. This is true of the Hebrew word for "man" as follows:

1. Without the Hebrew article or particle preceding the word 'adam, it can mean man, men, or mankind.2. When preceded with the article to become the phrase haa-'adam, it means the man.3. Extend the Hebrew phrase with the article and particle and 'eth haa-'adam means this specific man.Sixth Day Creation Adam and the Other Adam in Eden

Understanding that the word man appears 2,740 times in the Bible and it was translated from the Hebrew

word "'adam" in the Old Testament, comparing 'adam in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 reveals a truth that manyChristians may not realize. Until you take each occurrence of "man" back to the original phrases in whichthey appear, most casual readers of the Bible will miss the difference between the use of the word "man" inGenesis chapter 1 and chapter 2.

Contrary to what many Christians learn from their youth, not everyone in this world is a descendant of Adam and Eve!

The mention of man in the sixth day creation of Genesis 1 refers to mankind which includes men andwomen, and all the races. Mankind (plural) as translated to "man" (singular) and created on the sixth daywere hunters and gatherers, and there's plenty of historical evidence going back long before Adam in Eden.The male named Adam in Genesis 2 was "formed, not "created" (KJV) in the Garden of Eden, and began before or around 4,000 years B.C., or at least 6,000 years ago.

Consider the following verses, and note the mention of male and female, plus the plural "them" in Genesis1:27.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fishof the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creepingthing that creepeth upon the earth. Genesis 1:26 (KJV)

The humans of the sixth day creation were ordered to be fruitful and multiply, which they did as provenwith carbon dating of pottery that shows Chinese civilization began more than 15,000 years ago. Further archaeological evidence exists for almost every continent with ancient civilizations in Africa, Australia, andthe Americas. Antarctica is an exception.

Special Note: In Genesis 1:26 above, it states in "our image" and in Genesis 1:27 below it states "His ownimage", so there is no denying when you look upon the face of another human being, you are seeing alikeness created similar to God and his angels (plural because it states "our image"). We are all His precious and equal children who should, as Christ taught, "love one another". Let's continue with anexplanation of the next verse.

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created Hethem. Genesis 1:27 (KJV)



Verse 1:27 confirms what I stated earlier that the creation of mankind on the sixth day was plural, andincluded male and female human beings. These predate Adam and Eve who were formed after God restedon the seventh day.Adam and Eve of the Garden of Eden

The 'eth haa-'adam in Hebrew of Genesis 2:7 is not "man or mankind" ('adam), but the specific man, Adam,as follows:

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;and man became a living soul. Genesis 2:7 (KJV)

It's important to understand why God formed Adam, and then Eve as a helpmate. Until then, mankind livedas hunters and gatherers and ate what grew wild. In Genesis 2:5 Adam the gardener, or farmer, was neededto "till the soil" for growing and cultivating food and raising domesticated livestock.

More importantly, it was through the seed of Adam and Eve that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, was to be bornas part of God's master plan following the downfall of Satan.Closing Evidence About Mankind Created on the Sixth Day

As more evidence of the sixth day creation of mankind, and to answer what may perplex some Bible

students, read Genesis 4:16 and 4:17 about Cain being driven away and going to the land of Nod after heslew his brother, Abel. This place was east of Eden, but the exact location is unknown from historicalrecords relating to any present maps. Verse 17 talks about his wife who conceived and bore Enoch. He leftEden and found a wife in Nod which is further evidence of mankind and a population outside of the Gardenof Eden.

As a final note, I remind readers that my studies of the Bible referencing the languages of the originalmanuscripts cannot cover every book, chapter, and verse. My purpose is to share what I learn from selectedverses to encourage people to study and stay in His Word to begin knowing God, and form their opinionsas the Holy Spirit guides them.

Article Source: www.ultimateriddles.com/genesis-bible-lesson-02.html.

About the Author: Jim Degerstrom is an author who works in a faith based business offering customwebsite design and graphic art services, and documents Bible studies at his Ultimate Riddles SpiritualJourney website and blogs about spiritual growth on his Ultimate Riddles Spiritual Study blog fromKissimmee, Florida USA.

Creative Commons graphic This article is a licensed work under the Creative Commons AgreementCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License. You are welcome to republish in print or online. All author information and links must be kept intact including the article source.



Bereshit - Genesis 1 - BereshithAdvanced Information

Verse English Translation Jewish Transliterated text Jewish Bereshit Hebrew text JewishBereshit Hebrew text1:1 In the beginning God created heaven and earth Bereshit bara Elohim et hashamayim ve'etha'arets.1:2 The earth was without form and empty, with darknesson the face of the depths, but God's spiritmoved on the water's surface. Veha'arets hayetah tohu vavohu vechoshech al-peneytehom veruach Elohim merachefet al-peney hamayim.1:3 God said, 'There shall be light,' and light came into existence. Vayomer Elohim yehi-or vayehi-or.1:4 God saw that the light was good, and God divided between the light and the darkness. Vayar Elohim et-ha'or ki-tov vayavdel Elohim beynha'or uveyn hachoshech.1:5 God named the light 'Day,' and the darkness He named'Night.' It was evening and it was morning, one day. Vayikra Elohim la-or yom velachoshech kara laylahvayehi-erev vayehi-voker yom echad.1:6 God said, 'There shall be a sky in the middle of thewater, and it shall divide between water and water.' Vayomer Elohim yehi rakia betoch hamayim vyhi

mavdil beyn mayim lamayim.1:1 (alternate translation) In the beginning of God's creation of heaven and earth, the earth was withoutform and empty (Rashi).Still others combine the first three verses: 'In the beginning of God's creation....when the earth was withoutform and empty....God said, 'Let there be light. (Bereshith Rabbah).1:2 (God's spirit) (God's wind)1:6 (sky) Rakia in Hebrew, literally 'spread' or 'expanse.' Usually translated as 'firmament.'1:7 God [thus] made the sky, and it separated the water below the sky from the water above the sky.It remained that way. Vaya'as Elohim et-harakia vayavdel beyn hamayimasher mitachat larakia uveyn hamayim asher me'allarakia vayehi-chen.

1:8 God named the sky 'Heaven.' It was evening and itwas morning, a second day. Vayikra Elohim la-rakia shamayim vayehi-erevvayehi-voker yom sheni.1:7 (it separated) or 'He divided' (Septuagint).1:7 (It remained that way) Usually translated 'It was so.' or 'It happened.'1:9 God said, 'The waters under the heaven shall begathered to one place, and dry land shall be seen.' It happened. Vayomer Elohim yikavu hamayim mitachathashamayim el-makom echad vetera'ehhayabashah vayehi chen.1:10 God named the dry land 'Earth,' and the gatheringsof water, He named 'Seas.' God saw that it was good. Vayikra Elohim layabashah erets ulemikvehhamayim kara yamim vayar Elohim ki-tov.

1:11 God said, 'The earth shall send forth vegetation.Seedbearing plants and fruit trees that produce their own kinds of fruits with seeds shall be on the earth.'It happened. Vayomer Elohim tadshe ha'arets deshe esev mazriazera ets pri oseh peri lemino asher zar'o-voal-ha'arets vayehi-chen.1:12 The earth sent forth vegetation, plants bearingtheir own kinds of seeds, and trees producingfruits containing their own kinds of seeds. Godsaw that it was good. Vatotse ha'arets deshe esev mazria zera leminehu



ve'ets oseh pri asher zar'o-vo leminehuvayar Elohim ki-tov.1:13 It was evening and it was morning, a third day. Vayehi-erev vayehi-voker yom shlishi.

1:12 (trees producing fruits...) or (specific species of trees that produce fruits with seeds.) See Genesis 1:21,1:24.1:14 God said, 'There shall be lights in the heavenlysky to divide between day and night. They shallserve as omens [and define] festivals,days and years. Vayomer Elohim yehi meorot birekia hashamayimlehavdil beyn hayom uveyn halaylah vehayuleotot ulemoadim uleyamim veshanim.1:15 They shall be lights in the heavenly sky, to shineon the earth.' It happened. Vehayu li-meorot birekia hashamayim leha'ir al-ha'arets vayehi-chen.1:16 God [thus] made the two large lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the smaller lightto rule the night. [He also made] the stars. Vaya'as Elohim et-sheney hameorot hagdolimet-hamaor hagadol le-memshelet hayom ve'et hamaor hakaton le-memshelet halaylah ve'et hakochavim.

1:14 (heavenly sky) Literally 'the firmament of the heaven.'1:17 God placed them in the heavenly sky to shine onthe earth, Vayiten otam Elohim birekia hashamayim leha'ir al-ha'arets.1:18 to rule by day and by night, and to divide betweenthe light and the darkness. God saw that itwas good. Velimshol bayom uvalaylah ulehavdil beyn ha'or uveyn hachoshech vayar Elohim ki-tov.1:19 It was evening and it was morning, a fourth day. Vayehi-erev vayehi-voker yom revi'i.1:20 God said, 'The water shall teem with swarms of living creatures. Flying creatures shall fly over the land, on the face of the heavenly sky.' Vayomer Elohim yishretsu hamayim sheretsnefesh chayah ve'of yeofef al-ha'arets al-peney

rekia hashamayim.1:21 God [thus] created the great sea monsters, alongwith every particular species of living thingthat crawls, with which the waters teem, and every particular species of winged flying creature.God saw that it was good. Vayivra Elohim et-hataninim hagedolim ve'et kolnefesh hachayah haromeset asher shartsu hamayimle-minehem ve'et kol-of kanaf leminehuvayar Elohim ki-tov.1:22 God blessed them, saying, 'Be fruitful and becomemany, and fill the waters of the seas. Let theflying creatures multiply on the land.' Vayevarech otam Elohim lemor peru urevu umil'uet-hamayim bayamim veha'of yirev ba'arets.

1:23 It was evening and it was morning, a fifth day. Vayehi-erev vayehi-voker yom chamishi.

1:21 (sea monsters) or 'whales,' or 'dragons.' Taninim in Hebrew;. The Midrash states that it alludes to a pair of particularly great sea creatures, the Leviathan and its mate.1:24 God said, 'The earth shall bring forth particular species of living creatures, particular species of livestock, land animals, and beastsof the earth.' It happened. Vayomer Elohim totse ha'arets nefesh chayahleminah behemah varemes vechayeto-eretsleminah vayehi-chen.



1:25 God [thus] made particular species of beasts of the earth, particular species of livestock,and particular species of animals that walk the land. God saw that it was good. Vaya'as Elohim et chayat ha'arets leminah ve'ethabehemah leminah ve'et kol-remes ha'adamahleminehu vayar Elohim ki-tov.

1:24 (land animals) (Ramban). Others translate this as 'creeping things.' Remes in Hebrew.

1:26 God said, 'Let us make man with our image andlikeness. Let him dominate the fish of thesea, the birds of the sky, the livestock animals, and all the earth - and every landanimal that walks the earth.'

Vayomer Elohim na'aseh adam betsalmenukidemutenu veyirdu bidegat hayam uve'of hashamayim uvabehemah uvechol-ha'aretsuvechol-haremes haromes al-ha'arets.

1:27 God [thus] created man with His image. Inthe image of God, He created him, male andfemale He created them.

Vayivra Elohim et-ha'adam betsalmo betselemElohim bara oto zachar unekevah bara otam.

1:26 (Let us) God was speaking to all the forces of creation that He had brought into existence (cf. TargumYonathan; Ramban). Now that all the ingredients of creation had essentially been completed, all would participate in the creation of man, the crown of creation. Others interpret 'we' in the majestic sense, andtranslate the verse, 'I will make man in My image' (Emunoth veDeyoth 2:9; Ibn Ezra).

1:26 (with our image and likeness) Man is thus a microcosm of all the forces of creation. A major part of

the Kabbalah deals with explaining exactly how this is so (see Nefesh HaChaim 1:1). Moreover, of allcreation, only man resembles God in having free will (Maimonides, Yad, Teshuvah 5:1). Others explain'image' and 'likeness' here to refer to a sort of conceptual archetype, model, or blueprint that God had previously made for man (Rashi). This 'model' is seen as the primeval man' (Adam Kadmon).

1:28 God blessed them. God said to them, 'Be fertileand become many. Fill the land and conquer it. Dominate the fish of the sea, the birdsof the sky, and every beast that walks the land.

Vayevarech otam Elohim vayomer lahem Elohim peruurevu umil'u et-ha'arets vechiveshuha uredu bidegat hayam uve'of hashamayim uvechol-chayah

haromeset al-ha'arets.

1:28 (Be fertile...) Some say that this is a commandment (cf. Chinukh), while others maintain that it is a blessing (see Tosafoth, Yevamoth 65b, s.v. VeLo; Maharsha, Sanhedrin 59b, s.v. VeHarey).

1:29 God said, 'Behold, I have given you everyseedbearing plant on the face of the earth,and every tree that has seedbearing fruit. Itshall be to you for food.



Vayomer Elohim hineh natati lachem et-chol-esevzorea zera asher al-peney kol-ha'aretsve'et-kol-ha'ets asher-bo feri-ets zoreazara lachem yihyeh le-ochlah.

1:30 For every beast of the field, every bird of thesky, and everything that walks the land, that hasin it a living soul, all plant vegetation shall befood.' It remained that way.

Ulechol-chayat ha'arets ulechol-of hashamayimulechol romes al-ha'arets asher-bo nefeshchayah et-kol-yerek esev le'ochlahvayehi-chen.

1:31 God saw all that he had made, and behold, it wasvery good. It was evening and it wasmorning, the sixth day.

Vayar Elohim et-kol-asher asah vehineh-tov me'od

vayehi-erev vayehi-voker yom hashishi.



"IMAGE" AND"LIKENESS"OF GODCHAPTER 1:26-27

The Bible makes an important distinction between humans and other living creatures. The animals weremade after their kind (verse 25), but the man and the woman were made in the image, or likeness., of God.

Being made in God’s image means that men and women have a special relationship with God and cancommunicate with him. "Knowing that we are made in God’s image ... provides a solid basis for self-worth.Human worth is not based on possessions, achievements, physical attractiveness, or public acclaim. Insteadit is based on being made in God’s image. [Furthermore,] God made both man and woman in his image. Neither man nor woman is made more in the image of God than the other" (Life Application Bible, NIV,commentary on Genesis 1:26-27). Both sexes have equal access to God and can experience a personalrelationship with him.

To continue: the commentary on chapter 3

'Image' and 'Likeness' in Genesis

Documents

Transcript of 'Image' and 'Likeness' in Genesis