Genesis 1:26

[Carbon]

26a Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Genesis 1:26.

Scripture reads, "Let us create man," it does not read, let there be man."

According to scripture, it seems man is special compared to the rest of creation.

The words, "in our image, after our likeness" is to have a natural conformity to the perfection of God.
It seems all men are given an aspiration toward perfection by the creating power and wisdom of God, but men are continually destroying this part of the image. Ever since Adam, mankind has fallen away from the image, rather than attempting to realize it. Something of the original promise has been lost in every man.
It's obvious because scripture says so that man was created good, but in this creation of man, God did not command man to fall away as some seem to accuse, but, there was the possibility of such human action to be implicit in the creation of man.
So, because of this man did not fall because of God, but because the negative possibility was present in the original creation.
To be human is to know this negative possibility in our actions and our wills. All of us are aware of the dark side in our lives. We all know we sin because we want to, not because God makes us.

To be created in the image and likeness of God is to have a natural conformity to God, to be like God.
But,
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6.

So, it is obvious something serious has happened, because we should have a natural conformity to God.

Yet some think man could just choose to conform to God, even though scripture teaches otherwise.
Many just don't consider what scripture actually teaches.
We don't understand our depravity, just how bad it is.
It's so bad and corrupt that scripture speaks of the corruption of the whole man. Many think the natural man has the ability to believe, but Scripture teaches us what the natural man (the old man) is all about.
We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. Rom 6:6.
Yes, it is this bad. The old self had to be crucified, otherwise, we would never believe in or trust Christ, we were slaves to sin.

Scripture teaches the whole man was corrupt.
Our imaginations and thoughts, Romans 8:7-7.
We are hostile towards God.
our consciences are defiled, Titus 1:15.
And this all starts from when we were born, And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. Genesis 8:21.


26a Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Genesis 1:26.

 

[Josheb]

26a Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Genesis 1:26.

Scripture reads, "Let us create man," it does not read, let there be man." According to scripture, it seems man is special compared to the rest of creation. The words, "in our image, after our likeness" is to have a natural conformity to the perfection of God.................

What does scripture say is the image of God? Does it not make sense to look first at what scripture states about God and his "image" before hypothesizing, deducing, and/or speculating what is to be understood about humans being made in that "image".

The observation about scripture NOT saying, "let there be man," is great. Very astute. However, I do not find "seems" a very veracious method, especially in any example that starts with humans rather than God. Assuming the silence of scripture is a valid indication, it would "seem" no other creature is created in God's image whatever that image might be. Since the thread is just beginning, I will also venture to offer something Bonhoeffer wrote about in "Life Together," because he posited the premise God's image is not born identically in everyone. He asserted that God is so infinite that His image can be and is manifested in all seven billion people in seven billion different ways and we 1) should not assume everyone is alike just because we're all made in the one same, singular definitive image, and 2) part of the growth process for life in Christ is to learn from the ginormously diverse image in which God has made seven billion people knowing every future individual will bear more and different aspects of God's image. No two people are alike. Each and every individual bears God's image differently.

I'll close with this:

Colossians 1:15
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

God made man in His image, male and female, and Jesus is the image of God. God, who is invisible, made humanity in his image and Jesus is the image.

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