Is man created in the image of God? Not anymore!

Aldebaran · Wednesday at 1:12 PM

Adam started out being created in the image of God:

Gen 1:26 and 1:27
26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.” 27So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

But then man's image was altered after falling into sin. This is mentioned at the time when Adam and Eve had their son Seth:

Gen 5:1-3
This is the written account of Adam’s family line.
When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind” when they were created.
3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.

It looks as if Adam's (and Eve's) new image was passed on to their future sons and daughters, and it would be logical to conclude that the image of Adam was no longer the same as the image (or likeness) of God. Adam now had an altered likeness that Seth was begotten in, and it continued on from there.

To give credit where credit is due, I learned this from Pastor Chuck Swindall after listening to one of his radio broadcasts. I found it interesting because I've never heard this mentioned in any discussions where it's said that we're created in God's image. Humanity was created in His image and likeness at the beginning, but Adam's likeness was no longer God's likeness when he had his son Seth. Interestingly though, Cain and Abel were born before Seth, and nothing is mentioned about what image or likeness they had, even though they were born after the fall of Adam and Eve.

Mark Quayle · Wednesday at 1:42 PM

Aldebaran said:
Adam started out being created in the image of God:

Gen 1:26 and 1:27
26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.” 27So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

But then man's image was altered after falling into sin. This is mentioned at the time when Adam and Eve had their son Seth:

Gen 5:1-3
This is the written account of Adam’s family line.
When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind” when they were created.
3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.

It looks as if Adam's (and Eve's) new image was passed on to their future sons and daughters, and it would be logical to conclude that the image of Adam was no longer the same as the image (or likeness) of God. Adam now had an altered likeness that Seth was begotten in, and it continued on from there.

To give credit where credit is due, I learned this from Pastor Chuck Swindall after listening to one of his radio broadcasts. I found it interesting because I've never heard this mentioned in any discussions where it's said that we're created in God's image. Humanity was created in His image and likeness at the beginning, but Adam's likeness was no longer God's likeness when he had his son Seth. Interestingly though, Cain and Abel were born before Seth, and nothing is mentioned about what image or likeness they had, even though they were born after the fall of Adam and Eve.

AS IF doesn't necessarily mean IS. Just saying...

Continue this thread as pursuing a study on scriptural passages referring being made in the image of God, and/or, not being anymore in the image of God. Figuring out what it means to be "made in the image of God" is not so simple. Myself, I don't think any of us know, except perhaps in some things that may be applicable to the term.

Akita Suggagaki · Wednesday at 1:54 PM

Mark Quayle said:
AS IF doesn't necessarily mean IS. Just saying...

Continue this thread as pursuing a study on scriptural passages referring being made in the image of God, and/or, not being anymore in the image of God. Figuring out what it means to be "made in the image of God" is not so simple. Myself, I don't think any of us know, except perhaps in some things that may be applicable to the term.

How about:
1704 The human person participates in the light and power of the divine Spirit. By his reason, he is capable of understanding the order of things established by the Creator. By free will, he is capable of directing himself toward his true good. He finds his perfection "in seeking and loving what is true and good."

1705 By virtue of his soul and his spiritual powers of intellect and will, man is endowed with freedom, an "outstanding manifestation of the divine image.

St_Worm2 · Wednesday at 4:52 PM

Akita Suggagaki said:
How about:
1704 The human person participates in the light and power of the divine Spirit. By his reason, he is capable of understanding the order of things established by the Creator. By free will, he is capable of directing himself toward his true good. He finds his perfection "in seeking and loving what is true and good."
1705 By virtue of his soul and his spiritual powers of intellect and will, man is endowed with freedom, an "outstanding manifestation of the divine image.

Hello Akita, for some reason a line from Hamlet came to mind as I was reading your excerpt above from the CCC.

"What a piece of work is a man, How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty, In form and moving how express and admirable, In action how like an Angel, In apprehension how like a god, The beauty of the world, The paragon of animals." ~Act 2/Scene 2

Is what the CCC states in 1704-1705 what you truly and personally believe about us/about the whole of mankind, that is? I ask because it seems (to me anyway) a particularly high or lofty sentiment to have of us, and one that the Bible seems to differ with (especially if the unregenerate are included in the mix).

For instance,

Romans 3

9 We have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin;

10 as it is written,

“THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;

11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,

THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;

12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;

THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,

THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

Ephesians 2

1 You were dead in your trespasses and sins,

2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

Thanks

God bless you!!

--David
p.s. - an excerpt from the Hamlet excerpt (that I posted above) is used in the movie Gettysburg, in an exchange between one of the Union's regiment commanders, Colonel Chamberlain, and his Sergeant, Buster Kilrain. It concerned the slaves (who they were fighting the Civil War to free) and men, in general. I point it out because of Kilrain's closing thought (concerning mankind .. see below in bold) is not quite as "lofty" a sentiment as Colonel Chambelain's was

BTW, if you haven't seen the movie Gettysburg, I highly recommend it :oldthumbsup:

Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: I haven't known that many freed men... But those I knew in Bangor, Portland... You look in the eye, there was a man. There was a "divine spark," as my mother used to call it. That is all there is to it. Races are men. "What a piece of work is man. How infinite in faculties and form, and movement... How express and admirable. In action how like an angel.
Sergeant 'Buster' Kilrain: Well, if he's an angel, all right then... But he (darn) well must be a killer angel.

Edit: One final thought (about Kilrain's conclusion above), I wonder if it might not have been the same one that was reached by mankind's second son when he & his brother were out in the field by themselves?

Mark Quayle · Wednesday at 5:32 PM

Akita Suggagaki said:
How about:
1704 The human person participates in the light and power of the divine Spirit. By his reason, he is capable of understanding the order of things established by the Creator. By free will, he is capable of directing himself toward his true good. He finds his perfection "in seeking and loving what is true and good."

1705 By virtue of his soul and his spiritual powers of intellect and will, man is endowed with freedom, an "outstanding manifestation of the divine image.

Who says that's what it means to be made in the image of God?

That's pretty limited.

St_Worm2 · Wednesday at 5:32 PM

Hello again Akita (@Akita Suggagaki), et al, I found this, which I believe is helpful (it's the surrounding context from CCC's 1704-1705) because, as it tells us in 1701b,

"It is in Christ, 'the image of the invisible God,' that man has been created 'in the image and likeness' of the Creator. It is in Christ, Redeemer and Savior, that the divine image, disfigured in man by the first sin, has been restored to its original beauty and ennobled by the grace of God." ~CCC 1701b

So, 1704/1705 are both speaking of the penitent/redeemed/forgiven/justified/reconciled, those who are now "in Christ", IOW, not of mankind, in general, yes?

Thanks again

--David
p.s. - while I'm in pretty much perfect agreement with about 90% of what the CCC teaches, I'll have to take another look at this, because I don't believe that I'm in agreement with all that it has to say (in this section .. CCC 1701-1709). That said, I believe (along with the CCC apparently) that we were created in God's image, but that we are also begotten in our first parent's tarnished or disfigured image, too.

Maria Billingsley · Wednesday at 6:05 PM

Aldebaran said:
Adam started out being created in the image of God:

Gen 1:26 and 1:27
26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.” 27So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

But then man's image was altered after falling into sin. This is mentioned at the time when Adam and Eve had their son Seth:

Gen 5:1-3
This is the written account of Adam’s family line.
When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind” when they were created.
3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.

It looks as if Adam's (and Eve's) new image was passed on to their future sons and daughters, and it would be logical to conclude that the image of Adam was no longer the same as the image (or likeness) of God. Adam now had an altered likeness that Seth was begotten in, and it continued on from there.

To give credit where credit is due, I learned this from Pastor Chuck Swindall after listening to one of his radio broadcasts. I found it interesting because I've never heard this mentioned in any discussions where it's said that we're created in God's image. Humanity was created in His image and likeness at the beginning, but Adam's likeness was no longer God's likeness when he had his son Seth. Interestingly though, Cain and Abel were born before Seth, and nothing is mentioned about what image or likeness they had, even though they were born after the fall of Adam and Eve.

This Pastor clearly has no understanding of the relationship between our Lord and His creation that He made in His image.
The phrase "in his own likeness, in his own image" (Genesis 5:3) does not mean Seth lost the image of God. Rather, it highlights the transmission of that image from father to son. Just as Adam was created as a child of God carrying the divine royal reflection, Seth was born to Adam carrying that same inherited dignity.

Aussie52 · Wednesday at 7:18 PM

The image of God in man was marred (but not destroyed) by sin but fully restored in salvation.

Maria Billingsley · Wednesday at 8:23 PM

Aussie52 said:
The image of God in man was marred (but not destroyed) by sin but fully restored in salvation.

Yes. Adam and Eve walked with God until the fall. Jesus Christ of Nazareth restored that walk by the Cross and through His Holy Spirit.
Blessings

truthuprootsevil · Wednesday at 9:01 PM

Aldebaran said:
Adam started out being created in the image of God:

Gen 1:26 and 1:27
26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.” 27So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

But then man's image was altered after falling into sin. This is mentioned at the time when Adam and Eve had their son Seth:

Gen 5:1-3
This is the written account of Adam’s family line.
When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind” when they were created.
3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.

It looks as if Adam's (and Eve's) new image was passed on to their future sons and daughters, and it would be logical to conclude that the image of Adam was no longer the same as the image (or likeness) of God. Adam now had an altered likeness that Seth was begotten in, and it continued on from there.

To give credit where credit is due, I learned this from Pastor Chuck Swindall after listening to one of his radio broadcasts. I found it interesting because I've never heard this mentioned in any discussions where it's said that we're created in God's image. Humanity was created in His image and likeness at the beginning, but Adam's likeness was no longer God's likeness when he had his son Seth. Interestingly though, Cain and Abel were born before Seth, and nothing is mentioned about what image or likeness they had, even though they were born after the fall of Adam and Eve.

From your perspective of what it means to be created in God's image would be fairly accurate

My personal belief is to be created in God's image is to know right from wrong / to be aware of life and death.

When you read Genesis 3:22 after Adam's sin God said man HAS BECOME AS ONE OF US knowing good from evil.

Aldebaran · Wednesday at 9:29 PM

truthuprootsevil said:
From your perspective of what it means to be created in God's image would be fairly accurate

My personal belief is to be created in God's image is to know right from wrong / to be aware of life and death.

When you read Genesis 3:22 after Adam's sin God said man HAS BECOME AS ONE OF US knowing good from evil.

I can agree with what you said up to a point. God created Adam in His image/likeness from the beginning, but Adam did NOT know right from wrong at that time. It wasn't until he did what God told him not to do that he knew right from wrong (good and evil). I think we might have opposing views and this. What I understand you to be saying is that Adam was created in God's image knowing right from wrong, but I'm saying that he didn't know right from wrong until he sinned. I don't think that falling into sin made him and his offspring into God's image or likeness. In our fallen state, we are less reflective of God image and likeness.
I believe the narrative in Genesis 5 was to be in contrast to how Adam was created. When Adam was created, it was in God's image and likeness, but Adam's offspring was in the image of Adam. I believe that the Bible is telling us that Adam's likeness was no longer in the image of God at that point.

truthuprootsevil · Wednesday at 10:46 PM

Aldebaran said:
I can agree with what you said up to a point. God created Adam in His image/likeness from the beginning, but Adam did NOT know right from wrong at that time. It wasn't until he did what God told him not to do that he knew right from wrong (good and evil). I think we might have opposing views and this. What I understand you to be saying is that Adam was created in God's image knowing right from wrong, but I'm saying that he didn't know right from wrong until he sinned. I don't think that falling into sin made him and his offspring into God's image or likeness. In our fallen state, we are less reflective of God image and likeness.
I believe the narrative in Genesis 5 was to be in contrast to how Adam was created. When Adam was created, it was in God's image and likeness, but Adam's offspring was in the image of Adam. I believe that the Bible is telling us that Adam's likeness was no longer in the image of God at that point.

I am saying Adam was created with the *ability* to know good and evil as well as the awareness of death.

From my view Adam had to have a sense of awareness of right and wrong / to be obedient or to disobey in order for God to tell him *not to eat* of a certain tree and *warn* him of what would happen when he did.

Would God actually condemn someone who did not know what right and wrong was / is - would God do that? You're basically saying Adam did not know what right and wrong was yet God condemned him and all his offspring for it.

Even though it's in the New testament it is written if you know to do good and you don't it's a sin.
James 4:17 KJV - Therefore to him that knoweth to do - Bible Gateway Bible Gateway passage: James 4:17 - King James Version

Luke 12:47-48 KJV - And that servant, which knew his - Bible Gateway Bible Gateway passage: Luke 12:47-48 - King James Version

Right and wrong focuses on actions - behaviors ____ to where as good and evil focuses on character - intent - consequences.

DragonFox91 · 2026-07-23T16:41:43-0500

For the Seth line, it is teaching that Seth gets Adam's image marred by sin, bc Seth is of Adam, but Adam was in the image of God so Seth gets that too

Aussie52 said:
The image of God in man was marred (but not destroyed) by sin but fully restored in salvation.

I agree, it's still their to some extent in everyone, but for the perishing, those outside Jesus Christ, it is eventually destroyed by death.

ViaCrucis · 2026-07-24T07:43:51-0500

Aldebaran said:
Adam started out being created in the image of God:

Gen 1:26 and 1:27
26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.” 27So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

But then man's image was altered after falling into sin. This is mentioned at the time when Adam and Eve had their son Seth:

Gen 5:1-3
This is the written account of Adam’s family line.
When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind” when they were created.
3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.

It looks as if Adam's (and Eve's) new image was passed on to their future sons and daughters, and it would be logical to conclude that the image of Adam was no longer the same as the image (or likeness) of God. Adam now had an altered likeness that Seth was begotten in, and it continued on from there.

To give credit where credit is due, I learned this from Pastor Chuck Swindall after listening to one of his radio broadcasts. I found it interesting because I've never heard this mentioned in any discussions where it's said that we're created in God's image. Humanity was created in His image and likeness at the beginning, but Adam's likeness was no longer God's likeness when he had his son Seth. Interestingly though, Cain and Abel were born before Seth, and nothing is mentioned about what image or likeness they had, even though they were born after the fall of Adam and Eve.

Looks like Pastor Chuck was teaching some pretty weird things if he was saying human beings no longer bear the Divine Image.

Because here is what the Bible teaches.

"With [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God." - James 3:9

Sin distorts, wounds, and violates the Image of God; but it does not erase it. All human beings bear the Divine Image.

Is man created in the image of God? Not anymore!

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