In what way were Adam and Even originally made in the image of God?

[Monna]

In Genesis 1: 26 we read
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

Then, after the Fall, in Genesis 3:22 we find
And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." (my emphasis)

As one consequence of their disoobedience, Adam and Eve acquired something additional to their likeness to God. Something they did not have before. And apparently they did not have immortality before their sin, otherwise there wouldn't have been any point having a tree of life in the garden, and God would not have determined that they should not live forever in their fallen state.

Adam and Eve were not omniscient, they were not omnipresent, they were not omnipotent, they did not have everlasting life either before or after the fall.

So in what way(s) were they created in God's own image?

 

[Dave-W]

So in what way(s) were they created in God's own image?

IMO part of it was in physical appearance. Since our Lord appeared in flesh as a man, and "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday [eternity past] today and forever," [eternity future] he already was in human form before creation.

 

[Colter]

In Genesis 1: 26 we read
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

Then, after the Fall, in Genesis 3:22 we find
And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." (my emphasis)

As one consequence of their disoobedience, Adam and Eve acquired something additional to their likeness to God. Something they did not have before. And apparently they did not have immortality before their sin, otherwise there wouldn't have been any point having a tree of life in the garden, and God would not have determined that they should not live forever in their fallen state.

Adam and Eve were not omniscient, they were not omnipresent, they were not omnipotent, they did not have everlasting life either before or after the fall.

So in what way(s) were they created in God's own image?

“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances."

Just like the Trinity has as it's nucleolus Infinity, expressed in Father, Son and spirit, we have a fragment of infinity within us. When we seek Gods will it is this spirit that guides us like it did Jesus when he was in the flesh. Body, Mind and Spirit. So we are created in the image of the Trinity.

You will also notice that the beast was already evil, the earth had already fallen before the arrival of the would be, new spiritual rulers Adam and Eve who arrived educated and speaking the same language as the crafty beast. They had been instructed before hand about what they could and could not do. The "now" means Eve inserted her will into Gods plan, the instructions they had been forgiven for the world rehabilitation.

So yes, they could no longer use the tree and sustain immortality status, they died like man dies.

The creation story is very fragmented as it relies on parts and pieces from ancient times.

 

[Victory-N-Christ]

Well I can understand Adam being in God's image because God as scripture says is a male but where did Eve's blueprint come from? I mean her being female would give her a different physical form than Adam ....unless they were twins ??

 

[BroIgnatius]

We are made in the image of God by God creating in us a rational soul. That is what makes us human.

This has nothing to do with physical form. While Jesus is God and has always existed, his human form did not exist until the Incarnation. That is why it is called the Incarnation -- it is when God became man through the Blessed Virgin Mary, the ark of the New Covenant.

From the Catechism explains how man was made in the image of God:

356 Of all visible creatures only man is "able to know and love his creator". He is "the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake", and he alone is called to share, by knowledge and love, in God's own life. It was for this end that he was created, and this is the fundamental reason for his dignity:

What made you establish man in so great a dignity? Certainly the incalculable love by which you have looked on your creature in yourself! You are taken with love for her; for by love indeed you created her, by love you have given her a being capable of tasting your eternal Good.​

357 Being in the image of God the human individual possesses the dignity of a person, who is not just something, but someone. He is capable of self-knowledge, of self-possession and of freely giving himself and entering into communion with other persons. And he is called by grace to a covenant with his Creator, to offer him a response of faith and love that no other creature can give in his stead.

363 In Sacred Scripture the term "soul" often refers to human life or the entire human person. (Cf. Mt 16:25-26; Jn 15:13; Acts 2:41) But "soul" also refers to the innermost aspect of man, that which is of greatest value in him (Cf. Mt 10:28; 26:38; Jn 12:27; 2 Macc 6:30), that by which he is most especially in God's image: "soul" signifies the spiritual principle in man.

364 The human body shares in the dignity of "the image of God": it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and it is the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit: (Cf. 1 Cor 6:19-20; 15:44-45)

Man, though made of body and soul, is a unity. Through his very bodily condition he sums up in himself the elements of the material world. Through him they are thus brought to their highest perfection and can raise their voice in praise freely given to the Creator. For this reason man may not despise his bodily life. Rather he is obliged to regard his body as good and to hold it in honor since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day. (cf. Dan 3:57-80)​

365 The unity of soul and body is so profound that one has to consider the soul to be the "form" of the body: i.e., it is because of its spiritual soul that the body made of matter becomes a living, human body; spirit and matter, in man, are not two natures united, but rather their union forms a single nature.

366 The Church teaches that every spiritual soul is created immediately by God - it is not "produced" by the parents - and also that it is immortal: it does not perish when it separates from the body at death, and it will be reunited with the body at the final Resurrection.

367 Sometimes the soul is distinguished from the spirit: St. Paul for instance prays that God may sanctify his people "wholly", with "spirit and soul and body" kept sound and blameless at the Lord's coming. (1 Thess 5:23) The Church teaches that this distinction does not introduce a duality into the soul. "Spirit" signifies that from creation man is ordered to a supernatural end and that his soul can gratuitously be raised beyond all it deserves to communion with God.

368 The spiritual tradition of the Church also emphasizes the heart, in the biblical sense of the depths of one's being, where the person decides for or against God. (Cf. Jer 31:33; Deut 6:5; 29:3; Isa 29:13; Ezek 36:26; Mt 6:21; Lk 8:15; Rom 5:5)

 

[Victory-N-Christ]

We are made in the image of God by God creating in us a rational soul. That is what makes us human.

This has nothing to do with physical form. While Jesus is God and has always existed, his human form did not exist until the Incarnation. That is why it is called the Incarnation -- it is when God became man through the Blessed Virgin Mary, the ark of the New Covenant.

From the Catechism explains how man was made in the image of God:

Thanks.

 

[Speedwell]

IMO part of it was in physical appearance. Since our Lord appeared in flesh as a man, and "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday [eternity past] today and forever," [eternity future] he already was in human form before creation.

So we look like the other primates because Jesus did already?

 

[Dave-W]

So we look like the other primates because Jesus did already?

As a designer, I understand the use of boilerplate in the design process. You start with the one design and then modify it from there, keeping the same subsystems that already work.

So for the highest primates, you just modify the physical attributes for whatever environment you need.

 

[Monna]

Thank you Brolgnatius for sharing these excerpts from the Catholic Catechism. Not being Catholic myself, I have never actually read it.

The first paragraph you quote #356 includes the statement 'He is "the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake", and he alone is called to share, by knowledge and love, in God's own life.'

I'm not sure exactly what this means though the words in themselves are straightforward enough. In the context of this discussion thread does this mean:
1. part of the likeness to God is the capacity to love and be loved;
2. part of the likeness to God lies in our need for community - i.e. that we are deeply relational;
3 that there may be creatures elsewhere that God has willed for their own sake? (If there is an answer to this question, I'm not sure at this point that it is relevant, but I ask it because of the peculiar formulation of the quote. We live on earth, God is active here in a particular way and is obviously interested in us. Jesus did not cling to his nature of God in the incarnation but came in the form of a man - not some other creature.)

I don't understand what is meant by "for its own sake." For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! (Rom 11:36). ALL things are for him. So the authors must have been thinking of something distinct from this general purpose. or?

Thanks for any clarity you can give. (But try to keep us pertinent to the original question.)

 

[Not_By_Chance]

In Genesis 1: 26 we read
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

Then, after the Fall, in Genesis 3:22 we find
And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." (my emphasis)

As one consequence of their disoobedience, Adam and Eve acquired something additional to their likeness to God. Something they did not have before. And apparently they did not have immortality before their sin, otherwise there wouldn't have been any point having a tree of life in the garden, and God would not have determined that they should not live forever in their fallen state.

Adam and Eve were not omniscient, they were not omnipresent, they were not omnipotent, they did not have everlasting life either before or after the fall.

So in what way(s) were they created in God's own image?

My understanding of this is that humans and only humans share some special qualities with our creator that no other life form on this planet does. We can appreciate beauty (or lack of it), music and the arts, consider where we came from and where we are going, make plans, experience extreme emotions like love and hate, gaze in wonder at the universe/creation and try to fathom its mysteries, study science, design and make complex machines, be aware of our mortality ...the list goes on and on. Now consider the other life forms on this planet - can any of them come close? Of course not. I think that is what is meant by being made in God's image - we have a little of His spirit and power and we have a desire to know our creator, even though some people try to deny His existence ("wilfully ignorant" as the Bible puts it).

 

[BroIgnatius]

he already was in human form before creation

Jesus was not in human form until the Incarnation 2000 years ago.

 

[BroIgnatius]

Thank you Brolgnatius for sharing these excerpts from the Catholic Catechism. Not being Catholic myself, I have never actually read it.

I am very tired tonight, so I will try to answer your very good questions tomorrow.

 

[SkyWriting]

As one consequence of their disoobedience, Adam and Eve acquired something additional to their likeness to God. Something they did not have before. And apparently they did not have immortality before their sin, otherwise there wouldn't have been any point having a tree of life in the garden, and God would not have determined that they should not live forever in their fallen state.Adam and Eve were not omniscient, they were not omnipresent, they were not omnipotent, they did not have everlasting life either before or after the fall.
So in what way(s) were they created in God's own image?

Likely they were physically immortal, and spiritually, death requires the law first.
No law, no death.
Man is a reflection of God, Spiritually. And possibly physically given Jesus's form.

 

[Monna]

Likely they were physically immortal, and spiritually, death requires the law first.
No law, no death.

Please explain why the tree of life was in the garden, if they were immortal physically from the outset and didn't need to eat it in order to live forever.
If they were going to sin (as they did) God didn't want them to have access to it. If they already had immortality before the fall, they didn't need it. In both these cases there was not point in having it there. Perhaps you can see something I cannot.

The implication (IMHO) of God keeping them away from the tree of life, is that living forever physically, while spiritually dead, would be unbearable and unmerciful.

"no law, no death." What is the law if it's not God's instructions? And they had clear instructions not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In that sense law was already there. Also, they had been given instructions to be fruitful and increase in number, to name all the creatures, and to work and manage the garden.

 

[SkyWriting]

Please explain why the tree of life was in the garden, if they were immortal physically from the outset and didn't need to eat it in order to live forever.

God prefers choice over slavery.
Loving something is giving the
freedom to not be a love slave.
That should cover your puzzlements.

 

[Monna]

Thanks Sky!
Why did God give us free will? Because you cannot demand or command love. One must choose to love. God made us for fellowship with him, to love and be loved. But love that is not given freely is not worth having. Love is costly (and risky), and no one knows that better than God.

 

[Dave-W]

Jesus was not in human form until the Incarnation 2000 years ago.

Really?

What about the Lord that visited Abraham in Gen 18?

Or the "Angel" that wrestled Jacob?

Or the "Captain of the Lord's Army" that Joshua saw near Jerico?

 

[Monna]

Maybe we're talking of different time perspectives, Dave W?
God is not bound by time. He is in all times at once. We on the other hand have a very linear time frame going from past through present to the future.
Take the verse in Revelation in which the Lamb that was slain is mentioned: Revelation 13:8 If you look at the 50 English translations available on Biblegateway.com you will see that this could not have been a very easy verse to put into English. Remember the ancient languages (and still some today) had no punctuation - no commas, no semi-colons, no periods, no brackets.

From our time perspective Jesus, the Lamb, was crucified somewhere around AD 30. But what does John say in Revelations?

For those who want to hold to the KJV the verse reads:
"And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." - what does "from the foundation of the world mean?" That it happened concurrently with the world's foundaton, or has been going on continually since then? I read this over and over again, and am not sure yet what the temporal dimension is here.

The CJB (Complete Jewish Bible) puts it:
"Everyone living on earth will worship it except those whose names are written in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb slaughtered before the world was founded." This puts the Lamb's death quite definitely before the world was founded. One might like to think that those working on this "Jewish" Bible would have a special claim to understanding the idioms and nuances of the ancient palestinian languages - whether Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac, or even Greek and Latin. The GW (God's Word Translation), NLT (New Living Translation), OJB (Orthodox Jewish Bible) and NOG (Names of God Bible) have similar translations putting the Lamb's death before the creation.

The CEV (Contemorary English Version) translates it:
"The beast was worshiped by everyone whose name wasn’t written before the time of creation in the book of the Lamb who was killed." In this version it is the inclusion of the names in the Lamb's book that happened before the time of creation. Several other translations avoid linking the time with the death of the Lamb. A few add the idea that his death was "planned" before the creation or foundation of the world.

The EXB (Expanded Bible) tries to provide all the nitty gritty in its presentation:
"And all who live on earth will worship ·the beast [L it; or him]—all the people since the ·beginning [foundation] of the world whose names are not written in the Lamb’s book [scroll] of life [3:5; 17:8; Ex. 32:32–33]. ·The Lamb is the One who was killed [or The Lamb who was killed/slaughtered before the creation/foundation of the earth]. [C Some commentators link the phrase “since the beginning/foundation of the world” with “all who live on the earth”; others link it with “written in the Lamb’s book of life”; and still others with “the Lamb who was slain.”]" This expanded version illustrates how the originally can be translated almost any way you wish.

With this range of translations to choose from, it is not implausible that readers will try to find the rendering that best matches what they can rationally accept and hold to that one. And I guess one can apply the same two perspectives to whether or not Jesus was in human form before 4 BC, the approximate time of the incarnation. From our human perspective we understand that "when the time was right" Jesus came "in the flesh", was born as a baby, grew up among us, was crucified, died and was buried, and then resurrected and raised to the right hand of God. If you try to impose this chain of events with a "timeless" perspective of Jesus being at all points of time always, you would rationally have to accept that he is continuously experiencing that time on the cross when the Father turned his face from him, that he has always been dead and buried. This is rather difficult to grasp and I'm not sure I am willing to accept it yet. But I do admit it's all rather confusing.

 

[BroIgnatius]

Thank you Brolgnatius for sharing these excerpts from the Catholic Catechism. Not being Catholic myself, I have never actually read it.

The first paragraph you quote #356 includes the statement 'He is "the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake", and he alone is called to share, by knowledge and love, in God's own life.'

I'm not sure exactly what this means though the words in themselves are straightforward enough. In the context of this discussion thread does this mean:
1. part of the likeness to God is the capacity to love and be loved;
2. part of the likeness to God lies in our need for community - i.e. that we are deeply relational;
3 that there may be creatures elsewhere that God has willed for their own sake? (If there is an answer to this question, I'm not sure at this point that it is relevant, but I ask it because of the peculiar formulation of the quote. We live on earth, God is active here in a particular way and is obviously interested in us. Jesus did not cling to his nature of God in the incarnation but came in the form of a man - not some other creature.)

I don't understand what is meant by "for its own sake." For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! (Rom 11:36). ALL things are for him. So the authors must have been thinking of something distinct from this general purpose. or?

Thanks for any clarity you can give. (But try to keep us pertinent to the original question.)

Thanks for you patience. It has been a rough week.

Question 1:
The full text of Catechism paragraph 356:

356 Of all visible creatures only man is "able to know and love his creator". He is "the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake", and he alone is called to share, by knowledge and love, in God's own life. It was for this end that he was created, and this is the fundamental reason for his dignity:

What made you establish man in so great a dignity? Certainly the incalculable love by which you have looked on your creature in yourself! You are taken with love for her; for by love indeed you created her, by love you have given her a being capable of tasting your eternal Good.

All other creatures were made with symbiotic purpose. Predator species have a purpose to cull the populations of the various creatures to which they eat. Mosquitoes have a purpose to carry disease, which also culls the populations of other creatures.

God created man, however, for his own sake. While we are dependent upon nature and its creatures, our purpose is not directly tied to the natural world. We are created to love -- to love and serve God, and to love our neighbor. We are called to share in God's own life. This is what gives us dignity that surpasses and is unique over animals.

Question 2:
To your questions about the following:

1. part of the likeness to God is the capacity to love and be loved;

God is love (1 John 4:8). If we are made in the image of God, a central part of that image is the capacity to love and be loved. This is an attribute of God given to mankind alone (not to animals)

2. part of the likeness to God lies in our need for community - i.e. that we are deeply relational;

Yes, God Himself is community -- God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. In addition, we are God's family, His children. God wishes us to be a family, a community of His children who love each other. This need is deeply rooted. It is our DNA.

3 that there may be creatures elsewhere that God has willed for their own sake?

Possibly. God can, in His sovereign will, create creatures on other planets with a rational soul These, too, would be created for their own sake.

Question 3: The question about for its own sake is answered above in the topic about para. 356.

Question 4:
For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! (Rom 11:36).

All things, all creatures, on this earth were made for man, for our enjoyment and sustenance (Genesis 1:26-30; 2:19-20). The teaching here in Romans, in context, is that we cannot understand the designs of God, it is beyond our comprehension. Thus, the correct attitude of man is humility.

Thanks for the questions.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

 

[Monna]

God created man, however, for his own sake.

Thanks again BroIgnatius, for taking the time to answer so specifically. And sorry for missreading your name.

I think what I reacted to in the catechism wording was "for its own sake." In your answer you rephrase it or put it "for his own sake."

I have always assumed that we, and all creation, were created "for him," not for ourselves. Is the catechism's wording intended to imply that our creation, as distinct from that of any other creature, was also for our sake? In the particular sense that through 'self-determination' (freedom to choose, free will if you like) and the gift of love (+++) we have a much greater role in shaping our own destiny and the nature of our relationship to God, to one another, and to the rest of creation.

We were and remain totally dependent on God for everything, even life itself. Do I get a hint here, that IF Adam and Eve had made a different choice, had deepened their relationship with God, they could have eventually have eaten of the tree of life, and become a little less directly dependent of God?

I'm not sure how worthwhile it is to pursuit the "what ifs" as we simply do not know. But a "what if" that sees a maturing Adam and Eve, an eventual permission to eat of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil would also give an answer as to why the Tree of Life was there in the first place. I wonder, for example, if they had refused to fall for the serpent's argument, and instead had told God about it during that evening's "walk in the garden," God would have had an opportunity to explain 'good and evil' based on the day's encounter. They had not encountered evil before that moment, had never experienced the feeling we get "you don't realise what you have until you lose it." Their curiosity as just why God had warned them about the consequences would have been sparked a step by step God would lead them to deeper levels of relationship. We probably will never know.

back to the "for its own sake:" do you have a fuller explanation for the catechism's choice of word here?

Blessings!