Every culture in history has asked: What is a human being?
Genesis answers in two verses, not with philosophy or biology, but with a declaration about origin and relationship:
“Then 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 birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
— Genesis 1:26-27 (ESV)
Two Latin words — Imago Dei — became the theological shorthand for what these verses declare.
They translate simply as “image of God.”
But what they carry is not simple at all.
The Hebrew Words: Tselem and Demut
Genesis 1:26 uses two Hebrew terms: tselem (image) and demut (likeness).
Tselem refers to a carved representation.
Ancient Near Eastern kings placed statues throughout their territories as signs of their rule.
Genesis applies this to all humanity: every person is God’s tselem in the world, a living declaration of His presence.
Demut (likeness) qualifies the comparison: humans resemble God but are not God.
As Calvin put it, “man resembles him and God’s glory is contemplated in him, as in a mirror.”
Both terms reappear in Genesis 5:3 when Adam fathers Seth “in his own likeness, after his image” — framing the image not as a static quality but as a living, relational inheritance.
Three Ways Theologians Have Read Imago Dei
Scholars have identified three main streams of interpretation, and all three illuminate something true.
The substantive view focuses on human qualities that reflect God: rationality, moral consciousness, and spiritual capacity. Augustine located the image in the soul’s triad of memory, intellect, and will.
The relational view argues that the image is expressed in relationship: between humans and God, and between one another. Karl Barth pointed to Genesis 1:27’s male-female distinction as evidence. The image is found in the capacity for genuine communion, mirroring the relational nature of the triune God.
The functional view draws on the ANE background: God installed humanity to represent His dominion, just as kings placed statues across their realm. The command to “have dominion” in verse 28 follows directly from the image declaration.
None of these cancels the others. The image is likely substantive, relational, and functional at once.
What the Fall Did to the Image
Genesis 3 introduces sin, and with it comes a question every reader eventually asks: Does the image survive the fall?
The clearest answer is Genesis 9:6, spoken after the flood, when the pre-flood world had descended into wickedness:
“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”
— Genesis 9:6 (ESV)
God prohibits murder because humans still bear His image, even after generations of rebellion.
The image was not annihilated — but it was marred.
Calvin described the fallen image as “frightful deformity.”
The original is identifiable, but something devastating has happened to it.
Reason, relationality, and moral capacity remain, but bent away from God.
This is why James 3:9 can warn against cursing people “who are made in the likeness of God.”
The image-bearing dignity of every person, even fallen, is the ground for how we must treat them.
Jesus: The Perfect Image of God
The New Testament does not simply repeat the Genesis declaration. It centers on Christ entirely.
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”
— Colossians 1:15 (ESV)
And again:
“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
— 2 Corinthians 4:4 (ESV)
Where Adam deformed the image through sin, Jesus bears it without distortion. He is not a copy of the original; He is the original, the one in whose likeness humanity was made.
The goal of redemption is not simply restoring what Adam lost but conforming believers to the image of Christ.
Colossians 3:10 speaks of being “renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”
Ephesians 4:24 describes the new self as “created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
To grow in Christ is to become more fully what God intended when He said, “Let us make man in our image.”
Why Imago Dei Still Matters
This doctrine is not abstract. It lands in concrete places.
Human dignity is not earned or contingent on ability. It is intrinsic.
Every person, unborn or elderly, incarcerated or celebrated, bears the image of their Creator.
To harm another is to assault the image of God in them.
Abortion, racism, trafficking, and poverty—all are, at root, Imago Dei issues.
In a world that ties identity to performance, Imago Dei declares your significance was settled before you did anything.
When that image was broken, God sent His Son to restore it.
A Prayer Before God Who Made You in His Image
Father, I have looked for my worth in accomplishments and in what others think of me. Remind me that I was made in Your image, and that this is enough. Where sin has distorted that image in me, restore it through Your Spirit. Help me to treat every person I encounter as someone bearing Your likeness, worthy of dignity and care. Shape me into the image of Your Son. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions About Imago Dei
Does Imago Dei mean humans look like God physically?
No. God is spirit (John 4:24) and does not possess a physical body. The image of God in humanity refers to our moral, rational, relational, and spiritual nature, not physical appearance. It is the capacity to know God, reason, form relationships, exercise moral judgment, and represent God’s rule in creation that makes humans uniquely image-bearers, distinguishing them from every other creature God made.
Did the fall destroy the image of God in humanity?
The fall severely damaged but did not erase the image. Genesis 9:6, written after the flood, still grounds the prohibition of murder in the fact that humans bear God’s image, even after generations of widespread wickedness. Calvin described the fallen image as “frightful deformity” rather than total destruction. Rationality, conscience, relationality, and the capacity for God-awareness remain, though now bent and corrupted. Full restoration of the image begins in salvation and is completed in glorification.
Does every human being bear the image of God, including non-Christians?
Yes. Genesis 1:26-27 makes no exceptions. The image is part of what it means to be human, not a quality granted by faith. James 3:9 directly applies this to all people when warning against cursing others “who are made in the likeness of God.” Salvation does not make someone an image-bearer; it restores and renews the image that sin corrupted. This is why human dignity is universal and not contingent on belief, behavior, ability, or status.
What is the difference between “image” and “likeness” in Genesis 1:26?
The Hebrew terms are tselem (image) and demut (likeness). Roman Catholic theology historically distinguished them, treating “likeness” as a supernatural gift of righteousness lost at the fall, while “image” remained. Most Protestant theologians, following Calvin, treat both terms as referring to the same reality with slightly different emphasis: tselem highlights concrete resemblance and representation, while demut softens the comparison, indicating similarity without identity. Together, they mean that humans genuinely resemble God without being divine.
How does Jesus relate to the Imago Dei?
Paul calls Jesus “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15), the perfect expression of what the image means. Where Adam distorted the image through sin, Jesus embodies it without corruption. Salvation is therefore described as being renewed “after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:10) and “created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). Redemption moves believers toward conformity with Christ, the true and final image-bearer.
References
Bavinck, H. (2004). Reformed dogmatics: God and creation (Vol. 2). Baker Academic.
Hoekema, A. A. (1986). Created in God’s image. Eerdmans.
Middleton, J. R. (2005). The liberating image: The Imago Dei in Genesis 1. Brazos Press.
Phillips, R. D. (2012). Man as the image of God. The Gospel Coalition.
Sproul, R. C. (2014). The image of God. Ligonier Ministries Devotionals. Reformation Trust.
Szterszky, S. (2018, March). Made in the image of God: What does it mean and why does it matter? Focus on the Family Canada.
Walton, J. H. (2001). The NIV application commentary: Genesis. Zondervan.
Wenham, G. J. (1987). Genesis 1-15 (Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 1). Word Books.
