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Human Beings, created in the Image of God, that’s a challenging concept to grasp. But it is the cornerstone to both understanding who you are and who God is.

Humans are created in the image of God. From a Bible point of view this is cornerstone understanding to grasp the rest of the Bible story.

Human Beings, created in the Image of God, that’s a challenging concept to grasp. From a Bible point of view, this is a fundamental given to understand the rest of the Bible story.

Human Beings, created in the Image of God: some consider it blasphemy. But, only understanding this vital point allows you to know who you are and who God is and the relationship between the two. Humankind is very different from animals but very similar to God.
(Origin of Humankind, chapter 1.4)

If you’ve come across this blog post for the first time, then please know that it is part of a more extensive work. To see the entire context, which you can read online, click here.
You can follow along by using the online Bible, the Interlinear Bible, Strong’s Concordance and the Hebrew/Greek Concordance at UnlockBibleMeaning.com
To understand how I’m using Biblical Hebrew, read this short presentation of 7 keys to Master Biblical Hebrew
Dig for Bible Study gems to enhance your understanding: See ‘Further Study’ suggestions at the end of this blog post.
Galacti is our fictitious time-traveling, investigative, roving reporter who lends his insights and voice to the development of the narrative

God created humans after His kind, His likeness, and His image. We have discussed each of these three points over the last 3 blog posts. This subject is so fundamental that we will return to it again and again. Why? Because most people think that humans have conjured up an image of God that they’ve exposed in works like the Bible. In other words, the Bible presents God in human imagery to help humans better understand or relate to deity.

That is a backward or upside-down approach because they think that humans beings like you, and I composed the Bible. This concept proceeds from the idea that humans are the pinnacle of life and intelligence.

This misconception is the exact opposite of proper theology, which considers that humans penned the Bible BUT, God inspired these humans. Those humans transcribed God’s thoughts. So, when we read about humans created in the image of God, God was there first; He did just that. The Explanation proceeds from this theological standpoint. Genesis 1:26-27 are the very first Biblical references to the relationship of humans to God; this is the very first puzzle piece. As such, it behooves us to get-it-right.

Genesis 1.26-27, let us make man in our image, are the very first Biblical references to the relationship of humans to God; this is the very first puzzle piece. As such it behooves us to get-it-right. Click To Tweet

Genesis 1

26 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 thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

This piece has been ripped to shreds. So much so, that humankind doesn’t have the faintest idea of their Originator. Yet, these verses repeat this concept four times: our image twice, own image, and image of God. If you don’t confer on this very first puzzle piece its proper shape, then let me be very open: You’ll never understand what follows, and there are plenty of other misplaced pieces that we will straighten out.

In the preceding verses, Genesis 1.11-25, God, regarding non-human life, emphasizes after their kind, ten times to drive the comparative of humans after God’s image home. Kind means kin and kindred, to which I’ll return. Animals are kin to animals; Humans are kin to God. They are directly related to God, not animals or grass, even if we have similar genes.

Science has focused us on that 99 percent of gene compatibility with chimpanzees. The human body is composed of 65% oxygen, 18.5% carbon, 9.5% hydrogen, and 3.2 nitrogen. That makes over 94%. All that tells us is the PHYSICAL composition. Whether it’s genes or elements, that’s NOT where the comparison is. As I wrote, animals run off with all the Olympic medals, but humans walk off with all the Nobel prizes. Even a five-year-old kid can walk off with a Nobel prize compared to an animal. WHY?

Because the comparison is on a much higher level. It’s on the mental, consciousness, mind level. Humans are in the penthouse while the animals are in the sub-basement. I devoted a lot of space in Inventory of the Universe (last two chapters) and Audit of the Universe to the human mind. It is essential to understand the human mind’s singularities (chapter 10), its functions (11), its sociability (12 started), its endeavors (13), and its reasoning (14).

Even a five-year-old kid can walk off with a Nobel prize compared to an animal. WHY? Because the comparison of animals to humans is at a much higher level. It's on the mental, consciousness, mind level. Click To Tweet

There is NO comparison between animals and humans at the penthouse level. There is, however, a comparison between humans and God. That comparison is not in quality because humans are way, way, way inferior, but in the presence of all the attributes and aspects that the human mind confers. I’ll explain why it’s inferior later, why it’s an image, a likeness, not the total, identical substance.

Many have distorted the puzzle piece about humans created in the image of God, so the puzzle piece about the human mind is too. If science or psychology reduces the attributes of the mind to chemical reactions, then we remain in physical, sub-basement comparisons. God is in heaven, and humans are in the penthouse. Yes, there’s a vast, massive gap, but the penthouse has far more in common with the heavens than with the sub-basement.

Humans and God have mind. 

 

Understanding this one puzzle piece, that humans are created in the image of God because they have a mind is the first and I daresay, the foremost piece of the puzzle.

Let’s now take another look at our ‘Animal-Human Comparative Chart,’ which I already presented to you in Inventory of the Universe. With a substantial modification. We’re going to add a 3rd column for Godkind. For length’s sake, I’ve reduced some of this material, which you can read in Inventory of the Universe.

Animals

Humans

God

Body

 
They possess eyesight, hearing, touch, taste, smell, etc. Sharks can smell one drop of blood in 10,000 liters of water.Five underdeveloped senses. But, very ample for humankind.Most developed senses. God has an out of this universe form.
Run, swim, dive, jump, fly, navigate, etc. longer better.  The Taupe Shark swims 50km/hr.Limitation on body skills. But, humans have conquered ALL these areas by other means!God can add to human capacities, and He possesses the ultimate.
Birds fly at heights, fish at depths — microorganisms in the earth.Humans live on land at sea level to 100m.God is in Heaven.
Instant, no preparation, digestion, Animals can store food like nuts, but generally, they eat and go-go and eat.Food must be cleaned, cooked, need fire, time, digestive system. Needs to produce food. Can’t survive in the wild.God can appreciate wine. Genesis 18:2, 8, 22. He appreciates good food. Judges 9:13.
Some animals have a bigger brain.Humans have more intelligence because of their minds.God’s mind is far, far, far superior.
Sex + reproduction. They are better equipped for a variety of environments.Sex for reproduction but also bonding and pleasure.God has no sex. But He does bond. We’ll discuss this.
Blind ants. Worms have no eyes. Bats fly in the dark. Birds, fish move in formation with a sixth sense of position perceptionHumans are all built on the same body model with hands, which allow them to fashion anything their minds conceive.Isiah 45.9, Your [God] work has no hands … A physical body does not limit God.
Most animals/insects/fish are operational from the instant they’re born. There are exceptions: birds, bears, lionsHands: dexterity – writing (creativity) and other skills take years to develop, 20 years to maturity.God has always had the ultimate skills; this is one that needs faith.
Animals have ways to communicate, but they do not have a language to speak and exchange.Humans have vocal cords mouths and lips to convey language physically. They exchange via vocal and body language.Isaiah 30:27-28 refers to God’s lips, tongue, and breath. But He doesn’t need them to be the ultimate Communicator.

Mind

 
InstinctSingularities of HumankindCapacities of God
Animals operate by instinct. They can make decisions but on a minimal scale.Humans operate using their minds. They reason and understand.  That’s why we’ve conquered so many of the animal skillsPsalm 147:5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
Animals can predict tsunamis, a sinking vessel, earthquakes, etc.Humans can scientifically project themselves into the futureGod knows and has planned the future
Animals are programmed. They don’t think; they react to their environment.Humankind has a desire to discover, understand, solve problems, learn, invent, do exciting things, have pleasure, program, prepare, give, etc.God plans and has always possessed all the singularities He’s conferred on humankind.
Sex is a physical phenomenon. With animals, it’s hyper-specialized and extremely efficient.

Foreplay is instinctive, and there’s no afterplay.

Animals only fuck.

With loving couples, physical bonding and mind bonding occur. The foreplay and afterplay are integral parts of bonding. Actually, foreplay and afterplay are an entire way of treating your mate.

Humans can love and make love.

No sex for spirit beings. Godly love (and undoubtedly all the pleasures it procures) moves to a much higher level. There’s nothing like this love.

God is love

Animals have a singular life-path they follow implicitly. There’s no deviation.Human Nature: Can go down a wrong and a right path. Sometimes both at once. They can change their pathway.God’s Nature: God has compassion, patience, goodness, righteous indignation, anger.
Animals don’t master anything.Master Space-Time: Manage things, events, and people.God has a master plan for Earth and Humanity.
Day to day survival.Creativity: Life project: manage something.God created the Heavens and Earth.
Sleep, eat, reproduce, survive.Imagination: Inventive solutions. Humans are solvers of problems.Just look at the variety of animals.
Learn a few tricks, only if humans teach them.Education: Learning goes on all through life, either formally or informally.God learns about humans, their free will decisions, and ways.
Act on instinct or training.Choices: According to talents, skills.He makes choices in how He executes His Plan for Humankind.
Do not train to improve.Progress: Gain experience and grow in their field of expertise.Christ learned during His earthly ministry.
Don’t set higher goals to attain. Animals don’t challenge themselves.Challenges-Courage: Face the inevitable ups and downs in life.Plenty of ups and downs to accomplish His Plan for Humankind.
Any leadership is what that species does, nothing more.Rulership: Learn to govern oneself and others.God rules the spiritual and physical realms.

 

This table reveals that all the characteristics that significantly differentiate us from animals connect us to God. Yes, animals have intelligence, feelings, and emotions, but their gamut pales into insignificance even to that of a 2-year-old child. Human intelligence (granted, insignificant compared to God but on the same plane just as a 2-year-old is with an experienced, learned adult), feelings, and emotions are akin to those of God his Creator. Humans created in the image of God are on the God plane, not the animal plane.

This blog post is an excerpt from chapter 1.4 of the book Origin of Humankind.

Further Study

Read the verses in the comparative chart in this blog post and see how scripture describes the qualities of God, and how God has endowed humankind with these same qualities. This comparison is the meaning of humans created in the image of God, with His likeness.

Yes, we have to be careful about texts like Isaiah 30:27-28, which refer to God’s lips, tongue, and breath. God doesn’t need any of this for His existence; this is used figuratively and is probably the reason why many think we’ve made God in man’s image.

Verify that God has these characteristics. He is first and foremost, and He created humans in His image with the capacity to demonstrate these same attitudes: Compassion (Psalms 86:15), patience (Rom. 15:5), goodness (Psalms 107:8,15), He has righteous indignation (Isaiah 34:2), anger (Num. 32:10). God, like humans, has a code of ethics or laws that He follows (I Kings 8:20). He is faithful in keeping His Word (Psalms 93:5).

In Audit of the Universe, chapter 10 was devoted to nine singularities that ONLY humankind possesses. Well, that isn’t exactly correct. God possesses ALL those characteristics, and humans created in the image of God are endowed with them also. I suggest you meditate on God’s Word to see examples of God displaying all these characteristics. Begin to realize how you’re created in the image of God. I haven’t explained yet WHY we’re ALL created in the image of God. That’s forthcoming.

 

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