Man in the Image of God

1. The soul is the real person.

2. Man (the real you … in the soul) is made in the ‘image of God.’

3. This ‘image’ is an image in principle — shadow image. An exact image would be an imprint on a coin or a photograph.

4. The soul of man is in the shadow image (pattern) of God.

5. The pattern is immaterial. The soul is immaterial. The soul can only be defined by its characteristics, just as the essence of God can only be defined by its characteristics.

6. Soul of man is the shadow image of the divine essence, not the exact image.

7. Soul has essence: Self-consciousness, mentality, volition, emotion, conscience.

8. God has essence: Sovereignty, righteousness, love, eternal life, omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, immutability, veracity.

9. “After our likeness” means a model or pattern. The Trinity is the model or pattern. Each member of the Trinity has exactly the same essence but they are different personalities.

10. Every member of the human race has a soul (essence) but it is a different personality.

11. Genesis 1:26 is the statement of the plan dealing with principle, therefore asah [Heb.] — making something out of something — a pattern.

12. Genesis 1:27 is the carrying out of the plan dealing with the mechanics, therefore bara [Heb.] — making something out of nothing.

13. God gave the original man (Adam) a human spirit. Genesis 2:7, ‘breath of life’ is ‘breath of lives’ (pl.): spirit and soul.

14. God gave the soul and spirit of man a tabernacle (a body) and made them male and female (sex).

15. Exposition of Genesis 1:26,27; 2:7

a) v. 26: Planning

“God”: Elohim — Godhead, indicates concept of essence.

“let us”: Trinity, plural.

“make”: Asah — make something out of something. The qal imperfect indicates that man is the basis for the perpetuation of the species.

“image”: tselem in the Hebrew means shadow image. The soul of man is the shadow image of God. The pattern is immaterial, the soul is immaterial. It can only be defined by its characteristics, just as God can only be defined by His essence.

b) v. 27: Execution of the plan:

“so God”: Elohim.

“created”: Barah — mechanics. To create something out of nothing. The soul of man is real, but it is immaterial and it is created out of nothing.

“in his own image”: Tselem — Principle image.

“in the image of God”: Essence, soul essence.

“created”: Barah.

“he him”: Adam.

“created”:

“He them”: Both had a body. Even though Eve was taken from the side of Adam, she still had a soul.

Thus v. 26 is the statement of the plan and v. 27 is the carrying out of the plan.

c) 2:7:

“The Lord God”: Jesus Christ is the actual creator.

“formed”: Yatsar. Potter moulding a pot. The body of man with all its functions. Qal imperfect, the body has the ability to perpetuate itself.

“of the dust of the ground”: Chemicals of the soil.

“breathed into his nostrils”:

“the breath of life”: The breath of lives (pl.). Breath is “soul life.” N’shemah. God breathed in soul and spirit life into Adam.

“and man became a living soul”: nephesh -- living soul. Soul life was given to the format soul.

Conclusion: An unborn baby does not have the “breath of life.” This is received at the moment the baby gasps for air at the point of birth. A living soul is given to the baby at that time. In application abortion under certain circumstances may be legitimately practised, because under those conditions life would not be murdered. The real life (soul life) does not come until birth.