Reformed Theology: 14. Divine Image Bearers

Hello and welcome to the Basics of the Reformed Faith Series. Today's topic is Divine Image Bearers. With the language of the 8th Psalm clearly in mind, you have made man a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor, Reformed theologian Cornelius Van Til once declared that Adam was created to be like God in every way in which a creature can be like God.

These words sound rather shocking when we first hear them, and yet as Van Til goes on to point out, because Adam is a creature, he will never be divine. Adam will always be a creature. Therefore, Christians cannot talk about the creation of humanity without first being clear about the fact that God is distinct from his creation and cannot be identified either with the world around us or its creatures.

The divine image extends to Eve as well, Genesis chapter 2 verses 4 through 24. To be human, then, is to be male or female and to bear God's image in both body and soul, which exists as a unity, both spiritual, the soul, and material, the body, as elements.

To be a divine image bearer is to be an ectype, a copy, of which God is the archetype or original. That said, the biblical account tells us that Adam was created in God's image, Genesis chapter 1 verse 26, which indicates that Adam is neither divine nor the product of some unspecified primordial process.

Adam was created by a direct act of God in which Adam's body was created by God from the dust of the earth, while his soul was created when God breathed life into the first man, Genesis chapter 2 verse 7.

Because all men and women are divine image bearers, we are truly like God, and we possess all of the so-called communicable attributes of God, albeit in a creaturely form and measure. This is what constitutes us as human beings, distinct from and superior in moral and rational capabilities to the animal kingdom.

In fact, the creation of Adam and Eve marks the high point of the creation account, Genesis chapter 1 verses 28 through 31, as God pronounced the first man Adam to be very good. The ramifications of the fact that we are divine image bearers are multifaceted and profound.

First, the creation reveals that Adam is both the biological and federal head of the human race. To put it another way, Adam was the first human being, and all human beings are his biological descendants.

This speaks directly to the question of the unity of the race, despite our different skin colors and physical appearances, and to the equality of persons before God. Second, as the biological head of our race, Adam represented the entire human race before God during the period of probation in Eden, when Adam was commanded not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Adam was assigned the role of acting for and on behalf of all those who are his descendants. What Adam did in Eden, he did on our behalf, as our representative. This fact alone implies a number of additional considerations, including the fact that Adam was created in righteousness, holiness, and possessed true knowledge of God, Ephesians chapter 4 verses 24 and Colossians chapter 3 verse 10, which means that Adam was righteous before God as created.

Adam was not merely innocent before God, but holy and upright, possessing the natural ability to obey all of God's commands and to fulfill the cultural mandate, Genesis chapter 1 verse 28. The spiritual nature of Adam, as seen, for example, in the fact that the soul lives on after the death of the body, further reflects this element of human nature.

Our souls are invisible, indivisible, and immortal. In addition, we are created as rational beings with great intellectual abilities, as well as the moral ability to determine right from wrong, Romans chapter 2 verses 12 through 16.

This also indicates that all men and women are capable of receiving the revelation that God gives through the created order, called general revelation, and through His Word, called special revelation.

Reformed theologians have long argued that our bodies are fit organs of the soul, and it is especially through the body-soul unity that these communicable attributes are manifest. As the divine image-bearer, possessing such original righteousness, holiness, and knowledge, Adam was given dominion over all of creation as God's vice-regent.

Not only did God make all things good, He assigned His unique divine image-bearer the role of ruling over all the world and all of its creatures. Adam was given all the plants and animals for food, and was assigned the task of naming the animals over which he was given dominion, Genesis chapter 2 verse 19.

It is because Adam was a divine image-bearer that he was fit and equipped for this task. This is what the psalmist means when he says that man is but a little lower than the angels, Psalm chapter 8 verse 5.

The creation of Adam was the high point of all God's creative activities, not an afterthought. As the divine image-bearer, Adam is to rule and subdue the earth in the name of his creator. He possesses true righteousness, holiness, and knowledge, and his task is to build the temple garden of God on earth in Eden, and he is fit for the task in every way.

Let's review. God is distinct from all of creation. Man was created to be like God in every way, in which a creature can be like God. Man is always a creature and will never be divine. Humanity is comprised of body and soul, and either male or female.

God directly created humanity. Humanity was created in the image of God and very good, which distinguishes it from the animal kingdom. As the first human created, Adam was the federal head of the human race.

Adam was not merely innocent before God, but holy and upright, possessing the natural ability to obey all of God's commands. Adam was given dominion over all of creation as God's vice-regent. Well friends, thanks again for joining us.

Look forward to seeing you in the next lesson.