What does it mean to be made in the image of God?
Genesis 1:26-27
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
New International Version (NIV)
The answer
To be made in God’s image means to be created to reflect God and represent Him in the world. Every human being therefore has God-given dignity and a God-given calling: to know God, reflect His holy character, and exercise responsible rule over creation under His authority (Genesis 1:26-28). It does not mean that human beings are divine.
Both male and female bear God’s image
Genesis 1:27 says, “God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them.” Both sexes fully bear God’s image; neither possesses it to a greater degree. This dignity comes from God’s creative act, not from intelligence, ability, social position, achievement, or personal merit.
Nor is the image primarily a physical resemblance. John 4:24 says, “God is spirit.” Humanity’s bodily existence is good, but being like God does not mean that God has a human body.
It involves reflecting God’s character
The New Testament describes believers being renewed in God’s image “in knowledge” (Colossians 3:10) and created in God’s likeness “in righteousness and holiness of truth” (Ephesians 4:24). God’s image therefore includes a real, creaturely resemblance expressed through knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. Human beings are made to know God and to display His truth and moral character, not merely to exist as another kind of animal.
It involves representing God’s rule
In Genesis 1:26-28, image-bearing is immediately joined to dominion over the earth’s creatures. Psalm 8:5-8 likewise describes humanity as crowned with glory and honor and made ruler over God’s works. This authority is delegated and accountable, not independent: God remains Creator and King.
Dominion is therefore stewardship, not permission for selfish exploitation. Genesis 2:15 shows the man placed in the garden “to cultivate and keep it.” Work, creativity, agriculture, craftsmanship, and care for the created world can all express this calling when done under God’s authority.
Sin distorted the reflection without erasing human dignity
After the flood, Genesis 9:6 still grounds the protection of human life in the fact that God made humanity in His image. James 3:9 likewise condemns cursing people who are made in God’s image. Sin has corrupted humanity’s knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, but it has not turned people into non-image-bearers. Every person still possesses this created dignity, while every person still needs salvation and renewal.
Christ is the perfect image and the goal of renewal
Colossians 1:15 calls Christ “the image of the invisible God.” He perfectly reveals God, and God’s purpose for believers is that they be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). This transformation happens as believers behold the Lord’s glory and are changed “from glory to glory” by the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18). Salvation does not make people divine; it restores them to reflect God’s character faithfully in Christ.
Answered from Scripture · reviewed November 11, 2026
To be made in the image of God means that every human being is uniquely created to reflect God's character, relational life, and righteous rule on the earth. This sacred likeness establishes our inviolable dignity, grounds our accountability to our Maker, and finds its full restoration in Jesus Christ. Tracing this theme through Scripture reveals who we were created to be, what was fractured by sin, and how God is renewing us today.
Creation and Dominion
Man Is Created to Reflect God's Likeness
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
Genesis 1:26 (NIV)
It records the eternal divine counsel determining to make humanity distinct from all other creatures as God's representatives.
In Genesis 1:26, the triune God pauses at the crown of the creation week to speak within His own eternal counsel: "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness." This announcement sets humanity apart from every beast of the field and bird of the air. While other creatures were brought forth according to their kinds, God deliberately formed humanity to bear His imprint and represent His righteous rule on the earth. Genesis 1:27 confirms this singular design, declaring that God created mankind as male and female, mutually reflecting His relational richness and moral majesty. God then bestowed His blessing in Genesis 1:28, commissioning Adam and Eve to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and exercise stewardship over all living things.
This royal calling touches the core of human constitution. In Genesis 2:7, the Lord formed man of the dust and directly breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, making him a living soul uniquely capable of communion with his Maker. Ecclesiastes 7:29 reminds us that God made man upright, endowed with genuine holiness, wisdom, and untarnished moral integrity. Looking up into the starry heavens, David wonders at this sovereign bestowal in Psalm 8:4-8, marveling that God crowned mortal humanity with glory and honor, putting all works under human feet. Psalm 100:3 seals this posture of humble dependence: it is the Lord who made us, and we are His people, called to praise the God whose character we were designed to display.
| Passage | What it says |
|---|---|
| Genesis 1:26 | God declares His purpose to create man in His image and after His likeness, giving humanity dominion over the earth. |
| Genesis 1:27 | God creates humanity in His own image, purposefully designing mankind as male and female. |
| Genesis 1:28 | God blesses mankind with the mandate to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and exercise dominion. |
| Psalms 8:4-8 | David marvels that God crowns humanity with glory and honour, placing all works of creation under human feet. |
| Psalms 100:3 | The psalmist calls all people to know that the Lord made us and that we belong to Him as His people. |
| Genesis 2:7 | God breathes the breath of life directly into man, forming a living soul with a unique relational nature. |
| Ecclesiastes 7:29 | God made mankind upright in original righteousness before humanity sought out many sinful schemes. |
The Fall and Human Worth
The Likeness Was Marred but Never Erased
“Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.
Genesis 9:6 (NIV)
It grounds the sanctity of every human life in the enduring reality of the divine image even after the fall.
The fall brought a devastating fracture into human history, yet it did not extinguish the divine imprint. In Genesis 3:22, man grasped at moral autonomy through rebellion, rupturing the pristine innocence in which he was formed. Genesis 5:3 records that Adam fathered a son in his own fallen likeness, passing on a corrupted nature under the curse of sin. Even so, the foundational testimony of Genesis 5:1 remains: God originally created mankind in the likeness of God, and that fundamental identity was not annihilated by the catastrophe in Eden.
The profound moral weight of this enduring truth shines brightest in Genesis 9:6. Establishing civil justice and the sanctity of life after the flood, God declares: "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man." Murder is not merely an assault on another creature; it is a direct strike against the image of God Himself. James 3:9 applies this exact principle to daily speech, rebuking believers who bless God with their tongues while cursing fellow human beings made in the similitude of God. Paul reaffirms in 1 Corinthians 11:7 that man remains the image and glory of God. Though sin has severely defaced our moral likeness and crippled our capacity for righteous dominion, the image of God establishes the inviolable value of every human life, regardless of age, ability, or background.
| Passage | What it says |
|---|---|
| Genesis 3:22 | God notes that man has taken the knowledge of good and evil by rebellion, fracturing moral innocence. |
| Genesis 5:1 | The genealogy of Adam reaffirms that God created mankind in the divine likeness. |
| Genesis 9:6 | God commands that shedding human blood requires justice because humanity is made in God's image. |
| James 3:9 | James forbids cursing other human beings because they are made in the similitude of God. |
| Genesis 5:3 | Adam fathers a son in his own likeness and image, showing the transmission of fallen human nature. |
| 1 Corinthians 11:7 | Paul affirms that man remains the image and glory of God in the created relational order. |
Renewal in Christ
The True Image Restored in Righteousness
and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
Colossians 3:10 (NIV)
It shows that believers put on the new man, which is actively renewed in true knowledge after the Creator's image.
What was broken in Adam is perfectly fulfilled and restored in Jesus Christ. Colossians 3:10 commands the believer to put on the new self, which is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him. Jesus is not merely a bearer of the likeness; Colossians 1:15 proclaims that He is the visible image of the invisible God, while Hebrews 1:3 reveals Him as the brightness of God's glory and the exact expression of His nature. Second Corinthians 4:4 warns of the blinding power of unbelief, presenting the gospel as the glorious light of Christ, who is the true image of God.
Redemption accomplishes more than pardon; it works the inward re-creation of the believer. In Ephesians 4:24, Paul explains that the new man is created after God in true righteousness and holiness. This transformation is dynamic and progressive. Second Corinthians 3:18 shows that as we behold the glory of the Lord, the Holy Spirit transforms us from glory to glory into Christ's likeness. God's eternal decree guarantees this destination: Romans 8:29 promises that all whom God foreknew He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. First Corinthians 15:49 assures us that just as we have borne the earthy image of Adam, so we shall bear the heavenly image of the risen Lord. Finally, 1 John 3:2 fixes our hope on Christ's return, when our sanctification will reach completion and we shall be like Him, seeing Him as He is.
| Passage | What it says |
|---|---|
| 2 Corinthians 4:4 | Paul identifies Christ as the perfect image of God who displays the light of the gospel. |
| Colossians 1:15 | Paul declares that the Son is the visible image of the invisible God and the firstborn over all creation. |
| Ephesians 4:24 | Believers are commanded to put on the new man created after God's likeness in true righteousness and holiness. |
| Colossians 3:10 | The new man is progressively renewed in knowledge after the image of the Creator. |
| Romans 8:29 | God predestined His people to be conformed to the image of His Son. |
| 1 Corinthians 15:49 | Just as believers bore the earthly image of Adam, they shall also bear the heavenly image of Christ. |
| 2 Corinthians 3:18 | Believers are progressively transformed into Christ's image from glory to glory by the Spirit. |
| Hebrews 1:3 | Jesus Christ is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His very nature. |
| 1 John 3:2 | At Christ's return, believers will fully share His moral likeness, seeing Him as He is. |
Where in the Bible
| Book | Passages |
|---|---|
| Genesis | 8 · Genesis 1:26, Genesis 1:27, Genesis 1:28, Genesis 2:7, Genesis 3:22, Genesis 5:1, Genesis 9:6, Genesis 5:3 |
| Psalms | 2 · Psalms 8:4-8, Psalms 100:3 |
| Ecclesiastes | 1 · Ecclesiastes 7:29 |
| Romans | 1 · Romans 8:29 |
| 1 Corinthians | 2 · 1 Corinthians 11:7, 1 Corinthians 15:49 |
| 2 Corinthians | 2 · 2 Corinthians 4:4, 2 Corinthians 3:18 |
| Ephesians | 1 · Ephesians 4:24 |
| Colossians | 2 · Colossians 1:15, Colossians 3:10 |
| Hebrews | 1 · Hebrews 1:3 |
| James | 1 · James 3:9 |
| 1 John | 1 · 1 John 3:2 |
The story in order
- God creates humanity in His image (c. 4000 BC) · Genesis 1:27 · Establishes the foundational dignity and purpose of humankind.
- Humanity given dominion over creation (c. 4000 BC) · Genesis 1:28 · Reflects God's rule and care for the earth.
- Man formed as a living soul (c. 4000 BC) · Genesis 2:7 · Highlights the unique relational capacity of humans.
- Mankind made upright (c. 950 BC) · Ecclesiastes 7:29 · Original righteousness before the fall into sin.
- The Fall fractures moral innocence (c. 4000 BC) · Genesis 3:22 · Sin marred, but did not erase, the divine image.
- Image of God grounds justice (c. 2350 BC) · Genesis 9:6 · Upholds the sanctity of human life.
- Adam fathers a son in his likeness (c. 3900 BC) · Genesis 5:3 · Shows the transmission of fallen human nature.
- Paul affirms man as God's image (c. AD 55) · 1 Corinthians 11:7 · The image remains even after the fall.
- Christ is the image of God (c. AD 56) · 2 Corinthians 4:4 · Jesus perfectly embodies God's likeness.
- Believers commanded to put on new man (c. AD 62) · Ephesians 4:24 · Renewal in righteousness and holiness.
- New man renewed in knowledge (c. AD 62) · Colossians 3:10 · Progressive renewal after the Creator's image.
- Predestined to be conformed to Christ's image (c. AD 59) · Romans 8:29 · God's eternal purpose for His people.
- Believers transformed into Christ's image (c. AD 56) · 2 Corinthians 3:18 · The Spirit's work of progressive sanctification.
- Future full likeness to Christ (c. AD 95) · 1 John 3:2 · Ultimate restoration at Christ's return.
Key words
- Image of God (demut, דְּמוּת; tselem, צֶלֶם)
- Humanity's unique creation to reflect God's character, relational life, and righteous rule. · Genesis 1:26
- Dominion (radah, רָדָה)
- God's mandate for humanity to rule and care for the created order. · Genesis 1:28
- Living soul (nefesh ḥayyah, נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה)
- A unique, relational being created by God's direct breath. · Genesis 2:7
- Upright (yashar, יָשָׁר)
- Created in original righteousness before sin. · Ecclesiastes 7:29
- New man (anthropos kainos, ἄνθρωπος καινός)
- The believer, recreated in Christ's likeness through the gospel. · Ephesians 4:24
- Conformed (summorphos, σύμμορφος)
- To be made into the same image or likeness as Christ. · Romans 8:29
Because you are made in God's image, your life possesses eternal worth and an inescapable calling to reflect your Creator. Though sin has fractured that reflection, turning to Jesus Christ begins the lifelong work of restoration in true righteousness and holiness. Rest in the knowledge that you belong to Him, and let your daily life honour the sacred likeness He has given you.
22 passages, each cited once.
Scripture cited
- Colossians 3:10
- Ephesians 4:24
- Psalms 8:4-8
- Genesis 1:26-28
- Genesis 9:6
- James 3:9
- Romans 8:29
- John 4:24
- Colossians 1:15
- 2 Corinthians 3:18
- Genesis 2:15