Center for Biblical Coaching

Who and What is Man?

When we look at Scripture and what it records in relation to the beginning of man, we find in Genesis 1:26 that man is a created being who was made in the image and likeness of God. Image means shadow or outline of a figure, while likeness has to do with resemblance. Yet the way this translates into reality for us is not as easy as it might seem. Even the theologians are not in agreement about the nature of the meaning of “image and likeness” and how this is true of man.

Ephesians 4:23-24 tells us that man is created to be like God in holiness and truth. Colossians 3:10 tells us that the new man is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the one who created him. That man was given intellectual faculties is seen in the fact that God asked man to name the animals. Man also had the ability, not only to discern evil, but to make his own choices. Jesus Himself faced similar challenges in Matthew 4.

Jesus was successful in resisting sin, though Adam was not. In the image of God, man was tempted yet has the ability to resist sin. In summary, man was made in the image and likeness of God. This consisted of God’s intellectual, moral, and spiritual characteristics. We need to remember that while man, from one side of his nature, is linked to creation as a mammal, he is a creature of much higher order and more splendid nature. He is in the image and likeness of God.

Even though man is made in the image and likeness of God we must understand that God is Spirit (John 4:24). Then how can we explain the references to God that have to do with His “eyes”, His “arm”, and His “back”? These are called “anthropomorphisms”, which are simply ways of referring to aspects of Him in human terms that make understanding Him more simple.

While God did not need to create man, He created us for His own glory. This fact guarantees that our lives are significant.