What does it mean when Scripture says humans are made in the image of God, and what are the implications of it? Certainly, this is one of the most important aspects of being human, since in all of creation only humans are given that designation. Genesis 1:26-27 says:

Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.” God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.

In considering humanity as the only Divine image bearers in creation, Kent Hughes said this:

Though you could travel a hundred times the speed of light, past countless yellow-orange stars, to the edge of the galaxy and swoop down to the fiery glow located a few hundred light-years below the plane of the Milky Way, though you could slow to examine the host of hot young stars luminous among the gas and dust, though you could observe, close-up, the protostars poised to burst forth from their dusty cocoons, though you could witness a star’s birth, in all your stellar journeys you would never see anything equal to the birth and wonder of a human being. For a tiny baby girl or boy is the apex of God’s creation! But the greatest wonder of all is that the child is created in the image of God, the Imago Dei. The child once was not; now, as a created soul, he or she is eternal. He or she will exist forever. When the stars of the universe fade away, that soul shall still live.¹

As mentioned, God’s creation of humans in his image and likeness is very important and significant (Gen 1:26). The word “image” means a “copy,” “figure,” or “shadow” and carries the idea of representation (cf. Ex 20:4).² In the ancient world, it was common for kings to place statues of themselves in the realms which they ruled.³ Likewise, God, the king of earth, placed representatives of himself on earth. However, these representatives were not statues but living beings, and they were called to rule (Gen 1:26). The word “likeness” can refer to a pattern, shape, or form. It means something that was patterned after something else.⁴ When created, humans were patterned and shaped after God.

Therefore, again, we must ask, “What does it mean for humans to be made in the image and likeness of God?” There has been much discussion over what single or few characteristics that humans have which reflect God’s image. Certainly, this doesn’t refer to humans being physically made in God’s image, since God is a spirit and doesn’t have a physical form (John 4:24, cf. Lk 24:39). With that said, clearly, there are many ways in which humans reflect God without being identical to God. The fact that the word “likeness” is used of Adam having a son named Seth who was in his “likeness” and “image” supports this. Genesis 5:3 says, “When Adam had lived 130 years he fathered a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and he named him Seth.” No doubt, Seth had many of the same characteristics as his father, Adam, as they had the same DNA, but they were at the same time different. Likewise, humans are like God in many ways but also different in others.

God’s Image Reflected in Humans

What are some of the ways that humanity reflects God’s image?

1. Humans were initially made righteous and moral like God. And though they now have a sin nature because of the fall, they still have a conscience, an inner sense of right and wrong, which convicts them when they do wrong and affirms them when they act justly. In fact, Romans 2:14-16 says that God will judge unbelievers who are unaware of God’s written law, by the law on their hearts.

For whenever the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things required by the law, these who do not have the law are a law to themselves. They show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as their conscience bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or else defend them, on the day when God will judge the secrets of human hearts, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus.

In addition, though having a sin nature which leads to wrong motives and actions, humans still have a tremendous capacity to do good, which reflects the moral and righteous character of God.

2. Humans are also relational even as God is relational. God has always lived in a loving, communal relationship with the other members of the Godhead—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. That God created us as relational beings is distinctly seen in that God did not just make one person, he made a man and woman who together would be one flesh (Gen 2:24). Genesis 1:27 says, “God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.” Therefore, as humans we need relationships. We need family, friends, church, and community. Apart from these, it will lead to isolation and unhealthy emotions. Humans as relational beings reflect our triune God.

3. Humans were made as functional beings, meant to rule the earth, even as God rules the heavens. In fact, in Genesis 1:26, it says, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule…” The text says that humans were made in God’s image “so they may rule.” For this reason, some have said this is the chief aspect of humans being made in God’s image.

4. Humans were made with a spirit just as God is spirit. This immaterial part of humanity’s essential nature allows them to worship, pray, and sing to God and also impact the spiritual realm. We will never see a dog or cat praying for an hour; however, humans do because they have an immaterial nature which is like God’s.

5. Humans are emotional beings even as God is emotional. Scripture says God is a jealous God who will not share his glory with others. Exodus 34:14 says, “For you must not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” He is also a loving God. First John 4:8 says, “God is love.” God is also wrathful and angry against sin and injustice. Psalm 7:11 says, “God is a just judge; he is angry throughout the day.” His Spirit is grieved over sin.” Humans reflect God’s emotional nature, though ours is commonly tainted by sin (cf. Jam 1:20).

6. Humans are intellectual beings even as God is an intellectual. Humans can study and discuss theology, politics, history, and sports. Likewise, God says this to his people in Isaiah 1:18 (ESV), “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord.” God made humans a thinking people, and though it requires faith to follow him, it is not blind faith (Heb 11:6). God gives credible reasons: When Christ came to the earth, he did miracles, fulfilled Bible prophecies, and prophesied various things, including his own death and resurrection, so people would believe in him. God also gave us his written Word with many doctrines in it to study and guide us through life. Humans are intellectuals because God is one.

7. Humans are living beings even as God is living. Unlike the idols of the pagan nations who surrounded Israel, God forbade the creation and development of idols. No doubt, the reason was in part because idols cannot represent him as they are dead. This was the argument that Paul made with the pagans in Athens for why they should not worship God with idols. In Acts 17:28-29, he said,

For in him we live and move about and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ So since we are God’s offspring, we should not think the deity is like gold or silver or stone, an image made by human skill and imagination.

In fact, throughout Scripture, God is often called the “living God” because he is not a dead idol like the gods of the Gentile nations (Matt 16:16, John 6:57). Jeremiah 10:10 says, “The Lord is the only true God. He is the living God and the everlasting King.” Psalm 42:2 says, “I thirst for God, for the living God. I say, ‘When will I be able to go and appear in God’s presence?’”

8. Humans are immortal beings who will live forever, even as God is immortal. Certainly, humans physically die, but their spirits never will. And one day their bodies will be resurrected and united with their spirits to live forever in a place of eternal bliss or eternal judgment. The immortality of humans (and specifically their spirits) is a reflection of them being made in God’s image (1 Tim 6:16). In Romans 1:23, Paul simply called God the “immortal God.”

9. Humans are creative, even as God is creative. God created the heavens and the earth and all within them, including their beauty. Likewise, humans are creatives. They create art, music, dance, theater, and literature, among other things. These all reflect God who is the ultimate Creative.

10. Humans can interact with the physical world through their bodies, which God can likewise do as well. As mentioned, God does not have a physical body, yet the human body allows us to do what God does as well in many ways. Wayne Grudem’s explanation of this is insightful:

For example, our physical bodies give us the ability to see with our eyes. This is a Godlike quality because God himself sees, and sees far more than we will ever see, although he does not do it with physical eyes like we have. Our ears give us the ability to hear, and this is a Godlike ability, even though God does not have physical ears. Our mouths give us the ability to speak, reflecting the fact that God is a God who speaks. Our senses of taste and touch and smell give us the ability to understand and enjoy God’s creation, reflecting the fact that God himself understands and enjoys his creation, though in a far greater sense than we do.⁵

And certainly, there are many other ways in which humans reflect the image of God. However, it is impossible to know exactly all the ways humans reflect God without fully knowing God.

Humans, Imperfect Image Bearers

It should be made clear that humanity does not perfectly bear the image of God, as they initially did in the garden; however, the image of God still exists in humans, even as we just considered many ways in which humans still bear it. The fact that humans still bore God’s image after the fall is evident from Genesis 9:6, when God said to Noah after the flood, “Whoever sheds human blood, by other humans must his blood be shed; for in God’s image God has made humankind.” God implemented capital punishment based on the fact that when a human is murdered, it is an attack on God’s likeness. It’s like trying to kill God by killing his representative. Also, James 3:9 says this in speaking about the duplicity of our tongues, “With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people made in God’s image.” Again, like the person committing murder, a person who curses another attacks God’s image. Certainly, this should be sobering as we consider how we treat one another.

Jesus, The Perfect Image Bearer

In considering that humans still bear God’s image, though imperfectly, it must be understood that only Christ, the God/man, perfectly bore God’s image. Hebrews 1:3 says, “The Son is the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence.” Colossians 1:15 says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” Jesus demonstrated exactly what man should be as God’s image-bearers. When speaking with his disciple, Philip, in John 14:9, Christ said, “Have I been with you for so long, and you have not known me, Philip? The person who has seen me has seen the Father! How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” John MacArthur aptly describes how Christ perfectly demonstrated God’s image. He said,

Jesus fully manifested the divine image in three connections: with God, with people, and with creation. In doing so, Jesus shows humanity how to manifest the image properly. First, Jesus manifested the foundational nature of the triune God by his relationship to the Holy Spirit and by his fellowship with the Father. He loved and perfectly obeyed the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. Second, Jesus loved people. He loved those who hated him. And John 13:1 says of Jesus, “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” The phrase “to the end” translates the Greek phrase eis telos, meaning “infinitely” or “eternally” (cf. John 17:23). The greatest command for man is to love God and to love people (Matt. 22:36–40). Jesus exhibited perfect love for both. And third, Jesus displayed mastery over creation with his miracles and healings. When he walked on water, multiplied bread and fish, or calmed a storm, Jesus showed absolute control over nature, a dominion that will be fully manifested in his coming millennial kingdom on the earth (Isaiah 11; 35).⁶

Likewise, God’s image will not be perfectly manifest through humans on this earth until Christ comes again with his resurrected and glorified saints.

Humanity Being Remade into God’s Image

With that said, God’s plan in salvation is to remake believers into the perfect image of God’s Son. Romans 8:29 says, “because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Colossians 3:10 says, “and have been clothed with the new man that is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it.” We are renewed in the knowledge of God as we study his Word and begin to think more like him, instead of like the world. Also, 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” Through spending intimate time with God (with unveiled faces) through his Word, prayer, worship, service, and godly community, we continually grow from glory to glory—looking more like Christ. And one day when Christ returns, we will become just like Christ and, therefore, like God. First John 3:2-3 says, “… but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus, come!

Biblical Storyline

In many ways, the biblical storyline can be looked at through the lens of God’s image. MacArthur details this:

Creation: Man, including both male and female, is created in the image of God. Like his Creator, man evidences both unity and diversity in a relationship of love. “Man” comprises both male and female, yet male and female are distinct in gender and have differing roles. At creation man functioned in proper relationships with God, other humans, and creation.

Fall: Man violated the Creator/creature distinction by acting autonomously and rebelling against God. The image of God became marred but not lost. Man’s threefold relationships suffered: (1) in regard to God, man is spiritually dead; (2) in regard to humans, tension plagues men and women, and women must suffer pain in childbirth; (3) in regard to creation, the earth now works against man and frustrates him, and the earth will swallow up man in death.

Incarnation (Jesus Christ): Jesus, the God-man, is the perfect image of God. He manifests the image exactly by perfectly loving God, loving people, and exercising authority over nature. Those who belong to Jesus through saving faith become new creatures, and by their love they display the restored image of God, although imperfectly before the final resurrection. Sanctification is the process by which Christians are being conformed to the image of Christ, who himself is the perfect image of God.

Restoration: When Jesus returns, Christians will be glorified and made like Jesus. They will perfectly exhibit the image of God forever.⁷

Applications

What are some applications from humans being made in God’s image?

1. Because humans are made in the image of God, we should ponder this often with great thanksgiving as it is mirrored in us and others.

Wayne Grudem said,

It would be good for us to reflect on our likeness to God more often. It will probably amaze us to realize that when the Creator of the universe wanted to create something “in his image,” something more like himself than all the rest of creation, he made us. This realization will give us a profound sense of dignity and significance as we reflect on the excellence of all the rest of God’s creation: the starry universe, the abundant earth, the world of plants and animals, and the angelic kingdoms are remarkable, even magnificent. But we are more like our Creator than any of these things. We are the culmination of God’s infinitely wise and skillful work of creation. Even though sin has greatly marred that likeness, we nonetheless now reflect much of it and shall even more as we grow in likeness to Christ.⁸

Certainly, we should give God thanks when we see others’ creativity, leadership, administrative skills, attention to detail, athleticism, hard work, discipline, ability to repair or build things, and care for those struggling, among other gifts. All of these reflect our Creator, and we should stand in awe of God and give thanks to him when these characteristics are demonstrated in our lives and others. In 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, Paul said this specifically about spiritual gifts:

Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different results, but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit of all.

Certainly, we must give thanks to God for all the different graces that he gives to specific people, and all the while not getting down or prideful for the specific ways he has graced us. All of these manifestations whether through natural or spiritual gifts reflect God and bring honor to him when properly used.

2. Because humans are made in the image of God, we should treat each person with respect and dignity, including the poor, the disabled, and people from different nationalities and ethnic backgrounds.

Again, Wayne Grudem’s comments are helpful:

This has profound implications for our conduct toward others. It means that people of every race deserve equal dignity and rights. It means that elderly people, those seriously ill, the mentally retarded, and children yet unborn, deserve full protection and honor as human beings. If we ever deny our unique status in creation as God’s only image-bearers, we will soon begin to depreciate the value of human life, will tend to see humans as merely a higher form of animal, and will begin to treat others as such. We will also lose much of our sense of meaning in life.⁹

3. Because humans are made in the image of God, we should defend those who are mistreated.

Throughout history, Christians have commonly fought for the rights of slaves, the unborn, and women. Believers today should continue this legacy in their service, their voting, and their praying. When we do this, God is honored. James 1:27 says, “Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

4. Because humans are made in the image of God, we should seek to restore that image by growing in Christ ourselves and making disciples of Christ.

As mentioned, believers are progressively being changed into the image of God as they follow Christ, and one day they will be fully like Christ when they receive glorified bodies at his return. Until then, we should not only seek to grow in God’s image and display it but also share the gospel with others and disciple them, so they can become what humans were truly meant to be—those who represent God in character and function on earth. Lord, help us be faithful in this endeavor!

Reflection

1. What stood out most in the reading and why?
2. What does it mean for humans to be made in God’s image? What are the characteristics of this image?
3. After the fall, do humans still bear God’s image? If so, what are evidences of this?
4. In what ways are believers being remade into God’s image and how do we participate in this process?
5. In what ways can the biblical storyline be seen through the lens of the image of God?
6. What other questions or applications did you take from the reading?

Copyright © 2021 Gregory Brown

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Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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When God created humans, he made them in his image; however, one significant aspect of the Divine image is the fact that God made humans, male and female. Genesis 1:27 says, “God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.” The fact that God’s image is represented through two genders, male and female, suggests significant things about human relationships.

What does the fact that God created male and female in his image suggest about human relationships?

1. The creation of male and female in God’s image reflects our need for intimate, harmonious relationships.

It must be noted that in Genesis 1:26, God said, “Let us make humankind in our image…” This represents inter-trinitarian communication. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit were communicating with each other about making humanity. Some have tried to suggest God is speaking to the angels, but Scripture never says that humans are made in the image of angels. They are, however, made in the image of God. Therefore, we as humans need intimate, loving relationships within a family, friends, church, and community.

Also, it is clear that most people will get married and that is God’s call for their lives. In marriage, they will love and serve each other and build God’s kingdom together (Gen 1:26-28, 2:24). With that said, not all will get married for various reasons. In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul describes how some have the gift of celibacy, and the benefit of that gift is being able to devote more time and energy to serving the kingdom of God (1 Cor 7:7, 25-40). But, in general, most will get married and reflect and serve God through their marriages.

The creation of male and female in God’s image reflects equality between the genders.

God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all equal in personhood and divinity. God the Father is fully God and so are the Son and the Spirit. Colossians 2:9 says this about Christ, “For in him all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form.” Likewise, males and females are fully equal. This should remove any feelings of superiority or inferiority between the genders. Males should not be prideful and therefore look down on females. Also, females should not be prideful and look down on males. In societies, they should have equal rights, opportunities, and pay. This doesn’t suggest that the genders are exactly the same. Nor does it suggest they should have the same roles, as we shall study shortly. They are different, and in general, God has different plans for the genders. But, differing roles does not mean inequality. Two people working at a company can have different yet complementary roles and still be equal. Galatians 3:27-28 says,

For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female—for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

In Christ, different nationalities, genders, and statuses in society are equal. Therefore, this should be true of how the church views and treats others, including people of different genders. Wayne Grudem said it this way:

In practical terms, we must never think that there are any second-class citizens in the church. Whether someone is a man or woman, employer or employee, Jew or Gentile, black or white, rich or poor, healthy or ill, strong or weak, attractive or unattractive, extremely intelligent or slow to learn, all are equally valuable to God and should be equally valuable to one another as well. This equality is an amazing and wonderful element of the Christian faith and sets Christianity apart from almost all religions and societies and cultures. The true dignity of godly manhood and womanhood can be fully realized only in obedience to God’s redeeming wisdom as found in Scripture.¹

This equality between males and females should not only be manifest in treating the genders equally, it should also be manifested by giving honor to them. In 1 Peter 3:7, Peter said this to husbands: “Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as the weaker partners and show them honor as fellow heirs of the grace of life. In this way nothing will hinder your prayers.” When Peter calls the wife the weaker partner or “vessel” (ESV), he is at least referring to the woman being weaker physically. Essentially, he is recognizing the differences between the male and female. Instead of dishonoring one another because of differences, husbands should honor their wife’s uniqueness. Likewise, the wife should honor the husband for his uniqueness as well. God made the sexes equal but different, and those differences should be respected and honored.

3. The creation of male and female in the image of God reflects differing roles.

In the Trinity, there are different roles in the Godhead. Though equal in personhood, they differ in authority and role. God the Father is the ultimate authority; the Son and the Spirit submit to him, and the Spirit submits to the Son. God sent the Son into the world to die for sins (John 3:16). God and the Son sent the Holy Spirit to indwell and empower believers. In John 14:16, Christ said, “Then I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever.” Also, in John 16:7, Christ said, “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I am going away. For if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you.” The Godhead is equal in personhood but not the same in authority and roles.

Likewise, since male and female are made in the image of God, we would expect them to have different roles and authority, as they reflect the Godhead. In 1 Corinthians 11:3, Paul said this in referring to the husband and wife: “But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.” In marriage, the husband reflects God the Father and the wife reflects Christ the Son. The woman submits to her husband in the same way that Christ submits to God. These differing roles are also seen in God’s command for males to serve in the pastoral roles in the church. In 1 Timothy 2:12, Paul said, “But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man. She must remain quiet.” Then, in 1 Timothy 3, Paul clarifies this by saying only males can serve in the office of an overseer or elder. First Timothy 3:2-4 says,

The overseer then must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher, not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not contentious, free from the love of money. He must manage his own household well and keep his children in control without losing his dignity.

Male Leadership as God’s Original Design

Some disagree with the fact that God has called for males to lead in both the home and the church. However, there is ample evidence of this being God’s design both in the Old and New Testament. It is especially evident within the creation narrative. For example:

1. Evidence for male leadership is represented in the fact that Adam was created first before Eve.

When Paul teaches that women should not teach men or be in authority over them in the church, he doesn’t appeal to the culture in Ephesus or something specific within that church, he appeals to creation. In 1 Timothy 2:13, he says, “For Adam was formed first and then Eve.” When God created humanity, he first created Adam, and then, after a while, he created Eve (Gen 2). The order of creation is significant, as there was no two-stage process with the animals. God created Adam first because he was called to lead. In fact, this became normative in the ancient culture, as the firstborn received the greatest inheritance and became the chief of the family after the father passed away.

2. Evidence for male leadership is demonstrated by the fact that Eve was made to be Adam’s helper.

In Genesis 2:18, God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Being created to be Adam’s helper demonstrates Eve’s role in coming beside him and serving him. Some have argued that since the word “helper” is sometimes used of a superior helping another, including God helping believers (cf. Psalm 54:4), it does not represent her subordinate role. However, even when a superior becomes a “helper” of another, that person is taking a subordinate role in that task.² This is exactly what Christ did when washing the feet of the disciples; he took the role of a servant, which is why his disciples found it offensive (John 13). However, God made the woman to portray that role permanently in her relationship with her husband.

3. Evidence for male leadership is demonstrated by the fact that Adam named his wife.

In Genesis 2:23, Adam calls his wife a “woman” shortly after he named the animals, which he was also in authority over. Then in Genesis 3:20, he named her “Eve,” again representing his authority. In the ancient world, naming someone demonstrated their authority over them. Parents named their children, and kings commonly gave new names to their servants. It is the same in modern-day culture. Naming someone represents authority over them.

4. Evidence for male leadership is the fact that Satan initially approached Eve instead of Adam to reverse their roles.

In 1 Timothy 2:12-14, Paul referred to this as evidence for why women should not be in leadership in the church. He said,

But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man. She must remain quiet. For Adam was formed first and then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman, because she was fully deceived, fell into transgression.

Paul doesn’t seem to be saying that women are more gullible or prone to temptation. Apparently, he is saying Satan’s original plan was to create a rebellion towards God’s designed authority; therefore, he approached Eve instead of Adam. When Paul says Eve was deceived but not Adam, he is simply saying Adam followed her, even though he knew it was wrong. In the fall, Satan attacked Adam’s leadership role by encouraging the wife to lead, and because of this, the marriage roles remain corrupted today, as we will soon consider (Gen 3:16).

5. Evidence for male leadership is the fact that God approached Adam first after the fall, instead of Eve.

In Genesis 3, God confronted Adam about the sin first because he was the authority, not Eve. Genesis 3:9-13 says this:

But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” The man replied, “I heard you moving about in the orchard, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” And the Lord God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave me, she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it.” So the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman replied, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.”

6. Evidence for male leadership is the fact that Adam’s sin led to judgment on the human race and not Eve’s sin.

First Corinthians 15:22 says, “For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” Also, Romans 5:12 and 15 say this:

So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned … But the gracious gift is not like the transgression. For if the many died through the transgression of the one man, how much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ multiply to the many!

When God made Adam, he was not only Eve’s head, but also, the head of the human race. Since he represented the human race, his sin led to consequences for every human, including death. Likewise, since Christ is now seen as the head of the human race, his righteousness leads to life for those who receive him as Lord and Savior.

7. Evidence for male leadership is the fact that God named humanity man or mankind.

Genesis 5:1-2 (ESV) says this:

This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created.

“Man” is a form of the word “Adam.” God named humankind after Adam, not the woman, which represented his leadership. This is similar to how in many cultures the wife takes the husband’s last name, which represents his leadership over the family. ³

Corruption of Gender Roles in the Fall

With all that said, some would argue that male leadership is a result of the fall and not God’s original intention in creation. They would point to the curse that God pronounced upon the woman after the fall. In Genesis 3:16 (NIV), God said this to Eve: “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” However, the word “desire” is best understood in the sense that Eve would desire to control her husband, not serve him. In Genesis 4:7, God used the same word to describe sin’s desire to control Cain. He said, “But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” Likewise, the consequence of sin was that Eve would no longer desire to submit to her husband. Instead, she would desire to control him. She might do this through sexual manipulation or through nagging. Proverbs 27:15 (NIV) says, “A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping of a leaky roof in a rainstorm.” Not to be outdone, sin also affected the husband. When it says, “he will rule over you,” it refers to an oppressive and harsh rule. The word “rule” was usually used of monarchial governments and not families.⁴ Therefore, the wife’s sinful tendency will be to try to control her husband, and the husband will seek to rule her harshly. Sometimes this sinful tendency shows up in the opposite way, in that the wife becomes a doormat with no say in the home, or the husband becomes a doormat. Neither was God’s original design.

Consequently, in redemption, Christ comes to restore what was broken by the devil and sin. First John 3:8b says, “For this purpose the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil.” Christ came to restore creation to God’s original plan—humans benevolently ruling a blessed earth. Thus, Scripture commands this of wives and husbands:

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.

Colossians 3:18-19

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, because the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the church—he himself being the savior of the body. But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word, so that he may present the church to himself as glorious—not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless.

Ephesians 5:22-27

As God’s image bearers, when Christian husbands and wives practice biblical love, authority, and submission, they represent the Trinity. And, they also represent how the church should submit to Christ, and how Christ loved the church and died for her. It is a beautiful gospel picture.

Application

Practically, in understanding how sin perverted male and female roles in marriage, (1) husbands must recognize their sinful tendency of being harsh with their wife. When they do so, they must repent and seek forgiveness from both God and their wife. Colossians 3:19 says, “Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.” (2) Also, wives must recognize their sinful tendency of trying to control their husband. When they do so, especially through negative words, they likewise must repent and seek forgiveness from God and their husband. (3) Finally, in understanding God’s specific roles, males and females must not fight against them or be upset at them, but rejoice in them and commit to them as a way of honoring God. This is what Paul referred to in Ephesians 5:22 when he said, “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.” Instead of treating their husband as God, it seems Paul is saying that wives should submit to their husbands as their Christian duty. Likewise, husbands must lead and serve their wives as their duty to the Lord. God’s plan is perfect, even if we don’t fully understand or agree. We must submit to God because he knows best.

Wayne Grudem emphasizes our need to rejoice in and submit to our God-ordained roles when he said this:

…as we grow in maturity in Christ, we will grow to delight in and rejoice in the God-ordained and wisely created differences in roles within the human family. When we understand this biblical teaching, both men and women should be able to say in their hearts, “This is what God has planned, and it is beautiful and right, and I rejoice in the way he has made me and the distinct role he has given me.”⁵

The LGBTQ Movement

Finally, in considering how God created man and woman, we must briefly consider the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) movement. Scripture says that God created two separate genders in the image of God—male and female (Gen 1:26). Therefore, males and females represent God individually and, in a special way, within marriage (Gen 2:24, Matt 19:4-6, 1 Cor 11:3). The husband represents God the Father as the authority over the home and the wife represents God the Son as she submits to her husband (1 Cor 11:3). In the marriage, there should be perfect love, authority, and submission, as man and woman represent the Godhead. Therefore, God did not create males to marry males, nor females to marry females. He also didn’t intend for males and females to change their genders, as in transgenderism. As seen with Satan approaching Eve to usurp God’s original design for Adam to lead the home (Gen 3:1-6, 1 Tim 2:14), Satan seeks to corrupt everything that happened in Genesis 1 and 2 today. He seeks to remove God as the Creator, in light of some random processes in evolution, which remove the concept of an intentional creation with a God-given purpose. In evolution, everything is a random accident and, therefore, has no real purpose. Satan seeks to remove separate roles for the genders. He seeks to remove the marriage between a man and a woman, and even the reality of genders themselves. In Romans 1, Paul said these types of contrary views and practices come from denying the Creator and his rule over us. They are not the result of biological processes, as though God created people to live this way. Romans 1:21-28 says this,

For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor their bodies among themselves. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged the natural sexual relations for unnatural ones, and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed in their passions for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done.

When people deny the Creator, either by idolatry (v. 23)—making up a God whose person and ways contradict Scripture—or denying that there is a Creator altogether, people naturally will turn away from God’s ways. They will worship the creature instead of the Creator (v. 25), practice sexual immorality (v. 24), homosexuality (v. 26-27), and abandon all decency (v. 28-32). Denying the true God leads to futile thinking (v. 21), darkened hearts (v. 21), dishonorable passions (v. 26), and a depraved mind (v. 28).

Though Paul was speaking of the Gentile world in Romans 1:21-28, it is very clear that even in the early church, some were professing that perverse sex, including homosexuality, was acceptable to God. Therefore, in response, Paul said this in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10:

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual partners, practicing homosexuals, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, the verbally abusive, and swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God.

The fact that he calls them to “not be deceived” means that some were teaching liberal views about sexuality. Paul warns that those who practice such unrepentant behavior are not part of God’s kingdom (1 Cor 6:10, 1 John 3:6-10). In fact, in 1 Corinthians 5, when a man was having sex with his father’s wife (his stepmom), some in the church were proud (v. 2) and boasting about it (v. 6)—no doubt declaring how they were a “welcoming” and “affirming” congregation. Paul challenged them to remove that person from the church because sin spreads (v. 1-8). Unfortunately, this welcoming of perverse sexuality still happens in churches today, as some believers make arguments that twist God’s original design for men and women. They declare perverted sexuality as normal, natural, genetic, and even righteous.

With all that said, though practicing a perverse sexuality is not what God originally designed for humans (Matt 19:4-5), it is “natural” or “normal” in the sense of our sinful nature, which is in rebellion towards God (Rom 8:7). Galatians 5:19 says, “Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity.” Because of humanity’s sinful disposition, it is normal for people to desire to practice sexual immorality, which includes fornication, adultery, homosexuality, and other forms of perversion. Since the fall, people struggle with intense desires to sin sexually, and apart from God’s means of grace, they will do so. God’s means of grace includes the conscience which affirms right deeds and condemns wrong ones (Rom 2:14-16), the family which trains children in the way they should go (Prov 22:6, Eph 6:4), the government which rewards the righteous and punishes the wrongdoer (Rom 13:1-7), the church who is the foundation of truth in society (1 Tim 3:15), and the Holy Spirit who gives us a new nature at salvation (Gal 5:16-17, 22-23)—a nature that desires to obey God. In societies where people’s consciences have been hardened by the practice of sin and continual exposure to it, the family is commonly broken, the government enforces ungodliness through its laws, the church no longer preaches the Word but instead embraces the sinful views and practices of the culture, and the Holy Spirit is continually resisted, the works of the flesh will become increasingly dominant, including the acceptance and practice of perverted sexuality.

To combat these perverted sexual desires, God offers forgiveness to those who repent of their sins, by faith accept Jesus’ death on the cross for sins and his resurrection, and follow him as Lord and Savior (cf. Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9, Rom 10:9-10). When a person truly accepts Christ as Lord and Savior, Scripture says he becomes a new creation as the old has passed away and the new has come (2 Cor 5:17). In addition, God gives believers his Holy Spirit to enable them to conquer their sinful desires. Galatians 5:16 says, “But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.” True believers still have a flesh that desires to sin, which may include same-sex attraction; however, as they abide in the Spirit through studying God’s Word, obedience to it, worship, Christian fellowship, prayer, etc., they will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. In fact, with the Corinthians that Paul wrote, it is clear that some previously practiced homosexuality before converting and becoming followers of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 6:11, after saying those who practice unrepentant sin, including homosexuality, would not enter God’s kingdom (v. 9-10), Paul said, “Some of you once lived this way. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” By God’s grace, those who were previously dominated by the flesh, including their sexual desires, repented and were living for God.

Therefore, a person’s past or continual struggle with sin should not hinder him from coming to Christ. For those who repent and follow Christ, God promises forgiveness and grace to fight sin and grow in holiness. Romans 6:6-7 and11-14 says,

We know that our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. (For someone who has died has been freed from sin.) … So you too consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires, and do not present your members to sin as instruments to be used for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead and your members to God as instruments to be used for righteousness. For sin will have no mastery over you, because you are not under law but under grace.

In summary, when God created humanity in his image, as male and female, they were to marry, have children, and rule the earth righteously according to God’s laws (Gen 1:26-28). It was never God’s original plan for homosexuality, bisexuality, transgenderism, or other types of perverted sexuality to ever be practiced. They are part of Satan’s continual plan to corrupt God’s people and his purposes for them, which he began in the garden with the first temptation (Gen 3:1-6). To those who are willing to repent of their sins and follow Christ, God offers forgiveness, salvation, and grace to grow in holiness.

Reflection

1. What stood out most in the reading and why?
2. What does the fact that God created male and female in his image suggest about human relationships?
3. What is the biblical evidence for God’s original design of male leadership, especially in the home and church?
4. What are supports for egalitarianism, which teaches there are no designated roles for males and females in the home and church?
5. How did the fall negatively affect male and female relationships, especially in marriage?
6. What does God’s original design of there being two separate genders (male and female) and that they would marry and procreate suggest about the LGBTQ movement? Why is the movement growing in popularity among both nonbelievers and believers?
7. What other questions or applications did you take from the reading?

Copyright © 2021 Gregory Brown

Unless otherwise noted, the primary Scriptures used are taken from the NET Bible ® copyright © 1996-2016 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, New International Version ®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, and 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are from the King James Version of the Bible.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added.

BTG Publishing all rights reserved.

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How is the soul transmitted to humans? In Genesis 5:3, it says that Adam had “a son in his own likeness, according to his image.” It is clear that this son’s physical body came through the natural procreation process of Adam and Eve, which led to him being in the “likeness” of his parents. However, what about his soul—the immaterial part of his being? How was that transmitted? Throughout history there has been three primary views on this: preexistence theory, creation theory, and traducian theory.

Preexistence Theory

In general, preexistence has never been held by orthodox Christians, with a few exceptions. It has been held by ancient Greeks, Hindus,¹ and even Muslims have a form of this.² This view teaches that God originally created a number of souls and some are joined to human bodies at conception. Obviously, there is no clear statement in Scripture that supports this view.³

Creation Theory

Creation theory teaches that the human body is transferred from the parents, but the soul, since it is immaterial, comes from God. At conception, God creates a soul and places that soul in the forming baby (Ps 139:13). Support for this is found in the fact that after creating Adam, God breathed life into his body—giving him a soul (Gen 2:7). Also, there are many Scriptures that demonstrate God’s continual work in the creation of humans, including their spirits. Consider the following,

The revelation of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: The Lord—he who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundations of the earth, who forms the human spirit within a person

Zechariah 12:1

and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Ecclesiastes 12:7 (ESV)

Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it:

Isaiah 42:5 (ESV)

Certainly you made my mind and heart; you wove me together in my mother’s womb.

Psalm 139:13

Also, Hebrews 12:9 calls God “the Father of spirits,” and Numbers 16:22 calls him “the God of the spirits of all people.” Clearly, these texts point to God as the Creator of the immaterial part of humans. This view is held by Roman Catholics and some Reformed Christians.⁴

With that said, this theory has difficulties. How is the sin nature transferred if God gives everyone a spirit, apart from the parents? Does he give them spirits that are prone to sin from birth, unlike how he created Adam? Because this seems unlikely (cf. Jam 1:13), some reject this view.

Traducian Theory

Traducian theory teaches that both the body and soul come from the parents. It is argued that God’s direct creation—making things out of nothing—stopped on the sixth day of creation, as proved by the fact that God rested on the seventh day.⁵ Certainly, God is still involved with the creation of the body and the soul in humans, but he does that through secondary means—human parents.⁶

A strength of traducian theory is that it best explains human depravity. Paul Enns said it this way:

If the parents pass on the nonmaterial nature then it explains the propagation of the sin nature and the tendency, from birth, of every human being to sin. The sin nature cannot be explained if God creates each soul directly.⁷

In considering the transfer of the sin nature, Romans 5:12 says, “So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned.” Also, Psalm 51:5 says, “Look, I was guilty of sin from birth, a sinner the moment my mother conceived me.”

One might ask, “What about Christ’s birth? How is it possible that Christ did not have a sin nature if he received his body and spirit through his mother?” The fact that he was kept from having a sin nature must be considered a miracle, wrought by the Holy Spirit, just as his physical birth was (Matt 1:18, Lk 1:35).

A further strength of the traducian theory is the hereditary factor—not only are we like our parents physically, but also commonly in personality, intelligence, and emotions. If God directly transmitted the soul, apart from the parents, these similarities would not be as prevalent.⁸

John MacArthur said this in support of the traducian theory:

While it is true that several verses speak of God making a person’s soul or spirit, that is also true for the body. David stated, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.… My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth” (Ps. 139:13, 15). These statements do not mean that the body is created directly by God apart from natural procreation. God is man’s Creator, but God also ordained human procreation for the filling of the earth (Gen. 1:28). God uses natural means for procreation, yet he is the Ultimate Cause of the process. As a complex unity of body and soul/spirit, our entire being, including the soul, is a result of the God-ordained procreation process.⁹

Also, J. O. Buswell said this in considering creation theory and traducian theory, as quoted by Charles Ryrie:

As between these two views, it does seem to me that there is a certain obvious fact which has been neglected in the historical discussion, and that is the perfect uniformity and regularity of the arrival of a soul whenever a human life begins to be. In our ordinary thinking when we observe such perfect uniformity and regularity in other matters, we usually ascribe the results to the secondary forces which God has created and which He maintains by His divine providence. For this reason, and for this reason only, I am inclined toward the traducian view, but I do not feel that it can be firmly established on the grounds of any explicit scriptural teaching.¹⁰

Conclusion

God is the Creator of humans. They were made in his image as a direct, special creation. God formed man from the dust and breathed into him the breath of life and he became a living soul (Gen 2:7). However, after God ceased his special creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them, he commonly creates now through secondary processes, which he developed in the original creation. Though the wild grass grows on its own through natural processes, Christ said God clothed it (Matt 6:30). And though birds feed themselves, Christ said God feeds them (Matt 6:26). Likewise, it seems that through the procreation process which God established and oversees, humans come from other humans, which includes both body and spirit. With all that said, since Scripture is not explicitly clear on this issue, we should hold our beliefs on it lightly.

Reflection

1. What stood out most in the reading and why?
2. What are the three views on how the human soul is transmitted?
3. Which view do you believe has the most biblical support and why?
4. What other questions or applications did you take from the reading?

Copyright © 2021 Gregory Brown

Unless otherwise noted, the primary Scriptures used are taken from the NET Bible ® copyright © 1996-2016 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, New International Version ®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, and 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are from the King James Version of the Bible.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added.

BTG Publishing all rights reserved.

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Writing is one of the best ways to learn. In class, we take notes and write papers, and these methods are used to help us learn and retain the material. The same is true with the Word of God. Obviously, all the authors of Scripture were writers. This helped them better learn the Scriptures and also enabled them to more effectively teach it. As you reflect on God’s Word, using the Bible Teacher’s Guide, take time to write so you can similarly grow both in your learning and teaching.

1. How would you summarize the main points of the text/chapter? Write a brief summary.
2. What stood out to you most in the reading? Did any of the contents trigger any memories or experiences? If so, please share them.
3. What follow–up questions did you have about the reading? What parts did you not fully agree with?
4. What applications did you take from the reading, and how do you plan to implement them into your life?
5. Write several commitment statements: As a result of my time studying God’s Word, I will . . .
6. What are some practical ways to pray as a result of studying the text? Spend some time ministering to the Lord through prayer.

Copyright © 2021 Gregory Brown