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NASB | Genesis 1:26 ¶ Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Genesis 1:26 ¶ Then God said, "Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth." [Ps 104:30; Heb 1:2; 11:3] |
Bible Question: In Genesis 1, Adam is created in the image of God. What does this mean exactly? |
Bible Answer: Evangeline, God is Spirit. Spirit gives birth to spirit - John 3. When God created man, He created him as primarily a spirit being. In other words, we each have a human spirit that will exist forever. It is our spirit that allows us to commune with and worship God. Our spirit is the means by which we relate to and know God. But He also created us with a personality (or soul). This consists of mind, will, and emotions. The soul is the means by which we relate to ourselves and others around us. And He created us with a physical body - flesh. The body is the means by which we directly relate to our world and others around us through our 5 senses. So man could be called a spirit being that has a soul that lives in a body. It has been said that we are not human beings with spiritual experiences but spiritual beings with human experiences. God makes it clear that if we are going to relate to Him, we must do so in spirit and truth. Of course, because of man's fall into sin, we are born with a spirit that is separated from God. Thankfully, because of Christ's work on the cross and His resurrection, God creates within the believer a new spirit indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This is called being born again of the Spirit of God and this makes it possible for us to have a relationship with Him. I hope this helps. McGracer |