As in Heaven, So on Earth: Understanding the Divine Image and God's Plan for Humanity

Have you ever wondered what it truly means to be created in God's image? This concept, foundational to our understanding of human value and purpose, is often misunderstood or oversimplified.

The phrase "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" from the Lord's Prayer reveals a profound theological truth: God desires His rule to extend over both the invisible spiritual realm and the visible earthly realm. This divine agenda plays out in both realms in deliberate tandem, through the "imagers" He has created—both human and non-human.

What Does "Let Us Make Man in Our Image" Really Mean?

Genesis 1:26-28 presents an interesting shift in pronouns that has puzzled many Bible readers:

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion...' So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them. Male and female he created them."

Notice the shift from plural pronouns ("us," "our") in verse 26 to singular pronouns ("his," "he") in verse 27. Many explain this as a reference to the Trinity, but this creates theological problems since the New Testament clearly states that Jesus created all things.

The Divine Council Explanation

A more accurate understanding is that we're seeing a single person (God) addressing a group—the members of His divine council. It's similar to someone saying to a room of friends, "Let's go get pizza." The speaker is the one initiating and likely paying, but others are present.

In Genesis, God announces to His heavenly council, "Let's create humankind." But verse 27 clarifies that only God Himself does the creating: "God created man in his own image." The other members—the "sons of God" mentioned in Job—don't participate in creation; they merely observe and celebrate, as Job 38:7 tells us they "sang for joy" when God laid the foundations of the earth.

What Does Being Made in God's Image Actually Mean?

People have proposed many explanations for what constitutes the "image of God" in humans:

• Intelligence or reasoning ability

• Emotions

• The ability to commune with God

• Self-awareness

• Language or communication ability

• The presence of a soul or spirit

• Conscience

• Free will

But there's a problem with defining the image of God as any of these abilities or properties. If the image of God is defined by abilities like intelligence or self-awareness, what about people who lack these abilities due to developmental issues or injury? Are they less in God's image? What about unborn children who haven't yet developed these capacities?

The Image as Status, Not Ability

The key insight comes from Hebrew grammar. The phrase "in the image of God" can be better understood as "as God's imager." Imaging is a verb or function—we are created to image God, to be His imagers. The image is not an ability we have but a status bestowed upon us when we come into existence.

To be human is to image God. This is what we are by definition. People who don't know Christ are failing in their status—they were created to image God but are "dead in trespasses and sins" as Scripture says.

Why Were Humans Created to Image God?

Genesis 1:28 follows the creation account with what theologians call the Dominion Mandate:

• Be fruitful and multiply (create more imagers)
• Fill the earth
• Oversee the earth by stewarding its resources for the benefit of all human imagers

We are God's imagers on earth—His administrators in the visible realm—just as the heavenly beings (Elohim) are His representatives in the unseen realm. Both God's human and non-human family share in the imaging status, though in different realms. As in heaven, so on earth.

The Irony of Idolatry

This understanding reveals the tragic irony of idolatry. Humans, who were created as God's images, resort to making objects of wood and stone that they ceremonially animate to represent deity. The very beings created to image God choose to worship something else instead. As Romans tells us, all people are "without excuse" because God's invisible qualities are evident in creation.

God's Unchanging Plan: To Dwell Among His Imagers

From the beginning, God created humankind to be His imagers, and His desire was to live among them and for them to rule and reign with Him. Even after the Fall, this plan did not change:

• In the wilderness, God had Israel build the Tabernacle so He could dwell among them
• The elders of Israel were invited to dine with God on the mountain
• Believers are described as "sons" or "children of God" (John, 1 John) and "adopted into God's family" (Galatians, Ephesians)

This language reflects the original vision of Genesis. And when we're glorified in the new Eden—the new heaven and new earth—God and His council will once again walk among us.

Correcting Our Understanding of Eden

Many of our conceptions about Eden, heaven, and hell come not from Scripture but from cultural influences like Dante's Inferno, Paradise Lost, or even hymns with questionable theology. Scripture actually places Eden on a mountain, not in a valley as often depicted.

We must always check our understanding against Scripture itself, not relying on what we've heard or assumed. As with any information, we should verify rather than simply repeat what others have said.

Life Application

Understanding that we are created as God's imagers transforms how we view ourselves and others:

• Recognize your divine purpose: You were created to represent God on earth. How are you fulfilling this purpose in your daily life?

• Value all human life: If all humans are God's imagers regardless of ability, age, or status, how should this impact your view of the unborn, the disabled, or those different from you?

• Examine your worship: Are there "idols" in your life that you're imaging instead of God? Success, comfort, relationships, or possessions can all become things we represent rather than representing God.

• Verify your theology: What beliefs do you hold that might come from cultural influences rather than Scripture? Take time this week to examine one belief and trace it back to its biblical roots.

Ask yourself: Am I living as God's representative on earth? Do I treat others as fellow image-bearers? What would change in my life if I truly embraced my status as God's imager?