The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent David H. during the 2008-2009 League.
Mission: Research - Nature of Man
The final and highest creature of God created on earth was man. As the crown of God's creation, man was placed by God as ruler over His earthly creation. Man was created to glorify his Maker in a special manner. He was created in the image of God as written in Genesis 1:26a, "And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness." It continues in Genesis 1:27a, "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him."
What is meant by the expression "the image of God"? What does it mean when we confess that "man was created in the image of God"? The word "image" in this sense refers to a reflection, resemblance, or likeness.
When God created man, He created him to reflect, to "mirror," some of His qualities on earth. Man bore a likeness to God, a resemblance of His righteous Being. This image of God in man is centered in the following qualities, namely knowledge, righteousness, and holiness.
Knowledge refers to man being created with a true knowledge of God, himself, others, and creation. "And ye have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him." (Colossians 3:10)
Righteousness speaks of man being created upright; in a right relationship with God. Holiness signifies man being created pure. In thoughts, words, and actions, he was entirely devoted to God and separated from evil. Man walked in total conformity to God's will. "And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." (Ephesians 4:24)
Question and Answer 6 of the Heidelberg Catechism are as follows. "Did God then create man so wicked and perverse? By no means; but God created man good, and after His own image, in true righteousness and holiness, that he might rightly know God his Creator, heartily love Him and live with Him in eternal happiness to glorify and praise Him."
Where does this depravity of human nature then come from? We are eternally lost as a result of Adam's first sin, his eating from the forbidden tree in Paradise. Romans 5:18a explains this to us, "Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation."
Original guilt is imputed to every person because Adam was their covenant father. He was appointed by God as the covenant head or representative of the entire human race. Through obedience, Adam would have earned eternal life for all mankind, but through disobedience he brought guilt and the judgment of death upon all mankind.
Original sin lost for man the actual image of God entirely. All people are now born as fallen sinners. We no longer reflect God's image of true knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. Instead, we are born knowing and loving ourselves instead of God; guilty instead of righteous; and sinful instead of holy.
Thankfully there is still hope for the lost and fallen sinner. I Corinthians 15:21-22 proclaims the promise of the Gospel, "For since by man came death, by Man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." The assurance of salvation will again allow us to be reunited in God's holy image.
