What does it mean that humanity is created in the image of God?

from the old testament

• Genesis 1:26 declares that God created man in His image. Being made in the "image" can also be translated as made into His "likeness." This means that we resemble and reflect God.
• Resembling God does not mean that we are exactly like Him. Instead, we resemble God in various ways that point back to who He is. For example, we have a capacity for creativity and stewardship, reflecting His role as Creator (Genesis 2:15). Additionally, we are called to pursue justice and righteousness, mirroring His just nature (Micah 6:8).
• We resemble God in our rationality and volition, reflecting His intellect and freedom. Just as God reasons and makes decisions (Isaiah 1:18), we have the ability to reason and choose within limits.
• Our desire for communion mirrors God's triune nature and love, as seen in His creation of the first woman to address Adam's need for companionship (Genesis 2:18). Just as the triune God experiences perfect social communion, we also seek and value relationships with others (Ecclesiastes 4:9–12).
• Being created in the image of God means we reflect Him to the world. The third commandment warns us not to take the name of the Lord in vain (Exodus 20:7). This means more than just not saying certain things. It means reflecting Him accurately to the world. Living contrary to His nature and commands is a form of profaning or misrepresenting Him. When our actions contradict the holiness and character of God, we misrepresent Him to a world that desperately needs to see Him.
• We who bear the name and image of God are called to live in a way that testifies to His character and attributes. Writing to Israel, Isaiah 43:10 says, “‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the LORD, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen.’” In part, this means their—and our—lives are to reflect His qualities, such as love, justice, mercy, and faithfulness. By doing so, we bear witness to who He is to the world.
• In Ezekiel 36:20–23, God expresses concern over how His name was profaned among the nations due to Israel's disobedience. This passage shows that our failure to uphold God's name affects His reputation and credibility.

from the new testament

• The New Testament also reveals that we resemble God in some, but not all, ways. For instance, God is perfect (Matthew 5:48), and due to human limitations, we are not (Romans 3:23). However, we can love, though imperfectly, because God is love (1 John 4:8) and is Himself loving (John 3:16). We can exhibit patience because He is patient (2 Peter 3:9).
• Even though sin has tainted our nature, our sense of morality and attraction to goodness still reflect the original sinless condition in which God created us according to His likeness (Romans 2:14–15).
• We are unlike God in that we are not just spirits; we are created with bodies. God is spirit (John 4:24), and while we, too, have a spirit, we receive it when we are physically created (Genesis 2:7). God, on the other hand, is spirit who took on human flesh but who is not a mortal, created being (John 1:14).
• In the likeness of God, man has a soul/spirit that sets us apart from animals and makes us just a little lower than God's other glorious creation, the angels (Hebrews 2:7). It is our spiritual nature that enables us to commune with God and makes us like Him mentally, morally, and socially. We are not to misinterpret this to mean that we are like Him in the sense of being 'little gods' ourselves, but rather that we share some of His characteristics, although on a limited, finite scale.
• When Adam made the choice to rebel against his Creator, the image of God within mankind was distorted, meaning we are still made in His image but we do not fully reflect His character because of sin. Adam passed that damaged likeness on to all his descendants (Romans 5:12). Today, we still bear the image of God, but that image has been distorted by sin. Mentally, morally, socially, and physically, we show the effects of sin.
• God has chosen to offer the hope of redemption to mankind from the sin that separates us from God (Ephesians 2:1–10). Through Christ, we are made new creations in the likeness of God (2 Corinthians 5:17), and by faith in Him, we once again become partakers of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and once again more accurately reflect His image.
• Although sin has distorted God’s image in humanity, believers increasingly reflect that image of God as we are progressively transformed by the Holy Spirit. Again, this does not mean that Christians are more valuable or that non-Christians are made less in God’s image. It means that God’s character shines more strongly in believers as they walk less in their sinful flesh and more by the transforming work of the Spirit. Second Corinthians 3:18 speaks of being transformed into the image of the Lord with ever-increasing glory. We are able to reflect God's character more accurately as we are transformed into His likeness, honoring His name and fulfilling our role as bearers of His image.
• Our everyday actions, decisions, and interactions serve as declarations of who God is and what we believe about Him. Matthew 5:16 instructs believers to let their light shine before others, so that they may see their good works and give glory to God. Being created in the image of God bears the weight of reflecting that image to the world.

implications for today

Understanding that all people are created in the image of God impacts how we see and treat others. It compels us to see each person as valuable and deserving of respect and to see each individual as uniquely reflecting a part of God’s nature. It means treating others with kindness, patience, and compassion, mirroring the grace that God extends to all of us. When someone acts differently than we would or has a different perspective than we do, we do not need to jump to conclusions, make assumptions about them, or judge them for being different than us. Instead, we can unite on the fact that we are all created in His image, and we can stay curious about them, asking questions and seeking to understand them better. We can approach conflicts with empathy, forgiveness, and a desire for reconciliation, valuing the image of God in those with whom we may disagree. Furthermore, seeing others as image-bearers of God calls us to be mindful of our words and actions, ensuring that they build up rather than tear down (Ephesians 4:15, 29). As we reflect on the divine imprint within each person, we are reminded to extend the same grace and love that God shows us. Ultimately, this perspective not only transforms our interactions but also helps us create communities that honor the divine purpose and worth inherent in every human being.