Image of God and Original Righteousness
God created humans in His image — not just physically, but morally. The first humans were created with upright character, a will aligned with God, and a natural desire to love and obey Him. That original righteousness was lost in the fall, which is why we all need to be restored.
Core Concepts
Interpretation Guardrails
- •Human beings were created in God's image with real moral integrity and uprightness.
- •The image of God includes more than physical existence and involves humanity's moral and relational nature.
- •Original righteousness belonged to the first humans before the fall.
- •Human corruption is the result of the fall, which creates the need for restoration in righteousness.
Misconceptions We Reject
- The image of God means only physical appearance
- The image of God was totally erased by the fall
- Original righteousness means humans were autonomous from God
- Human moral corruption was part of God's original creation
Key Scriptures
What We Reject
(1)Evolutionary Naturalism (No Image of God)
The Claim
Humans evolved from lower life forms through natural selection. The image of God is a metaphor for consciousness, not a real ontological distinction. Original righteousness is a myth — humans were always morally mixed.
The image of God is not a metaphor but a real, God-given distinction setting humans apart from all other creatures. Man was created upright — with original righteousness — and fell from that state. Evolutionary naturalism denies the unique dignity and the historical fall.
Original Language: The Hebrew 'ṣelem' (H6754) 'image' and 'demûṯ' (H1823) 'likeness' in Genesis 1:26 — both nouns denote a real, structural resemblance, not a metaphor. 'Bārāʾ' (H1254) in Genesis 1:27 — 'male and female He created them' — the same word used for cosmic creation, showing humans are a distinct creative act, not a product of gradual development. 'Yāšār' (H3477) in Ecclesiastes 7:29 — 'God made man upright' — 'yāšār' means 'straight, right' — original righteousness was real, not metaphorical.