Updated on October 17, 2026
What Genesis teaches about our purpose, equality, gender, the fall and rest, plus a reader's challenge and my response.
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The short answer
Because the true God is spirit, the image of God likely refers not to physical qualities but to humanity’s purpose and Man’s eternal soul.
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I originally wrote this as a paper for my Introduction to the Old Testament class at Columbia International University, the same class where I wrote How Does the Book of Job Explain the Problem of Evil? After it was published, a reader challenged some of my points, so I’ve added their questions and my full response at the end.
Is the Image of God Physical?
The author of Genesis writes that God creates man and chooses to make humanity in His image. However, because the true God is spirit, the image of God does not necessarily refer to physical qualities; it more likely refers to humanity’s purpose and Man’s eternal soul.
In Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, he explains that theologians have “thought that the image of God consists in man’s intellectual ability, others in his power to make moral decisions and willing choices” (443). However, no number of lists could do justice to what it means to be created in the image of God, for if God is infinite and humans are made in His likeness, then Man’s potential is likely much bigger than could be imagined.
Made to Rule and to Care for Creation
Soon after creating Man, God grants male and female authority over every living creature on land, in the sky, and in the sea, showing that mankind was created at a higher level in the hierarchy of God’s creations.
“Humanity was God’s special creation, separated from the beasts.”
However, that didn’t mean humanity was to be spoiled and simply take pleasure in the fruits of the earth without productive effort. The Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary describes this direct sequence of creation and tasking as an indication of “purpose or result” (Longman 828). Although God gave male and female “every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit” for food, God still intended humanity to work (Gen. 1:29).
God commands humanity to “be fruitful and increase in number” and become caretakers of all the other living creatures made by Him (Gen. 1:28). By populating the earth, humanity would essentially become trustees of God’s estate and representatives of His will throughout the earth. Through this writing, the author of Genesis shows that mankind, although superior, was meant to live in harmony with all of God’s creation.
In Gordon Wenham’s Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Pentateuch, he further explains this idea by stating that being created in God’s image means “to act in a godlike way in caring for the earth and the other creatures in it” (20). Being made in God’s image does not sanction exploiting His other creations; instead, it means males and females must care for all of creation as loving representatives of God for the benefit of all.
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Male and Female: Created Equal and Different
Although being made in the image of God may not refer to physical qualities, Scripture mentions both male and female immediately after the creation of mankind. This hints at the importance God gives to gender, relationships, cooperation, and purpose, even though they are different. Since man and woman were both created in God’s likeness, it is implied they were equal in this world and equally responsible for following God’s directive (Gen. 1:27-28).
The Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary compares the trinity of God with the creation of male and female, “a unity with a difference” (827). This does not mean that being created in God’s image is like being made into a generic creature that is differentiated later in life. If anything, the physical body is the instrument God initially shapes for an individual’s soul and his or her purpose.
In Timothy and Kathy Keller’s The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God, Kathy highlights that “rather from the start we are male or female. Every cell in our body is stamped as XX or XY. This means I cannot understand myself if I try to ignore the way God has designed me or if I despise the gifts He may have given to help fulfill my calling” (194).
“Being created in God’s image means being designed with a purpose, and He uses gender to further guide and define those callings in individuals’ lives.”
This also means that if an individual does not agree with the image defined by God in his or her life or has any form of disconnect in his or her acceptance of gender, that individual’s life will be confusing and unfocused.
However, despite being created differently, Kathy emphasizes and reminds the reader of the equality in which man and woman were created, blessed, and commanded to be “fruitful” and “fill the earth.” Kathy explains this idea when she says, “Both men and women are called to do science and art, to build families and human communities … Here God gives the human race the mandate to procreate, which is a reflection of his own boundless life-giving creativity” (194). Not only equality but creativity is also a result of being made in the image of God.
How Genesis Differs From Other Ancient Creation Stories
The way Genesis 1:26-31 is written matters because it presents God as proud of His creation, in contrast to the creation beliefs of other ancient civilizations. In Genesis, the sixth day of creation ends with God surveying all He had made and concluding that it was all “good.”
“Man and woman were tasked with watching over the rest of God’s creation, showing a trusting relationship between the Creator and what He had made.”
In a sense, humanity took part in God’s creation, and being made in His image meant humans were also “good.” However, in civilizations like ancient Sumer or Babylon, people didn’t view the gods as compassionate, father-like figures. In J.M. Roberts and O.A. Westad’s The History of the World, the authors compare how those ancient groups viewed the gods negatively, seeing themselves as slaves created solely for labor (56, 66). Compared with Hebrew beliefs, humanity was next to worthless in Sumer.
Furthermore, in ancient Greece, people viewed the gods as powerful yet petty beings who intervened in human matters only for entertainment and to cause discord among humans (Roberts and Westad 170). However, while they saw their gods as selfish beings above humanity, the author of Genesis viewed God as a loving creator proud of his work, highlighting how different cultures and groups viewed their dependence on a higher power and what it meant to be created by another being.
Other civilizations may have seen their gods as ungenerous beings who would only take and not give, and if they did give or “bless,” it was only after they received the proper tribute or sacrifice. In contrast, from the beginning of Genesis, God made humanity in His likeness, which likely included a shared capacity for love, compassion, generosity, and wisdom that would allow mankind to better care for the rest of the earth.
Finally, in Gordon Wenham’s Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Pentateuch, he explains that “other oriental peoples believed that kings were made in the divine image, but Genesis affirms that every human is made in God’s image” (20). This shows that being made in the image of God represents equality not just between male and female, but among all people.
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Is the Image of God Lost After the Fall?
What happens to the image of God in humanity after the fall of Adam and Eve? It is easy to believe that after Man sins, the image of God is lost, but that is not the case. In Genesis 9:6, after God floods the world to rid it of its corruption, He tells Noah, “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.”
Surely, the image of God has been tainted by sin, and Man is no longer a pure resemblance to God, but there is enough of God in mankind for Him to establish a death penalty for whoever murders another human being. In Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology, he further explains this by saying that even after the fall of Man, “to murder another person is to attack the part of creation that most resembles God, and it betrays an attempt or desire to attack God himself” (444). Human life remains precious because it is still made in the image of God, even if that image is now distorted.
The image of God shows itself in humans’ capacity to know right from wrong and use reason, setting them apart from animals. The image of God is also present in humans’ spiritual lives. An individual’s desire to grow more like God the Father shows a deeper connection to the Creator than that of beasts, who lack awareness of sin or the future.
This is a reminder, especially when done through prayer, of the powerful ability to communicate that humans have because we were made in the image of God. God spoke the world into existence (Gen. 1:3-26), and the New Testament shows a similar power in humans when it is written that “With the tongue we praise the Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness” (James 3:9). This same verse also confirms that even after the fall, human beings are made in God’s likeness. These differences explain why God establishes a different relationship with Man than with the rest of creation, and why man is meant to rule over the rest of creation.
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Why Rest Is Part of Being Made in God’s Image
Finally, being made in God’s image means rest is important. In Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Pentateuch, Wenham writes that “the creation of man in God’s image may be the climax of creation, but it is not the goal of creation. That is the seventh day, the day when God rested from all the work that He had done in creation. By implication, man, who is made in God’s image, should also rest on the seventh day” (21).
Rest is a time when humans can spend time with the Lord and dedicate themselves to the characteristics that set them apart from animals: prayer, meditation, reflection, and rational thought. If God rests, and if humans are made in the image of God, then by nature, humans are designed to engage in quiet time, in time that refills the spirit, and time that allows for the cleansing of the mind. Jesus reminds the Pharisees that rest, the Sabbath, was made for man’s benefit (Mark 2:27).
If being made in the image of God does not necessarily refer to physical qualities, then not just physical rest, but more importantly, spiritual rest is necessary for Man’s eternal soul. And if a creature is worthy of rest, how much more is a human that is made in the image of God worthy of it. Although the image of God may be distorted in human life, a part of it still remains. Charles Spurgeon reminded others of this when he said, “Consider how precious a soul must be when both God and the devil are after it.”
A Reader’s Challenge and My Response
After this paper was published, a reader shared a thoughtful critique. They raised four main questions, quoted below in their own words, and each is followed by the part of my response that answers it.
1. Is this research, or just interpretation?
A reader wrote
“This is more of a book review than actual research. Also a lot of what is presented is based off assumption and interpretation and shouldn’t be presented as fact. However, as a discussion of the possible meanings of genesis, it’s well written. I disagree on a few big parts, but a lovely read just the same. … We have to be very careful in understanding what scripture says, and also what it doesn’t say.”
My response
First, thank you for taking the time to read and reflect on my article enough to share your thoughts. I agree that we must be very careful in understanding what Scripture does and doesn’t say. However, God gave us Scripture for a reason, and we are absolutely meant to interpret it as long as we do so correctly. God wants us to be closer to Him. Reading and interpreting Scripture carefully is a way of building that relationship with Him.
Interpreting carefully means not taking passages out of context, not putting our own meaning into the text (eisegesis), and instead taking meaning only out of what the text itself says (exegesis). All Scripture supports itself. Therefore, when we read the Bible and think Scripture is incorrect, it’s right to assume our interpretation is wrong rather than the text itself.
2. Does creating male and female mean there are only two sexes? What about intersex people?
A reader wrote
“God making the first two humans and including both genders was a basic necessity. It in no way suggests that there are only men and women. We know factually that there are people that are intersex (born with both parts). Yet an intersex person is not seen in genesis.”
My response
That said, when we interpret Scripture, it’s important to consider the historical, physical or geographical, and cultural context of any passage. For example, the passage where God creates mankind is before the fall of man, when Adam and Eve both eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This means God created man and woman as God initially intended, without sin and death.
However, after the fall, one consequence of Adam and Eve’s disobedience and corruption is death. These effects are noticed immediately when they have their two children, Cain and Abel, and Cain murders his brother out of jealousy (Gen. 4:1-26). God did not create us to be jealous or murder. Still, those corrupted characteristics became a part of our human nature as a consequence of our separation from Him because of our disobedience. Sin tainted the image of God within us. In the same way we were spiritually corrupted, death corrupted our physical bodies. That is why we experience disease, illness, or physical abnormalities.
Scripture speaks of only two sexes/genders, so we can’t assume God intended anything beyond that. That would be building doctrine on inference rather than Scriptural truth. Yes, I acknowledge that intersex people exist. However, that is a biological anomaly that makes up a very small percentage of the human population; estimates range from well under 1% to about 1.7%, depending on how intersex is defined. Even then, in most cases, intersex people manifest as predominantly male or female (meaning that they don’t have the full reproductive capability of both male and female; otherwise, they could theoretically impregnate themselves—that’s a wild thought).
We can’t consider this normal, then. If I were born with one eye rather than two, that can’t be considered normal because the objective biological standard of a human being includes having two eyes. It would be considered an anomaly. The Bible isn’t meant to be taken as a science book; however, we can trust it when it speaks on such matters.
3. If Adam and Eve each had a race, can they represent all of humanity?
A reader wrote
“We know that Adam has a race. Eve has a race. So at most they can only represent two races. Aren’t there more than that?”
My response
Regarding race, it would be irresponsible to place an interpretation of such a concept in the story of Adam and Eve, given that Scripture, apart from referring to them generally as “Man” (the human race), only refers to them by name and differentiates between the two only in terms of sex.
Yes, in later parts of the Old Testament, God explicitly differentiates between races after the Abrahamic covenant to differentiate the chosen nation of Israel from the pagans. He commanded the Israelites not to intermarry with the pagans because Israel was called to be distinctive from the surrounding world in ways that were not merely religious but also ethical. The purpose of this was ultimately the birth of Jesus, who, through His sacrifice, brought salvation to everyone who believed in Him, paving the way for God’s grace to include Gentiles (the non-Jews) as well.
Race may play a role in the Old Testament; however, arguing for or against race solely from the story of Adam and Eve makes no sense. That argument would rely on eisegesis (imposing our own meaning onto the text and making us, the reader, authoritative over Scripture and what it actually says). Even so, the concept of race became obsolete after Jesus’ sacrifice, in terms of salvation at least.
Knowing this, I didn’t mention race in terms of “ideal relationships” in my article. I was exclusively speaking to gender regarding the heterosexual aspect of Biblical marriage.
4. Can Adam and Eve model the ideal marriage when the patriarchs practiced polygamy?
A reader wrote
“We cannot say that they represent some ideal relationship (marriage is between one man and one woman) as the patriarchs had concubines and practiced polygamy.”
My response
On that note, we can definitely speak of ideal relationships by utilizing Scripture. Yes, many individuals in the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament, had multiple wives or practiced polygamy. However, we can’t say that God approved of this behavior. We should read these details as historical narrative and description rather than as authoritative teaching.
Yes, even the patriarchs committed polygamy or adultery, such as when Abraham had sex with his wife’s servant, Hagar, to conceive a child (even though God explicitly promised Abraham an heir while he was already married to Sarah). However, these events occurred before the giving of the Mosaic Law, which specifically commanded not to commit adultery (Exodus 20:14).
The Mosaic Law revealed sin to us initially, and even though sin was already present in humanity, we didn’t fully understand what that meant because God had not given Israel a standard on how to act up until that point. The Mosaic Law was meant to expose how corrupted the nation of Israel was and give them initial mandates to live appropriately. However, the Law by itself was not enough, which is why Jesus’ sacrifice was required to permanently cover the sins we could not cover on our own.
Jesus elaborates on the Law in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), and He specifically addresses adultery and divorce in Matthew 5:27-32. The Apostle Paul discusses the relationship between the Mosaic Law and sin in Romans 7. He also speaks of marriage often in his letters, giving specific instructions for Christian households and stating that marriage is between a man and a woman. Examples include 1 Corinthians 7:1-16 and Ephesians 5:21-33. Relating to the passages on marriage, Paul also often speaks about sexual immorality and condemns adulterers and “men who have sex with men” (1 Cor. 6:9).
That said, we can’t fall into the trap of choosing an interpretation that lets us do what we want; instead, we must strictly abide by what Scripture says (if we are basing our morals on a Christian way of life).
Additionally, to avoid taking things out of context (such as polygamy or homosexuality), we must understand that later revelation takes precedence over earlier revelation in building doctrine. If we find something in Scripture that says one thing and find another passage that is contradictory, it’s our responsibility as interpreters to understand the context and seek later teaching within Scripture that explains why the first passage may be teaching something different.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to be made in the image of God?
Because the true God is a spirit, the image of God does not necessarily refer to physical qualities but is more likely referring to humanity’s purpose and Man’s eternal soul.
Is the image of God lost after the fall?
It is easy to believe that after Man sins, the image of God is lost, but that is not the case. Human life is still precious because it is still made in the image of God, even if it is now a distorted image.
What is the difference between exegesis and eisegesis?
Interpreting carefully means not taking passages out of context, not putting our own meaning into the text (eisegesis), and instead taking meaning only out of what the text itself says (exegesis).
Works Cited
New International Version Bible. Zondervan, 2011. (Original work published 1978)
Grudem, Wayne A. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Zondervan Pub. House, 2000.
J.M. Roberts and O.A. Westad, The History of the World, 6th ed. Oxford University Press, 2013.
Keller, Timothy and Kathy Keller, The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God. Penguin Books, 2016.
Longman, Tremper. The Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Baker Books, 2013.
Wenham, Gordon J. Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Pentateuch. Vol. 1, InterVarsity Press, 2003.
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Meet the author
Born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, raised in a military family, and a former U.S. Marine. Pablo Camacho has written more than eight books in English and Spanish, including the Pencraft Award–winning Bittersweet, and is currently writing his first horror stories. He lives in Florida with his wife and daughter.