The theological affirmation that every human being is made in the image and likeness of God — possessing inherent dignity, rationality, moral agency, relational capacity, and dominion over creation. The imago Dei is not an achievement, a quality that can be earned or lost by behavior, but an ontological status bestowed by God at creation. It grounds human equality (all bear the image), human dignity (no person may be treated as merely instrumental), and human vocation (to represent God's rule over creation). The image is marred by the Fall but not obliterated — it remains the basis of all human worth.
IMAGE, n. (Latin: imago) A representation or likeness of any person or thing. In theology, the image of God in which man was created denotes the likeness to God in righteousness, holiness, and dominion — those rational and moral qualities that reflect the divine nature. Though marred by the fall, this image remains the foundation of human dignity and the goal of redemption's restoration.
Evolutionary materialism reduces human uniqueness to a matter of degree rather than kind — humans are "just" more developed animals, and talk of an image of God is dismissed as pre-scientific myth. This has catastrophic consequences: without the imago Dei, human dignity becomes a social construct that majorities can vote away. Abortion, euthanasia, eugenics, and dehumanizing ideologies all require the prior rejection of imago Dei. Meanwhile, secular humanism attempts to preserve "human dignity" without God — borrowing the fruit while cutting the root.
• Genesis 1:26–27 — "Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea...'"
• Genesis 9:6 — "Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind."
• James 3:9 — "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness."
• Colossians 3:10 — "...and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."
• 2 Corinthians 3:18 — "...we all...are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory."
H6754 — tselem (צֶלֶם): image, likeness, representation; used in Genesis 1:26–27 for the image of God in which man is made.
H1823 — demût (דְּמוּת): likeness, resemblance; paired with tselem in Genesis 1:26 to emphasize similarity in nature and function.
G1504 — eikōn (εἰκών): image, likeness; used in Colossians 1:15 of Christ as "the image of the invisible God" and in 2 Corinthians 3:18 of believers' transformation.
• "The imago Dei is the only sufficient foundation for human rights — rights that cannot be granted by governments are also rights that governments cannot take away."
• "To love your neighbor is to honor the image of God stamped on every face you encounter, regardless of how that person behaves."
• "The goal of redemption is not merely forgiveness but restoration — God is conforming His people back into the full image of His Son."