Preview

Image of God in Man Research Paper

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
4644 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Image of God in Man Research Paper
Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary

The Image of God in Man: A Critique of True Humanity

A Paper
Submitted to Dr. Graves
In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Course
Theology I
THEO 525

By
Christopher Jessee

Waynesville, Ohio
2010

Thesis Statement
The image of God in man is a doctrine that is fundamental to understanding the soteriological implications of humanity, which is best understood through the examination of Christ’s humanity with regards to various views held.

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION 1
THE IMAGE ITSELF 1
MAJOR VIEWS TO THE IMAGE OF GOD IN MAN 3
IMPLICATIONS TO THE IMAGE OF GOD IN MAN 5
THE HUMANITY OF CHRIST 8
CHRIST AS THE IMAGE OF GOD 12
CONCLUSION 13
BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………………………………. 15

Introduction
The image of God in man is a topic that has been discussed for centuries. This debate has lasted so long due to the fact that the Bible has very little specifics regarding what the image actually is. In the research proposed, one can begin to form a theology on this topic by looking specifically at what the image is, the major theological views of the image, the implications of the image of God in man, and the humanity of Christ himself. The humanity of Christ however, is an extremely important topic when discovering what true humanity really is, since Christ came incarnate to live as an example for all of humankind.
The Image Itself When one looks closely at the Bible it is discovered that the Image of God in man is never thoroughly discussed. No one really knows why, but since the Bible is fully inspired by God according to 2 Timothy 3:16, God apparently wanted it to be a mystery. The Bible does speak of the image quite often though. First of all, Genesis 1:25 is the first mention of the image. In this verse, God is set forth as personal, rational, creative, competent, and morally good. This implies that the image of God



Bibliography: Benson, Clarence Herbert. Biblical Faith: Doctrines Every Christian Should Know, Biblical essentials series. Wheaton: Crossway Books. 2003. Packer, J.I. Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs. Wheaton: Tyndale House. 1995. Shepherd, Norman. “Image of God.” In Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, edited by Walter A Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, 1017-1020. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1988. Smith, S. M. “Kenosis.” In Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, edited by Walter A. Elwell , 651-63. Grand Rapids: Baker House Company, 2001. Wallace, R. S. and G. L. Green. “Christology.” In Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, edited by Walter A. Elwell, 239-245. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House Company, 2001. [ 2 ]. Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1998), 298. [ 3 ]. Norman Shepherd, “Image of God,” in Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, ed. Walter A Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1988), 1019. [ 4 ]. R. Laird Harris, Robert Laird Harris, Gleason Leonard Archer and Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, electronic ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 767-68. [ 7 ]. Stanley . Grenz, “Jesus as the Imago Dei: Image of God Christology and the Non-Linear Linearity of Theology.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (December 2004), 620. http://www.etsjets.org/JETS/47-4 (accessed November 21, 2010). [ 8 ]. Clarence Herbert Benson, Biblical Faith: Doctrines Every Christian Should Know, Biblical essentials series (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2003), 21. [ 22 ]. Wayne A. Grudem, Biblical Foundations for Manhood and Womanhood, Foundations for the family series (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2002), 20. [ 23 ]. John F. MacArthur, Jr., Different by Design (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1997), 17. [ 24 ]. Dr. Norman Geisler, Systemactic Theology (Bloomington, MN: Bethany House, 2003), 2: 287. [ 28 ]. C. Blaising, “Homoousios,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, ed. Walter A. Elwell (Grand Rapids: Baker House Company, 2001), 574. [ 29 ]. S. M. Smith, “Kenosis,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, ed. Walter A. Elwell (Grand Rapids: Baker House Company, 2001), 651. [ 30 ]. G. C. Berkouwer, The Person of Christ, (Grand Rapids: W .B. Eerdamns Publishing Company, 1954), 30 [ 31 ] [ 33 ]. R. S. Wallace and G. L. Green, “Christology,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, ed. Walter A. Elwell (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House Company, 2001), 239. [ 34 ]. William Greenough, Theyer Shedd, and Alan W. Gomes, Dogmatic Theology, 3rd ed. (Phillipsburg: P & R Publishing, 2003), 668. [ 38 ]. Allen C. Myers, “Image of God,” in The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), 515.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    ELWELL, WALTER A. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology: Second Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001. (accessed February 28, 2014).…

    • 1506 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    Dan Baker

    • 4516 Words
    • 19 Pages

    [16] Charles Hodge, Vol. 1: Systematic theology. Oak Harbor, Washington: Logos Research Systems, Inc. (1997)…

    • 4516 Words
    • 19 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Habakkuk

    • 1891 Words
    • 8 Pages

    4. The New Interpreter 's Dictionary of the Bible. Vol. 2. Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 2006. Print. D-H.…

    • 1891 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Anabaptists

    • 4561 Words
    • 13 Pages

    Cross, F. L. and Elizabeth A. Livingstone. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 3rd…

    • 4561 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Study Guide Week 3

    • 1464 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Does the image of God refer to something a human is or something a human does?…

    • 1464 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Theo 202 Se3

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Bibliography: Elwell, Walter A. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House Company, 1984.…

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Livingstone, E. A., and F.L. Cross. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 3rd ed, Rev. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.…

    • 975 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Outline on Pontius Pilate

    • 1544 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Carson, D. A., and Douglas J. Moo. An Introduction to the New Testament. 2d ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005.…

    • 1544 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Theo 201

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Bibliography: Elwell, Walter A, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001 Towns, Elmer L, Theology for Today. Manson, OH: Cengage Learning, 2008…

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Worldview Analysis Paper

    • 1682 Words
    • 7 Pages

    [ 3 ]. Gregory A. Boyd and Paul R. Eddy, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Academic, 2009), Pg. 112…

    • 1682 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Better Essays

    Theo 201

    • 842 Words
    • 4 Pages

    [4] Walter A. Elwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Micah.” Baker Academic, 2001), 346.…

    • 842 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Kittel, Gerhard. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Translated and edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. 10 Vols, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965.…

    • 3031 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Image of God

    • 2518 Words
    • 11 Pages

    “The most distinctive feature of the biblical understanding of man is the teaching that man has been created in the image of God”. (Hoekema, 1986). The bible refers to man being made in God’s image in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the Old Testament, the book of Genesis references man being made in God’s image in the Creation Story, in explanation of the generations of Adam to Noah and also again in the Covenant With Noah. Genesis: 1:26-28; 5:1-3 and 9:6. The New Testament references in many different books that man was made in the likeness of God and also speaks frequently of Jesus as being the perfect man who is made in the image of God. Hoekema states “Since Christ was totally without sin (Heb 4:15), in Christ we see the image of God in its perfection”. Christian belief follows that man was made in the image of God; however, differing theologians have developed differing theories over the years in regards to what it means to be made in the image of…

    • 2518 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The image of God is something that is present in all human beings and is deeply integrated in how we live our daily lives. The concept of image of God is first mentioned in Genesis, chapter one, verses twenty-six and twenty-seven. “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” These two verses explain how humans are created in the image of God but do not necessarily explain in what way humans are like Him. In his…

    • 754 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bibliography: (1) Elwell, Walter A.. Evangelical dictionary of theology. Second Edition ed. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1984.…

    • 945 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays