What does it mean that humans were created in “God’s image and likeness”?
(Genesis 1:26, 27)
Adam was the crowning glory of Jehovah’s earthly creative works, because “in God’s image he created him.” In disclosing to his “master worker” [Jesus Christ] the divine purpose to create mankind, God said: “Let us make man [´a·dham´] in our image, according to our likeness.” (Gen. 1:26, 27; Prov. 8:30, 31;John 1:1-3; Col. 1:15-17.) Note that the Scriptures do not say that God created man in the image of a wild beast or of a domestic animal or of a fish. Man was made “in God’s image”; he was a “son of God.” (Luke 3:38)
Since God’s Son stated that his Father is “a Spirit,” this rules out any physical likeness between God and man. (John 4:24) Man is human, fleshly, designed to live on the earth. (Exodus 6:3, Genesis 2:15) God is spirit, living in unimaginable heavenly glory that no human can even approach. (Exodus 33:18-20; 1 Corinthians 15:50) As to the form or shape of God’s body, “at no time has anyone beheld God.” (1 John 4:12) Since no one on earth knows what God’s glorious, heavenly, spiritual body looks like, we cannot liken man’s body to God’s body.
In what sense, then, was man made in God’s image? In that man was given the ability to exercise God’s outstanding attributes—love, justice, wisdom, and power—as well as other qualities. An image is the reflection of an object or a source. Thus, humans were created to be a reflection of God’s glory. By manifesting godly qualities in all their endeavors, they bring praise and honor to the Creator, as well as happiness and satisfaction to themselves.—1 Corinthians 11:7; 1 Peter 2:12.
Since it is impossible to bear a physical resemblance to God, the likeness lay in qualities reflecting, or mirroring, those of his heavenly Maker … which positively distinguish man from the animal creation. Take note of a few of the obvious ways man is elevated above the animals:
Animals do not have cannot reason, they live by instinct. (2 Peter 2:12)
Certain animals are endowed with abilities to see, hear, or smell things that humans cannot. But humankind, made in the image of God, has the capacity to sense God’s love in a manner that no animal can.
Man is endowed with free will, freedom of choice.
Man has a capacity for spirituality, of knowing and having communication with God. (1 Cor. 2:11-16; Heb. 12:9) This capacity creates a need in humans. We need more than literal food – we must have spiritual sustenance. Our spirituality has to be exercised for our mental and physical welfare and fulfillment in life.
Man has powers and wisdom above those of animals, so that he can appreciate the things that God enjoys and appreciates, such as beauty and the arts, speaking, reasoning, and similar processes of the mind and heart of which the animals are not capable. We can be creative.
Man has an innate moral sense, or conscience, enabling him to distinguish right from wrong.
Man has intellectual capacity, enabling him to meditate on the reason for his existence, to accumulate vast amounts of knowledge of his Creator, and to develop intimacy with him. Jehovah designed the human brain so that we could go on joyfully learning about him and his works forever.
Man alone has the ability to understand why he exists and his Creator’s purpose toward him.
Man alone can appreciate and worship his Creator.
He endowed us with spiritual capacity -- the ability to understand his views and values, and a natural desire to learn about our Creator and his will for us.
Man is uniquely equipped him to carry out his Creator’s will.
Man can reflect on the past and plan for the future and understand the concept of time.
As the One who lives forever, God implanted in us the desire to live forever. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
Animals are governed by instinct. Many machines are designed to obey instructions. But humans were created to be guided by principles.
Man’s organism is more complex, as well as more versatile, than that of the animals. (1 Cor. 15:39)
Adam had, but lost, the prospect of eternal life; this is never stated with regard to the creatures lower than man.—Gen. 2:15-17; 3:22-24.
Jesus’ ransom is applied only to humans, not to animals.
Man possesses moral qualities like those of God, namely, love and justice. Man’s image does not reflect God’s attributes in balance. Rather, in our fallen state we are urged to return to his image. (Colossians 3:9, 10)
For such reasons man was qualified to be God’s representative and to have in subjection the forms of creature life in the skies, on the earth, and in the sea. (Genesis 1:28) Thus equipped, Adam had all he needed to fulfill his role as global administrator of God’s earthly handiwork.
Man was created to be both “God’s image and glory” (1 Cor. 11:7), to reflect the qualities of his Creator, conducting himself so as to reflect the glory of God. As God’s earthly son, man should resemble, or be like, his heavenly Father. To be otherwise would be to contradict and reproach the divine parenthood of God.—Compare Malachi 1:6.
Jesus showed this when encouraging his disciples to manifest goodness and love in a way surpassing that done by “sinners,” persons known to practice sinful acts. He stated that only by following God’s example in mercy and love could his disciples ‘prove themselves sons of their Father who is in the heavens.’ (Matt. 5:43-48; Luke 6:32-36) Paul ties in God’s glory with the matter of human sin in saying that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23; compare Romans 1:21-23; Hosea 4:7.) At 2 Corinthians 3:16-18; 4:1-6 the apostle shows that those turning from sin to Jehovah “with unveiled faces reflect like mirrors the glory of Jehovah, and are transformed into the same image from glory to glory,” because the glorious good news about the Christ, who is the image of God, shines through to them. (Compare also 1 Cor. 10:31.) The apostle Peter quotes from the Hebrew Scriptures in stating God’s express will for his earthly servants, saying: “In accord with the holy one who called you, do you also become holy yourselves in all your conduct, because it is written: ‘You must be holy, because I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:15, 16; Lev. 19:2; Deut. 18:13). Sin, therefore, mars man’s reflection of God’s likeness and glory; it makes man unholy, that is, unclean, impure, tarnished in a spiritual and moral sense.—Isaiah 6:5-7; Psalms 51:1, 2; Ezekiel 37:23.
All these texts, then, stress God’s original purpose that man should be in harmony with God’s personality, be like his Creator, similar to the way a human father who loves his son desires the son to be like him as to outlook on life, standards of conduct, qualities of heart. (Compare Prov. 3:11, 12; 23:15, 16, 26; Ephesians 5:1; Hebrews 12:4-6, 9-11.) This, of necessity, requires man’s obedience and submission to the divine will, whether that will is conveyed in the form of an express commandment or not. Sin, thus, involves a moral failure, a missing of the mark, in all these aspects.
Another noteworthy point is that the fact that man was created in God’s image and likeness explains, in a way that evolution never could, why man is so different from the animals. Only man can control the animals and the vegetation around him. Only man has a moral sense and a conscience. Only man has a wide freedom of choice and such a developed intelligence. Only man has the ability to conceive of the existence of God and the gift of speech with which to speak to Him. The Journal of Semitic Studies says: “Human speech is a secret; it is a divine gift.”
Evolution does not explain the tremendous gulf between man and animal, nor would it produce or preserve as useful our inner urge to raise the ultimate questions. Being in God’s image and likeness does explain this. How unreasonable it is to say that there is no Creator but that the richly endowed, intelligent creature man evolved upward from unintelligent lower animals!—Psalm 92:6, 7; 139:14.
Being created in God’s image forms the basis for a friendship with him, it is our common ground.
Extra nuggets
*** it-1 p. 1184 Image ***
Any representation or likeness of a person or thing
Since God’s Son stated that his Father is “a Spirit,” this rules out any physical likeness between God and man. (Joh 4:24) Rather, man has qualities reflecting, or mirroring, those of his heavenly Maker, qualities that positively distinguish man from the animal creation.
1:28 – The Message Bible
Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature.
*** w94 4/1 p. 25 How Can Man Be in God’s Image? ***
Were they physically like God? No, that is impossible. Man is human, fleshly, designed to live on the earth. God is spirit, living in unimaginable heavenly glory that no human can even approach. (Exodus 33:18-20; 1 Corinthians 15:50)
*** w08 10/1 p. 15 “Become Imitators of God” ***
Colossians 3:9, 10 [and Ephesians 4:24] indicates that being made in God’s image has to do with personality traits. Those who want to please God are urged to clothe themselves “with the new personality,” which is “made new according to the image of the One [God] who created it.”
*** w00 11/15 p. 25 We Can Learn From the First Human Couple ***
Adam was a perfect son of God, made in His ‘image and likeness.’ But since “God is a Spirit,” the resemblance could not be physical. (Genesis 1:26; John 4:24) The likeness lay in qualities that elevated man far above the animals. Yes, implanted in man from the beginning were the qualities of love, wisdom, power, and justice. He was endowed with free will and a capacity for spirituality. An innate moral sense, or conscience, enabled him to distinguish right from wrong. Man had intellectual capacity, enabling him to meditate on the reason for the existence of humans, to accumulate knowledge of his Creator, and to develop intimacy with that One. Thus equipped, Adam had all he needed to fulfill his role as administrator of God’s earthly handiwork.
*** g92 4/22 pp. 8-9 The Real Purpose of Life ***
The Bible account of man’s creation says: “God went on to say: ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness.’” (Genesis 1:26) Thus, humans were made with the potential for being like God, possessing the outstanding qualities he has, including wisdom, power, righteousness, and love. Is it surprising, then, that some find it fulfilling to seek new knowledge or to engage in activities that challenge their mental or physical powers? And is it unexpected that helping others provides a satisfying purpose in the lives of many? Not at all. This is, in part, what we were created to do.
The Bible record goes on to say that humans were given oversight of all other life on earth—“the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens . . . and every moving animal that is moving upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:26) No wonder, therefore, that even today many find satisfaction in having animals around and in playing with them. Some feel their responsibility toward the animals to such an extent that they work hard for the preservation of threatened species, or they campaign against the exposing of animals to needless suffering.
Humans were also commanded to ‘subdue the earth.’ (Genesis 1:28) What did this imply? Certainly not that people should selfishly and irresponsibly exploit the earth until its riches were exhausted, its atmosphere polluted, and its seas and land areas strewed with garbage. Rather, God set the pattern for subduing the earth when he “planted a garden in Eden, toward the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.” (Genesis 2:8) This garden of Eden was the model showing what the earth would become. It reflected God’s purpose for our planet.
The Bible account explains: “Further, God blessed [the first man and woman] and God said to them: ‘Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it.’” (Genesis 1:28) God wanted humans to have children and populate the earth. He brought the first man and woman together and, in effect, performed the very first wedding. (Genesis 2:22-24) No wonder that marriage and family add meaning and purpose to the lives of so many!
*** ct chap. 6 p. 98 An Ancient Creation Record—Can You Trust It? ***
Man would therefore reflect the spiritual image of his Maker, displaying His qualities. And man would be capable of taking in huge amounts of knowledge. Thus, humans could act with an intelligence surpassing that of any animal. Also, unlike the animals, man was made with a capacity to act according to his own free will, not being controlled mainly by instinct.
In recent years, scientists have researched human genes extensively. By comparing human genetic patterns around the earth, they found clear evidence that all humans have a common ancestor, a source of the DNA of all people who have ever lived, including each of us. In 1988, Newsweek magazine presented those findings in a report entitled “The Search for Adam and Eve.” Those studies were based on a type of mitochondrial DNA, genetic material passed on only by the female. Reports in 1995 about research on male DNA point to the same conclusion—that “there was an ancestral ‘Adam,’ whose genetic material on the [Y] chromosome is common to every man now on earth,” as Time magazine put it. Whether those findings are accurate in every detail or not, they illustrate that the history we find in Genesis is highly credible, being authored by One who was on the scene at the time.
What a climax it was when God assembled some of the elements of the earth to form his first human son, whom he named Adam! (Luke 3:38) The historical account tells us that the Creator of the globe and life on it put the man he had made in a gardenlike area “to cultivate it and to take care of it.” (Genesis 2:15) At that time the Creator may still have been producing new animal kinds. The Bible says: “God was forming from the ground every wild beast of the field and every flying creature of the heavens, and he began bringing them to the man to see what he would call each one; and whatever the man would call it, each living soul, that was its name.” (Genesis 2:19) The Bible in no way suggests that the first man, Adam, was merely a mythical figure. On the contrary, he was a real person—a thinking, feeling human—who could find joy working in that Paradise home. Every day, he learned more about what his Creator had made and what that One was like—his qualities, his personality.
Then, after an unspecified period, God created the first woman, to be Adam’s wife. Further, God added greater purpose to their lives with this meaningful assignment: “Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:27, 28) Nothing can change this declared purpose of the Creator, namely, that the whole earth should be turned into a paradise filled with happy humans living at peace with one another and with the animals.
The material universe, including our planet and life on it, clearly testify to God’s wisdom. So he obviously could foresee the possibility that, in time, some humans might choose to act independently or rebelliously, despite his being the Creator and Life-Giver. Such rebellion could disrupt the grand work of making a global paradise. The record says that God set before Adam and Eve a simple test that would remind them of the need to be obedient. Disobedience, God said, would result in their forfeiting the life that he had given to them. It was caring on the Creator’s part to alert our first ancestors to an erroneous course that would affect the happiness of the whole human race.—Genesis 2:16, 17.
By the close of the sixth “day,” the Creator had done everything necessary to fulfill his purpose. He could rightly pronounce everything he had made “very good.” (Genesis 1:31) At this point the Bible introduces another important time period by saying that God “proceeded to rest on the seventh day from all his work that he had made.” (Genesis 2:2) Since the Creator “does not tire out or grow weary,” why is he described as resting? (Isaiah 40:28) This indicates that he ceased performing works of physical creation; moreover, he rests in the knowledge that nothing, not even rebellion in heaven or on earth, can thwart the fulfillment of his grand purpose. God confidently pronounced a blessing upon the seventh creative “day.” Hence, God’s loyal intelligent creatures—humans and invisible spirit creatures—can be certain that by the end of the seventh “day,” peace and happiness will reign throughout the universe.
Can You Trust the Genesis Record?
*** it-1 p. 45 Adam ***
Adam was the crowning glory of Jehovah’s earthly creative works, not only because of the timing near the close of six creative epochs but, more importantly, because “in God’s image he created him.” (Ge 1:27) This is why the perfect man Adam, and his degenerate offspring to a much lesser degree, possessed mental powers and abilities far superior to all other earthly creatures.
In what way was Adam made in the likeness of God?
Made in the likeness of his Grand Creator, Adam had the divine attributes of love, wisdom, justice, and power; hence he possessed a sense of morality involving a conscience, something altogether new in the sphere of earthly life. In the image of God, Adam was to be a global administrator and have in subjection the sea and land creatures and the fowl of the air.
It was not necessary for Adam to be a spirit creature, in whole or in part, to possess Godlike qualities. Jehovah formed man out of the dust particles of the ground, put in him the force of life so that he became a living soul, and gave him the ability to reflect the image and likeness of his Creator. “The first man is out of the earth and made of dust.” “The first man Adam became a living soul.” (Ge 2:7; 1Co 15:45, 47) That was in the year 4026 B.C.E. It was likely in the fall of the year, for mankind’s most ancient calendars began counting time in the autumn around October 1, or at the first new moon of the lunar civil year.—See YEAR.
Adam’s home was a very special paradise, a veritable garden of pleasure called Eden (see EDEN No. 1), providing him with all the necessary physical things of life, for “every tree desirable to one’s sight and good for food” for his perpetual sustenance was there. (Ge 2:9) All around Adam were peaceful animals of every kind and description. But Adam was alone. There was no other creature ‘according to his kind’ with which to talk. Jehovah recognized that “it is not good for the man to continue by himself.” So by divine surgery, the first and only case of its kind, Jehovah took a rib from Adam and fashioned it into a female counterpart to be his wife and the mother of his children. Overjoyed with such a beautiful helper and constant companion, Adam burst forth in the first recorded poetry, “This is at last bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh,” and she was called woman “because from man this one was taken.” Later Adam called his wife Eve. (Ge 2:18-23; 3:20) The truthfulness of this account is attested to by Jesus and the apostles.—Mt 19:4-6; Mr 10:6-9; Eph 5:31; 1Ti 2:13.
Furthermore, Jehovah blessed these newlyweds with plenty of enjoyable work. (Compare Ec 3:13; 5:18.) They were not cursed with idleness. They were to keep busy and active dressing and taking care of their garden home, and as they multiplied and filled the earth with billions of their kind, they were to expand this Paradise to earth’s limits. This was a divine mandate.—Ge 1:28.
“God saw everything he had made and, look! it was very good.” (Ge 1:31) Indeed, from the very beginning Adam was perfect in every respect. He was equipped with the power of speech and with a highly developed vocabulary. He was able to give meaningful names to the living creatures all around him. He was capable of carrying on a two-way conversation with his God and with his wife.
For all these reasons and many more, Adam was under obligation to love, worship, and strictly obey his Grand Creator. More than that, the Universal Lawgiver spelled out for him the simple law of obedience and fully informed him of the just and reasonable penalty for disobedience: “As for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die.” (Ge 2:16, 17; 3:2, 3) Notwithstanding this explicit law carrying a severe penalty for disobedience, he did disobey.
*** it-2 pp. 247-248 Life ***
When man was created, he was made in God’s image, according to his likeness. (Ge 1:26, 27) This, of course, did not mean physical image or appearance, for God is a Spirit, and man is flesh. (Ge 6:3; Joh 4:24) It meant that man, different from the “unreasoning animals” (2Pe 2:12), had reasoning power; he had attributes like those of God, such as love, a sense of justice, wisdom, and power. (Compare Col 3:10.) He had the ability to understand why he existed and his Creator’s purpose toward him. Hence he, unlike the animals, was given the capacity for spirituality. He could appreciate and worship his Creator. This capacity created a need in Adam. He needed more than literal food; he had to have spiritual sustenance; his spirituality had to be exercised for his mental and physical welfare.
*** wp18 No. 2 p. 12 You Can Live Forever on Earth ***
Of all the forms of life that God has created on earth, humans are truly unique. How so? The Bible indicates that humans alone were created in God’s “image” and “likeness.” (Genesis 1:26, 27) What does that mean? It means that humankind was given characteristics and qualities that mirrored God’s own, such as love and a sense of justice.
In addition, humans were endowed with thinking and reasoning abilities, coupled with moral and spiritual capacities. That is why we can appreciate the grandeur of the universe and the wonders of nature, as well as art, music, and poetry. Above all, mankind has the unique capacity to worship the Creator. Such attributes put an immeasurable gulf between humans and all other living creatures on earth.
Thus, consider: Would God have given humans such remarkable qualities, along with a seemingly limitless potential to develop and enhance them, if he meant for us to live only a few short years? The truth is that God gave humans these unique qualities and abilities so that we could enjoy life right here on earth forever. [confirmed by verse 28: fill earth, spread paradise...]
*** it-2 p. 304 Man ***
In what sense is man made “in God’s image”?
In disclosing to his “master worker” the divine purpose to create mankind, God said: “Let us make man [ʼa·dhamʹ] in our image, according to our likeness.” (Ge 1:26, 27; Pr 8:30, 31; compare Joh 1:1-3; Col 1:15-17.) Note that the Scriptures do not say that God created man in the image of a wild beast or of a domestic animal or of a fish. Man was made “in God’s image”; he was a “son of God.” (Lu 3:38) As to the form or shape of God’s body, “at no time has anyone beheld God.” (1Jo 4:12) No one on earth knows what God’s glorious, heavenly, spiritual body looks like, so we cannot liken man’s body to God’s body. “God is a Spirit.”—Joh 4:24.
Nevertheless, man is “in God’s image” in that he was created with moral qualities like those of God, namely, love and justice. (Compare Col 3:10.) He also has powers and wisdom above those of animals, so that he can appreciate the things that God enjoys and appreciates, such as beauty and the arts, speaking, reasoning, and similar processes of the mind and heart of which the animals are not capable. Moreover, man is capable of spirituality, of knowing and having communication with God. (1Co 2:11-16; Heb 12:9) For such reasons man was qualified to be God’s representative and to have in subjection the forms of creature life in the skies, on the earth, and in the sea.
Being a creation of God, man was originally perfect. (De 32:4) Accordingly, Adam could have bequeathed to his posterity human perfection and opportunity for eternal life on earth. (Isa 45:18) He and Eve were commanded: “Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it.” As their family increased, they would have cultivated and beautified the earth according to the design of their Creator.—Ge 1:28.
*** it-2 p. 962 Sin, I ***
Man’s Place in God’s Purpose. Man was created in “God’s image.” (Ge 1:26, 27) He, like all other created things, existed and was created because of God’s will. (Re 4:11) God’s assigning work to him showed that man was to serve God’s purpose on earth. (Ge 1:28; 2:8, 15) According to the inspired apostle, man was created to be both “God’s image and glory” (1Co 11:7), hence to reflect the qualities of his Creator, conducting himself so as to reflect the glory of God. As God’s earthly son, man should resemble, or be like, his heavenly Father. To be otherwise would be to contradict and reproach the divine parenthood of God.—Compare Mal 1:6.
*** it-2 p. 1005 Soul ***
He was created with moral qualities like those of God, with power and wisdom far superior to the animals; hence he could have in subjection all the lower forms of creature life. (Ge 1:26, 28) Man’s organism was more complex, as well as more versatile, than that of the animals. (Compare 1Co 15:39.) Likewise, Adam had, but lost, the prospect of eternal life; this is never stated with regard to the creatures lower than man.—Ge 2:15-17; 3:22-24.
*** g87 1/22 p. 11 The Other Questions Answered ***
As offspring of Adam and Eve, we are here to populate the earth, to care for and cultivate it, and to exercise a loving stewardship over its plants and animals. We are equipped by God to do this by being made in his likeness—not in any physical appearance but in being endowed with certain attributes of his, such as love, wisdom, power, justice, and a desire to do purposeful work and feel achievement. It is being in the likeness of God in this way that sets us apart from all animals and causes us to ponder the ultimate questions that never occur to any other earthly creatures.
*** wp19 No. 1 p. 10 What Has God Done? ***
Consider how Jehovah enriched our life by creating humans “in his image.” (Genesis 1:27) That means he made it possible for us to reflect in a small way his incomparable qualities. He endowed us with spiritual capacity, or the ability to understand his views and values. As we endeavor to live by these, we enjoy greater happiness and meaning in life. More than that, he gave us the potential for building a relationship with him.
*** w13 5/1 p. 3 Why Do People Say That God Is Cruel? ***
He gave us the capacity to reflect his qualities and moral standards, his sense of right and wrong.
*** w02 2/15 p. 4 Godly Principles Can Benefit You ***
animals are governed by instinct. Many machines are designed to obey instructions. But humans were actually created to be guided by principles.
*** w94 6/15 p. 12 pars. 1-3 Combating Sin’s Grip on the Fallen Flesh ***
An image is the reflection of an object or a source. Thus, humans were created to be a reflection of God’s glory. By manifesting godly qualities—such as love, goodness, justice, and spirituality—in all their endeavors, they bring praise and honor to the Creator, as well as happiness and satisfaction to themselves.—1 Corinthians 11:7; 1 Peter 2:12.
2 The first human pair, created in perfection, were well equipped for this role. Like mirrors polished to a high finish, they were capable of reflecting God’s glory with brilliance and fidelity. However, they allowed that high finish to be tarnished when they deliberately chose to disobey their Creator and God. (Genesis 3:6) Thereafter, they could no longer reflect God’s glory perfectly. They fell short of the glory of God, missing the purpose of their being created in God’s image. In other words, they sinned.
3 This helps us to understand the true nature of sin, which mars man’s reflection of God’s likeness and glory. Sin makes man unholy, that is, unclean and tarnished in a spiritual and moral sense. All mankind, being descendants of Adam and Eve, are born in that tarnished and unclean state, coming short of God’s expectation of them as his children. And the outcome? The Bible explains: “Just as through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned.”—Romans 5:12; compare Isaiah 64:6.
*** g 5/13 p. 15 The Nature of God ***
God also made us free moral agents, which enables us to choose right over wrong and to express love for others in a variety of ways. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) We also have the ability to be creative, to enjoy beauty, and to stand in awe at the amazing world around us. Above all, we have received a spiritual capacity, a natural desire to learn about our Creator and his will for us.—Matthew 5:3.
How Bible truth can help you. The more we learn about God and imitate him, the more we live the way he intended us to live. As a result, we experience more joy in life, along with genuine satisfaction, inner peace, and contentment. (Isaiah 48:17, 18) Yes, God knows that his endearing qualities resonate in the human heart, drawing honesthearted people to him and setting them on the path to everlasting life.—John 6:44; 17:3.
*** w86 9/1 p. 14 A Woman’s Honorable Role ***
The Bible states: “God proceeded to create the man in his image, . . . male and female he created them.” What was the purpose of this sexual distinction? The answer is clear. It would enable the first couple to carry out the divine order outlined in the very next verse: “God said to them: ‘Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection . . . every living creature that is moving upon the earth.’”—Genesis 1:27, 28.
Notice that this order was given to “them,” to both the man and the woman. Both would share not only in filling the earth with other humans but also in subduing the earth and exercising dominion over the lower creatures in harmony with God’s will. To do this, both would need intellectual and spiritual qualities, and they had the same potential for developing these.
God did, however, assign different roles and responsibilities to man and woman. During the time it took Adam to study the animal species and give them names, he acted as a perfect, complete man. For that assigned task he lacked nothing. (Genesis 2:19, 20) But when the time came for man to begin filling the earth with offspring, obviously he needed a wife. That is why “Jehovah God went on to say: ‘It is not good for the man to continue by himself. I am going to make a helper for him, as a complement of him.’”—Genesis 2:18.
The Bible says that God made her as “a helper for him, as a complement of him.” The Hebrew word translated “complement” can also be rendered “counterpart,” which has been defined as “a thing that fits another perfectly.” God’s purpose for woman was for her to be a fitting complement of man in the fulfillment of their joint mission, which was to “fill the earth and subdue it.”
*** wp19 No. 3 p. 7 We Are Designed to Live ***
To fill the earth with their offspring would take time. Eve would have children, and those children would bear children until the earth became fully inhabited just as God intended. (Isaiah 45:18) Is it reasonable to think that Jehovah would offer Adam and Eve that prospect if they were meant to live only long enough to see their children and perhaps grandchildren, and never know the outcome?
Think, too, about the commission to have the animals in subjection. Adam was told to name the animals, and that would have taken time. (Genesis 2:19) But to have them in subjection would have meant that he would have had to learn about them and to understand how to care for them. That would have taken far more time.
So God’s instructions to fill the earth and to have animals in subjection indicate that the first human couple were designed to live for a long time. In fact, Adam did live for a very long time.
*** it-1 p. 1184 Image ***
In Christian instructions concerning feminine head covering, Christian men were told they ought not to wear such a covering, since the man “is God’s image and glory,” while the woman is man’s glory.—1Co 11:7.
*** it-2 p. 1095 Thorn ***
The effects of the cursed ground, with its thorns and thistles, were keenly felt by the descendants of Adam (Ge 3:17, 18), so that Noah’s father Lamech spoke of “the pain of our hands resulting from the ground which Jehovah has cursed.” (Ge 5:29) After the Flood, Jehovah blessed Noah and his sons, stating that his purpose for them was to fill the earth. (Ge 9:1) God’s curse on the ground was apparently lifted. (Ge 13:10) However, Jehovah did not, as in perfect Adam’s case, tell Noah and his family to ‘subdue the earth.’ (Compare Ge 1:28 with Ge 8:21–9:2.) This suggests that imperfect man, without divine guidance, could never subdue the earth in the way God had originally purposed. Man would continue experiencing difficulties in cultivating the soil, including having to fight such troublesome plants as thorns and thistles. Undoubtedly man’s mismanagement of earth’s resources has increased his problems in this regard.
After God made all the wonders of heaven and Earth the Stars plants and animals he did something very special. He made man in his image. That separates us from the rest of creation
biologists look at our outward appearance and classify us with the mammals but there's much more to us than bones and hair the Bible says God is a spirit compared to animals it's obvious it's obvious that we have been endowed with a unique combination of nonphysical traits including language logic creativity and a desire for justice mercy and Truth animals may exhibit quality like creativity in a small measure but not in the same way and excellence as man for example some animals use simple tools but we make complex tools that produce other tools birds build nests and spiders weave webs repeating their designs over and over but humans create completely new designs
it's important to know that the Bible never equates the image of God with any single ability like intelligence or any combination of abilities like creativity love and wisdom each one of us is God's image because God Said So no matter how smart or talented we are no matter our health skin shade age or gender in fact the Bible seems to emphasize the image of God is a status that God himself bestowed on us the Hebrew word translated image is “Teseh-lem” the exact same word for images that ancient Kings made to represent themselves throughout their Kingdom
It seems that the creator of heaven and earth gave me the distinct honor and responsibility to be his image showing God's love on Earth