The Image of God: Lost and Recreated: The Only Answer

By Otis Gouty

This is a book that demonstrates how a person can get the image of God. Adam and Eve were created in the image of God but lost it. They were given freedom of choice. Unfortunately, they rejected God and chose the way of Satan, which has been passed on to all of us down through the centuries from parent to child. The Bible is accepted as truth. Every step of the way taken here is documented by the Bible. Scientific discoveries are introduced to form a basis for understanding and to compliment biblical references. Children born after Seth were born in the evil image of Adam and Eve. God was so deeply grieved by the evil intentions of Seth's descendants that he sent the flood to destroy all of mankind. Noah was favored by God, but even so, he was still of the lineage of Seth. The Old Testament is filled with the sinful acts of God's chosen children, but the faithful unchanging God had a plan which He brought to pass in the person of Jesus. This book provides a penetrating and dramatic picture of how God has implemented His plan to the present time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 27, 2019
• ISBN: 9781644718230

Book preview

In the Image of God: What Is His Image?

The story of creation is presented in chapters 1 and 2 of Genesis the first book of the Old Testament. Chapter 2 focuses mostly on the creation of man and what God does with man. Chapter 1 has two very important statements in it that must be considered. Chapter 2 will be reviewed later.

First let’s consider this verse, "Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth’" (Gen. 1:26).

Notice here the words that are italicized, in Our image, according to Our likeness.¹ Scripture does not say this about any of the other creatures that God created.

Verse 27 states, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (emphasis by authors). It is clear in this statement that God created both the man and the woman in His image. This makes it possible for the apostle Paul to write in Galatians 3:28 that in Christ there is neither male nor female. All are one in Christ Jesus. This confirms that one is not worth more than the other. Chapters 2 and 3 of Genesis make it clear that the two have different functions. These do not automatically imply that one is greater than the other. The main point here is that God created both the man and the woman in His own image. He placed them in a special garden that He had made for them and told the man to tend the garden.²

And God said, ‘See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food’ (Gen. 1:29). God was in direct personal communication with them and provided all that the man and woman needed.

In what way was man made in God’s image? Is God like a human being? Is there any way of knowing what God is? The only firm way that can be known what God is like, what His image is must come from what He says about himself. In the Introduction is the declaration that God is the truth. Keeping that thought in mind we can examine what the Bible presents about the details of the image of God and what it contains.

God is spirit. It is written that:

Then Moses said, Now show me your glory. And the LORD said, I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But, he said, you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live. Then the LORD said, There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen. (Exod. 33:18–23)

Also, God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

No one has ever seen God, except as He is manifested in Jesus Christ. This is confirmed in the gospel of John, No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known (John 1:18, NIV, 2011). In another chapter, Jesus said to the crowd that was following Him, No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father (John 6:46).

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse (Rom. 1:20). So the effects of God’s working are visible, but God himself cannot be seen. This is further confirmed where it is written: The Lord our God has shown us his glory and his majesty, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him (Deut. 5:24). In addition, the Bible states that it is God, Who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see (1 Tim. 6:16).

The conclusion is that no one has seen God. As stated in Romans above, His work is revealed in creation. The main method of observing the physical world is through science. What does science report about God’s creation? Science does provide information about the nature and image of God.

For the last several years, photographs of the universe surrounding earth have been taken via satellites that were launched as long ago as 2004. They are now far enough away to send incredible pictures of the planets and moons in the Milky Way. Excellent photographs of stars,³ asteroids, and black holes⁴ have come back that had never been seen before. These photos include entire constellations.⁵ The vastness of all of this is breathtaking! The scientific evidence from creation of God’s existence has become so strong that there have been several videos produced on this subject. One video titled God of Wonders: Scientists prove Almighty God’s existence through Science was produced on Youtube.⁶ It starts out by quoting: Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man’s behalf! (Ps. 66:5), later it quotes from Isaiah:

Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:

Who created all these?

He who brings out the starry host one by one

and calls them each by name.

Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. (Isa. 40:26)

The scientific discoveries in this category and that of genetics, which will be briefly presented in this chapter, and reviewed in greater depth in chapter six, convinced well-known atheist Anthony Flew to change his mind. He stated that, due to the complexity of created matter, there must be a God who created all of this.⁷

What does the vastness and variety of the universe with its intricate timing show the world about God? First, God has the power to create this immense universe. He also has the power to hold everything together in its place with all the necessary chemical materials and special distances needed for the creation to function.

The second thing that can be determined is that God must be able to be everywhere at the same time. This is necessary to maintain order. The conditions, climates, and timing of the solar system rotations are so intricate and so immense that it could not be mismanaged. The Bible confirms this omnipresence in numerous passages including those following:

Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. (Matt. 18:19–20)

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (Jas. 4:8)

For this is what the high and lofty One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. (Isa. 57:15)

You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. (Ps. 139:5–12)

The third idea about God that can be learned is that this God has wisdom and knowledge far beyond the capability of man. He had the ability to think of this immense creation and the wisdom to properly implement this creation in the proper order and timing. This was done without error. This is one reason why it is written that, God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good (Gen. 1:31).

The fourth demonstration of God is His authority. Even in the human realm, anyone who makes something has authority over it because he or she has the ability to make that thing. Since God created the universe He has authority over it. This fact is why some choose to deny the existence of God. They don’t want to be accountable to His authority.

The opposite end of the created spectrum is that of DNA. Within this immense creation, there is an unbelievably tiny, very well organized, part of creation called DNA. DNA is an anachronism for deoxyribonucleic acid. According to the Human Genome Research Institute,⁸ DNA is an essential component of all living things. It determines all the inherited characteristics for all living creatures and human beings. DNA is very important.⁹ A brief review is presented here, and a more thorough presentation will be made in chapter six in this book.

DNA contains the biological instructions that make each species unique. DNA, along with the instructions it contains, is passed from adult organisms to their offspring during reproduction. Many DNA molecules are found in the nucleus of each cell and are tightly packed in a unit called a chromosome.¹⁰

According to Answers in Genesis, man is the most complex information-processing system existing on earth. The total number of bits handled daily in all information-processing events occurring in the human body is at least 3 × 10 to the 24th power.¹¹ The instruction set within each DNA sequence is called the genetic code. These instructions include all deliberate activities, such as the use of language and the information required for controlling voluntary movements, all under the control of the genetic code which is wrapped up in the DNA. In addition, DNA controls all involuntary activities including the control of the internal organs and the hormonal systems. The number of bits being processed daily in the human body is more than a million times the total amount of human knowledge stored in all the libraries of the world, which is about 10 to the 18th power bits.¹²

When a DNA is in use it unwinds so that its information is available to produce proteins or to be replicated. During cell division, however, it remains compact.¹³ DNA also contains mitochondria. This generates the energy the cell needs to function properly.

When organisms engage in sexual reproduction, the resulting organism inherits half of its DNA from the male and half from the female. However, it gets all its mitochondria from the female.¹⁴

There is a great difference in the size of this code depending on species. A complete DNA instruction book for a human being, called a genome, containing about 3 billion nitrogen bases, and about 20,000 genes on 23 pairs of chromosomes. These instructions contain everything the newly conceived human needs to develop, survive and reproduce. The same is true of genes in any living species.¹⁵ All of this is contained in a space much, much smaller than a tip of a needle and it is recognized as the genetic code.

In a human, all the mental and physical traits of the parents are passed on to the child according to the method described above. As a result, each child will resemble his or her parents. In addition, each child will have some of the characteristics of each parent and some of the physical and mental abilities of the parents. It is usually quite easy to tell whose child someone is by looking at the parents. This means that children are conceived in the image of their parents, not anyone else. This will be presented further in chapter six.

There is a final observation that can be seen when looking at both the expanse of the universe, as well as the intricate detail of creation. There is an absolute consistency and stability within God’s creation. As an example, consider iron, which is always iron with physical characteristics that do not change. A ship that is made of steel (which comes from iron) will not be a ship today and a watermelon tomorrow.

Even things made from living plants remain stable. When a house is built from wood the floor today is still the same floor tomorrow. This is true even though wood is softer than iron, it is easier to work with. And because it is softer than iron, it also wears out faster, although it does not rust like iron.

What does the intricate minuteness of DNA coupled with the tiniest detail of accurate information say about God? First, it confirms God’s wisdom and knowledge. It would be inconceivable for humans to think of such an idea as DNA. Humans clearly do not have the ability to create such an organism, let alone have it actually work properly.

The second concept of what God is like is that He has an unequaled love and care for his creation, especially for humans. He took great care to make sure that the human body functioned as it was intended. He clearly desired that, if it is used as He intended, it lasts a very long time, if not forever. The Bible says that God is love, so acting in any other way would not be possible.

The third thing that DNA says about God is that He still has authority over his creation. He has the right to tell His creation how he desires it to operate. This authority comes from the same basis as it did for the creation of the universe. He is responsible for the order of His creation.

The fourth truth about God is revealed in the first chapter of Romans when one considers the human part of the universe. In His sovereign will, on the earth, He gave humans and only humans the right to make decisions concerning their lives and the universe around them. One demonstration of this follows:

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Rom. 1:18–21)

This is an expansion of God’s love, which is only available to humans. God chose to limit His own power and will by giving human beings a similar power of