Made In God's Image?

I think if I was a cat, lamb or bird I wouldn't have dominion, but me not having dominion wouldn't necessarily change my soul or spirit. (You can't SEE spirit, it's invisible, it doesn't have an image).
There is the scripture that says God cares for the sparrows. Not one of them falls without his knowledge. So if the sparrows have a relationship with their creator, then every other creature He created must have as well.

Hey Lanolin;

If I were me in an animal, I would be an American eagle. Does anyone know the power of this God created animal?

In Matthew 6:26, 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? - ESV

I do feel God can communicate with animals like the birds, lions, lambs and even kiwis. How about when a mother bird needs to feed her chicks? How about when a dolphin rescues a human trapped in the ocean? How about when a jungle cat befriends a baby chimp? Could it be that God communicates animal circumstances?

I do believe as man has dominion over all animals it's our responsibility to care and love animals.

But again, I don't believe animals possess the Spirit/soul of God nor will they be resurrected. As you said, "You can't SEE spirit, it's invisible, it doesn't have an image."

That is a good point, Lanolin, however, whether in our personal belief the Scriptures says an animal has a spirit/soul, I don't feel any of us will ever know for sure until we meet our Maker.

It is interesting when we can share whatever the Lord is teaching or leading us in our growing faith.

God bless you, sister.
 
That is why God sent his only son, so that people could relate to Him as their Father.
Before that, people didn't view God as their Father. Maybe a Big Chief or Boss, or All Powerful Mighty Being, but not a Dad.

Moses first encountered God in a burning bush! One way to get Moses attention.
Lanolin said.......
Before that, people didn't view God as their Father. Maybe a Big Chief or Boss, or All Powerful Mighty Being, but not a Dad.

That is more personal opinion than anything else.
 
Gen 1: 27 when God first created man he was a complete unit, not in these flesh bodies that we are familiar with.
Remember after the resurrection when Jesus appeared to the disciples he would walk through walls and still eat fish.
Let me identify that as 'part' of the image of God.
Gen 2 : 7 God gave man a 'natural' body to inhabit - so that the fall and redemption might be made manifest. For God is not only a Creator but also a Redeemer so these attributes must be displayed.

I don't see that in Scripture........(when God first created man he was a complete unit, not in these flesh bodies that we are familiar with.)

I do not see Adam in a glorified body or anything other than human flesh. I believe that the Scriptures teach us that Adam, if he had obeyed, would have attained to the consummated/glorified body without having to pass through death.

The Bible, especially Paul in 1 Corinthians 15, makes it clear that Adamā€™s body would have been changed at some point, but the details of how and when are not revealed. Some commentators, have wondered if Enoch provides in some ways a pattern for what human life would have been like if Adam had obeyed, not in his experience of the common curse during his earthly life, but in his translation to heavenly life without experiencing death.
 
Hey Lanolin;

If I were me in an animal, I would be an American eagle. Does anyone know the power of this God created animal?

In Matthew 6:26, 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? - ESV

I do feel God can communicate with animals like the birds, lions, lambs and even kiwis. How about when a mother bird needs to feed her chicks? How about when a dolphin rescues a human trapped in the ocean? How about when a jungle cat befriends a baby chimp? Could it be that God communicates animal circumstances?

I do believe as man has dominion over all animals it's our responsibility to care and love animals.

But again, I don't believe animals possess the Spirit/soul of God nor will they be resurrected. As you said, "You can't SEE spirit, it's invisible, it doesn't have an image."

That is a good point, Lanolin, however, whether in our personal belief the Scriptures says an animal has a spirit/soul, I don't feel any of us will ever know for sure until we meet our Maker.

It is interesting when we can share whatever the Lord is teaching or leading us in our growing faith.

God bless you, sister.

Bob.........I thought about that point many times. If I could choose what animal would I be?????

Me.....A Polar bear.

Walk on two legs, walk on four legs, swim, eat, sleep 6 or 7 months and who messes with a polar bear?

Plus........I really look good in white!
1641512506297.png
 
Bob.........I thought about that point many times. If I could choose what animal would I be?????
Me.....A Polar bear.
Walk on two legs, walk on four legs, swim, eat, sleep 6 or 7 months and who messes with a polar bear?
Plus........I really look good in white!

View attachment 6592

Four legs good two legs bad, lol.

I was thinking, Mr. and Mrs. Major as polar bears would be bipolar. LšŸ˜ŽL!
 
Hey Lanolin;

If I were me in an animal, I would be an American eagle. Does anyone know the power of this God created animal?

In Matthew 6:26, 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? - ESV

I do feel God can communicate with animals like the birds, lions, lambs and even kiwis. How about when a mother bird needs to feed her chicks? How about when a dolphin rescues a human trapped in the ocean? How about when a jungle cat befriends a baby chimp? Could it be that God communicates animal circumstances?

I do believe as man has dominion over all animals it's our responsibility to care and love animals.

But again, I don't believe animals possess the Spirit/soul of God nor will they be resurrected. As you said, "You can't SEE spirit, it's invisible, it doesn't have an image."

That is a good point, Lanolin, however, whether in our personal belief the Scriptures says an animal has a spirit/soul, I don't feel any of us will ever know for sure until we meet our Maker.

It is interesting when we can share whatever the Lord is teaching or leading us in our growing faith.

God bless you, sister.
huh.
Well there ARE plants in heaven just as there are beasts. Revelation says so.
Also, God saved not just Noah but animals of every kind in the ark, so, it is not unreasonable at all to think He saves animals.

That's not just my personal belief its in the Bible. God also made distinction between clean and unclean beasts, so I would expect only clean beasts would enter heaven. What God's purpose is for each beast is His design, so if He says white horses are going to carry Christ thats for Him. When He says a lamb is on the throne that's His prerogative.

When God directed one of the whales to swallow Jonah or the donkeys to carry Christ, (or stop Balaam) or the ravens to feed Elijah they would have also known they had a task to do.

Besides, if the animals had no spirits, they wouldn't even be alive. They live and breathe the same air we do. They don't run on batteries. God also blessed the whales and the birds before humans were even created. see Genesis 1:22

The only thing thats different is that we (humans) are made to look like God and we are meant to look after everything God has created.
 
Last edited:
A thing that I usually stop and ponder when reading Genesis is the meaning of image in Gen 1:26,27.
I always am reminded of Colossians 1:15 (speaking concerning Jesus): Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature
What is the meaning of image? Is the image of Gen 1:26,27 the same as in Colossians?
If mankind, in general, was made in the Image of God, did we need another image (in Christ?).
Was the attribute of the Image of God given at man's creation, but was lost (when we sinned?)
My assumption is that some attributes of God are to be seen within man, although it is a poor reflection.
Those attributes stem from man's spirit that was breathed into man (Gen 2:7). Remember that the word translated as spirit means breath or wind. This nature is expressed by our ability to perceive spiritual, moral dimension in our actions.
Christ provides a sharper image giving a clearer view of what God wants us to be.

Hello Siloam;

As I re-read your post what came to me is the progression of the then and there to the here and now;

"Christ provides a sharper image giving a clearer view of what God wants us to be." - quote Siloam

Thank you for sharing, brother.
 
huh.
Well there ARE plants in heaven just as there are beasts. Revelation says so.
Also, God saved not just Noah but animals of every kind in the ark, so, it is not unreasonable at all to think He saves animals.

That's not just my personal belief its in the Bible. God also made distinction between clean and unclean beasts, so I would expect only clean beasts would enter heaven. What God's purpose is for each beast is His design, so if He says white horses are going to carry Christ thats for Him. When He says a lamb is on the throne that's His prerogative.

When God directed one of the whales to swallow Jonah or the donkeys to carry Christ, (or stop Balaam) or the ravens to feed Elijah they would have also known they had a task to do.

Besides, if the animals had no spirits, they wouldn't even be alive. They live and breathe the same air we do. They don't run on batteries. God also blessed the whales and the birds before humans were even created. see Genesis 1:22

The only thing thats different is that we (humans) are made to look like God and we are meant to look after everything God has created.

I realize that Lanolin has some grandiose ideas and I respect that.

However.....This idea presented here actually comes from Hinduism and, arguably, Buddhism ascribe a kind of soul to all living beings, as these are pantheistic religions.

However, The Bible consistently describes human beings as essentially different than animals. We are made in Godā€™s image. This obviously does not mean God has a nose and ten toes. We are like God in that we are spiritual beings. Animals do not have a soul or a spirit. Eastern religion differs with Christianity on this.

I will admit that I cannot show you a specific passage that actually says that animals do not have a soul. What I will say is that animals are temporary. When they are dead, they are dead like Rover, dead all over. Anyone claiming a soul or spirit for animals will not find any evidence for this in the Bible. A possible (but dubious) exception is Ecclesiastes 3:21 in which Solomon asks the rhetorical/philosophical question.....
"Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth."

But Here, Solomon is not making a doctrinal statement that animals have spirit but talking about the futility of life lived without God. The Bible describes the soul of humans as eternal, not temporary.
 
I think eagles are pretty amazing but for some reason in NZ the eagle (or harrier, or kahu or hawk) was never taken to heart by the population but the kiwi, which can't even fly, was.

?!
So to this day people claim they are 'Kiwis' but nobody in nz ever says they are 'Kahus'.
 
Last edited:
eg. There is a bank called Kiwibank. There are never any other banks in NZ named after any other birds.
When people talk about money they might say 'the kiwi dollar'. Even though on some coins, there are other birds on them.
In the media, in the news, everyone will talk about kiwis doing this and that. They will say 'kiwi ingenuity'. They aren't meaning the bird. They are meaning the people who live in NZ.
When people say 'I'm a kiwi' they don't mean they are a bird. They mean they are native Nzer. Even though there are other native birds eg tui, kakapo, weka, pukeko etc.
 
anyway..I find it a bit funny. Say you have a $1 coin, and you give it to Jesus and he says who is on the coin? It belongs to whoever is on the coin.
Well one side it's got Queen Elizabeth II. I suppose it belongs to her.
But the other side it's got a kiwi. So should I give it to the kiwi?
 
eg. There is a bank called Kiwibank. There are never any other banks in NZ named after any other birds.
When people talk about money they might say 'the kiwi dollar'. Even though on some coins, there are other birds on them.
In the media, in the news, everyone will talk about kiwis doing this and that. They will say 'kiwi ingenuity'. They aren't meaning the bird. They are meaning the people who live in NZ.
When people say 'I'm a kiwi' they don't mean they are a bird. They mean they are native Nzer. Even though there are other native birds eg tui, kakapo, weka, pukeko etc.

I guess the same applies to "Gator" to people from Florida.

I guess that would also mean "Snake" as the woods and swamps are full of them.

Now that I think about this.....people from NZ could be called "QUAKERS" from the tremors from the Volcanoes.
 
Today, I was at the mall and walked passed a sign that said 'be a tidy kiwi'.
The Kiwibank was closed, but, I am able to buy picture books about kiwis, as half the NZ picture books feature this bird.
I can buy a kiwiburger from McDonalds, but it isn't made from kiwi meat patties (heaven forbid!), nor does it have kiwifruit in it.

If you are looking for books about kiwis, well, there are plenty here ...and not all of them are about birds

 
I think eagles are pretty amazing but for some reason in NZ the eagle (or harrier, or kahu or hawk) was never taken to heart by the population but the kiwi, which can't even fly, was. ?! So to this day people claim they are 'Kiwis' but nobody in nz ever says they are 'Kahus'.

Today, I was at the mall and walked passed a sign that said 'be a tidy kiwi'. The Kiwibank was closed, but, I am able to buy picture books about kiwis, as half the NZ picture books feature this bird. I can buy a kiwiburger from McDonalds, but it isn't made from kiwi meat patties (heaven forbid!), nor does it have kiwifruit in it. If you are looking for books about kiwis, well, there are plenty here ...and not all of them are about birds

Dear brothers and sisters;

New Zealanders were given the name kiwi by the Australians during World War 1 and it stuck.

The fruit kiwi was actually named by America because the skin of the fruit looked like the kiwi bird.

The kiwi bird known as being from home New Zealand, where the New Zealanders are trying to keep their national bird from becoming extinct.

Americans are known as fruit cocktail because this country is so diversely populated compared to other countries.

The kiwis have tiny wings, a long beak and don't fly. Their eggs are much larger than a chicken's egg. Regardless, it as created exactly the way God created these cool little birds as He did everything else.

The kiwi and fruit cocktail people were also created exactly the way God intended, in His image.
 
I think eagles are pretty amazing but for some reason in NZ the eagle (or harrier, or kahu or hawk) was never taken to heart by the population but the kiwi, which can't even fly, was.

In the US the Eagle is one symbol of our nation. In the eagle we see many features the we like to say reflect our values. Independence, sharp observers, fierceness in self defense. In many times and in many ways we fail to live up to those Ideal. In similar fashion we fail to live up to our Christian ideals.

But ideals, even when they are unattained provide a standard to use guide us to closer conformance.

Until a few years ago, I lived in the state of Virginia. An eagle pair nested in a tree on our lot. My wife and I also took a riverboat cruise every year on the Rappahannock river just because it passed eagle habbitat and we could watch them hunting along the river. I liked to watch through binoculars as they flew the area, whether our home, or on the river, sometimes clutching a snake or other small animal to take to the nest.

They are truly majestic.

Being made in the Image of God includes the ability to discern and appreciate this kind of beauty and find within it seemingly unrelated truths for our meditation.
 
In the US the Eagle is one symbol of our nation. In the eagle we see many features the we like to say reflect our values. Independence, sharp observers, fierceness in self defense. In many times and in many ways we fail to live up to those Ideal. In similar fashion we fail to live up to our Christian ideals.

But ideals, even when they are unattained provide a standard to use guide us to closer conformance.

Until a few years ago, I lived in the state of Virginia. An eagle pair nested in a tree on our lot. My wife and I also took a riverboat cruise every year on the Rappahannock river just because it passed eagle habbitat and we could watch them hunting along the river. I liked to watch through binoculars as they flew the area, whether our home, or on the river, sometimes clutching a snake or other small animal to take to the nest.

They are truly majestic.

Being made in the Image of God includes the ability to discern and appreciate this kind of beauty and find within it seemingly unrelated truths for our meditation.

Agreed.

We live about 2 miles from the St. John's River right in the middle of Glenwood Bird Sanctuary. Eagles and haks are everywhere and in my back yard is a year round nest of Hawks.

We see the same thing every day as mmma and dad catch squirrels and snakes and fish.

You learn real quick to not let a small dog run loose !!!! It is supper to an eagle.
 
Back
Top