The Image of God in Man

In his article The Image of God in Man, Gordon Clark gives Scriptural bases, secular opposition, theological diversity, but the majority of his article is devoted to the doctrinal aspects of the image of God. The importance, he states, of this doctrine is emphasized in its implications with the whole system of theology especially to key doctrines such as sin, atonement, sanctification, and glorification.

He states that man is not a dual image as many theologians believed because of the occurrence of sin and that a “part” of man was somehow lost. He then goes on and states the severity of sin, however, is supported in both the Old Testament and the New Testament and that it is impossible for the unregenerate man to please God. Yet this is the very reason he states that man is made in God’s image because sinning presupposes rationality and therefore the image of God is reason.

Without reason, man would be no different than that of animals, stars, or rocks, which do not have what the Bible calls eternal life. Eternal life is to know the only true God, and knowledge is an exercise of the mind or what is known as reason. He also states that men were created with the light of logic as a distinctive human characteristic. That light as stated in John 1:9 is the redemptive work of Christ. For this reason, the fall and its effects are that of the heart or mind. Sin then does not take away the image of God but causes it to malfunction. This brings us to the doctrine of regeneration and sanctification which corrects the malfunction caused by sin. The person becomes a new person in Christ and is given His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Man then begins to evaluate and conform to God’s precepts and this will continue to improve his thinking in all matters.

In conclusion, the image of God is determined by mankind's ability to reason. Sin therefore requires God's image because man is responsible for his sins. If man was not responsible and answerable for sin, repentance would not be needed. Salvation is what enables us to reverse the effects of sin and begins the process of sanctification or conforming to the image of Christ and also fulfills the purpose of glorifying God.

Bibliography
Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society The Image of God in Man 12-04 p. 215-222 @ 2006, ATLA Serials files