Image and Likeness

Image and Likeness

The image of God in human nature is the foundational stamp of divinity that makes human beings fundamentally different from the rest of creation. It is not something we achieve or earn, but something we simply are by virtue of being human.

Human beings are persons, not merely creatures, and this personhood mirrors the personal nature of God Himself. Being made in the image of God means that humanity is capable of relationship, communion, and conscious participation in divine life.

St. Basil the Great describes the image of God as consisting primarily in rationality and dominion. He notes that even the wildest beasts, such as bears and lions, can be subdued and placed under human control, demonstrating humanity’s authority over the rest of creation.

This dominion does not imply ownership in a material or exploitative sense, but rather that the world was created for humanity’s stewardship and use. Creation is ordered toward humanity as the crown of God’s creative work.

Human rationality allows us to know God through His energies in a way no other created being can. For this reason, humanity alone is capable of theosis, participation in the divine life, fulfilling the purpose for which the image of God was given.