The doctrine of the image of God (imago Dei) has long stood at the center of
Christian theological anthropology, yet its interpretation has often been obscured by philosophical constructs or reductionist models. This essay contends that Yeshua the Messiah is the visible image of the invisible God and the perfect exemplar of what it means to bear the divine image. Through his life, death, resurrection, and obedience to the righteous requirements of the Torah, Yeshua embodies and demonstrates the true nature of God'scharacter. Accordingly, those whom God has elected from every age are not only regenerated but are predestined to be conformed to the image of the Messiah through the ongoing work of sanctification. The Scriptures testify that believers are renewed in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness as they are shaped by the Spirit and the Word into the likeness of Messiah. Far from being an abstract concept, the imago Dei finds concrete expression in the Messiah’s fulfillment of God’s will as revealed in the Torah. This essay explores the biblical and theological dimensions of the image of God, demonstrating that reflecting God's image means walking in sanctified obedience as exemplified by the Messiah himself.
John Kilner argues that the biblical notion of the image of God (imago Dei) has too often been distorted by philosophical or cultural assumptions that equate the image with specific human capacities such as reason or relationality, or with moral righteousness that can be lost (Kilner, 2015, pp. 48–55). Instead, Kilner demonstrates through careful exegesis that the image of God fundamentally refers to a God-given status and destiny, rather than a set of attributes that can wax or wane.
Drawing on Genesis 1:26–27, Kilner points out that this language reveals humanity’s unique position in creation. Humans are distinctively created “according to” the image of God, which Kilner further contends refers ultimately to Christ—the perfect image (Colossians 1:15). Thus, all human beings possess inherent dignity because they are created in alignment with the divine image, which God intended from the beginning (Kilner, 2015, p. 72).
In his Genesis commentary, Tim Hegg highlights that being made in the “image of God” (Genesis 1:26–27, ESV) is not merely a biological status but a sanctification into the likeness of Christ. The Hebrew word צֶלֶם ṣelem means “image, likeness (of resemblance)” (Blue Letter Bible, n.d.). The English word for “likeness” is דְּמוּת dᵊmûṯ Hebrew meaning “resemblance; concretely, model, shape” (Blue Letter Bible, n.d). Hegg suggests that God intends to “sculpt” humans to “look like him” or to conform to the “shape” of God (Hegg, 2010, pg. 20).
Other scholars note that in the ancient near east, the phrase and idea of “image of god” is attributed to kings as an earthly representative wielding the authority bestowed upon them to rule on behalf of their deity(ies) (Forrest et al., 2021). With regards to YHWH of the Bible, his image bearers were given authority over all creation to care for it (Genesis 1:28) and to represent God on earth (Forrest et al., 2021)
Regarding sin, Kilner challenges common theological assertions that humanity has lost or damaged the image of God. Instead, he emphasizes that the image itself remains intact, while humanity’s capacity to reflect that image faithfully is what has been corrupted by sin (Kilner, 2015, pp. 163–165). This distinction is critical. Passages like Genesis 9:6 (ESV), which grounds the prohibition of murder in the continuing reality that “God made man in his own image,” and James 3:9 (ESV), which warns against cursing people “who are made in the likeness of God,” affirm that even after the fall, people still bear God’s image.
Kilner (2015) concludes that sin does not eradicate the image; rather, it distorts our ability to live out its intended reflection. Romans 8:29 (ESV) highlights the redemptive arc: believers are “predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” Thus, salvation in Christ is not about recovering a lost image but about being transformed ever more fully into Christ’s likeness.
In John 1, Yeshua is called “the Word” (John 1:1, ESV) which was God and became flesh. Conforming to God’s image, the likeness of Christ, is done by the work of the Holy Spirit inside regenerated believers causing them to turn from sin and live righteously (Ezekiel 11:19-20, Ezekiel 36:27, Ezekiel 37:14, 24, Romans 6:6-11). Being God, Yeshua walked in righteousness and holiness, never sinning (1 Peter 2:22, 2 Corinthians 5:21). The Messiah’s life and example is the visible “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15, ESV).
Sanctification occurs through the work of the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 11:19-20, Ezekiel 36:27, Jeremiah 31:31-34) cleansing Christians with God’s word. Paul explains this by writing that Christ sanctifies his bride, the ekklessia, by the “washing of water with the word” (Ephesians 5:26, ESV). This word refers to the Holy Scriptures, which Yeshua embodied perfectly (John 1:1). Conforming to the likeness of Christ involves walking in light, righteousness, holiness, and obedience. John writes that “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5-7, ESV) and to abide in Yeshua, we must walk in the light and follow his commandments through the power of the Holy Spirit just as the Messiah did (1 John 3:24, John 8:31-36, 14:21-24).
Both the Tanakh and the Apostolic Scriptures instruct God’s people to walk in obedience and holiness according to God’s character. Peter encourages believers to be holy in all conduct (1 Peter 1:14-16) citing the Torah as his reasoning “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44-45, 20:7-8, 26).
As Timothy writes, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Torah, or God’s Law, contributes to the definition, or image, of God’s character and holiness.
In the Torah, God gives his instructions for sanctification and ties his holiness to his commandments (Numbers 15:40). He instructs Israel to consecrate themselves by adhering to his dietary instruction thus becoming holy “for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44-45). Elsewhere, to “be holy as I am holy” is demonstrated in reverence to mother and father, rejecting idolatry, peace offerings, and agricultural laws (Leviticus 19:2-3, 5-8, 23-25). God commands believers to be holy because he is holy (Leviticus 20:7) indicating the way in which believers are commanded to walk in holiness reflects the way in which God is holy. He reinforces this by linking obedience to God’s statutes is the way by which God sanctifies his people (Leviticus 20:8). David praises God’s Law as “perfect, reviving the soul,” pure, and enlightening (Psalms 19:7-8).
Consider another perspective that Yeshua is the giver of the Law at Mt. Sinai. It was Yeshua who appeared in the flesh to the children of Israel to deliver God’s Law (Exodus 24:9-11). From the beginning, the Torah was intended to sanctify his people and shape them into the likeness of God (Leviticus 11:44-45, 19:2, 20:7-8, 20:25-26, Numbers 15:40, 1 John 3:24). This is why Paul wrote, “By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:3-4). The purpose of God condemning sin was so that the righteous requirement of the Torah might be fulfilled in the lives of believers (Hegg, 2005). Hegg (2005) notes that “living righteously” is openhandedly defined as the requirements of the Torah. To bear the image of God in the likeness of Christ is to walk in obedience to the Torah Yeshua gave.
In light of the biblical witness and theological insight, it becomes clear that Yeshua the Messiah is not only the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15), but also the standard toward which all image-bearers are being conformed. Kilner’s assertion that the image of God remains intact despite the fall rightly focuses attention on the divine purpose rather than human merit. Through the Messiah’s obedience and righteousness, particularly in satisfying the righteous requirements of the Torah, the divine character is revealed and set forth as the goal of sanctification. The elect are therefore not only saved from sin but called into a life of holiness, reflecting the image of Christ through obedience empowered by the Holy Spirit. This transformation is rooted in God's Word and guided by the same Spirit who inspired the Torah and raised Yeshua from the dead. To bear the image of God is to manifest God’s righteousness, mercy, and truth through a life patterned after the Messiah. In this way, the image of God becomes not merely a theological identity but a sanctified vocation—one that unites worship, obedience, and love in conformity to the One who is the perfect image.
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Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Strong’s Hebrew dᵊmûṯ (H1823). https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h1823/kjv/wlc/0-1/
Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Strong’s Hebrew ṣelem (H6754). https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h6754/kjv/wlc/0-1/
