Being Human – March 2, 2023

Genesis 1:26 reads, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

To be human means to bear the imago dei (“image of God”) and resemble God morally, mentally, and socially. Morally, humanity was created in righteousness and innocence, a reflection of God’s holiness. After the fall of man, the human conscience remained as a remnant of that original state, its moral guidings serving as a testament to God’s image in humans. Mentally, the possession of emotion, free will, volition, and creativity is a reflection of God’s freedom and intellect. Socially, our affinity to relate with others reflects God’s supreme love and triune nature. Animals do not bear the image of God, as they are not independent moral agents and do not have the immaterial soul that is shaped in the image of God. 

This perspective stands in stark contrast to that of Phillippe Rochat, who argues we derive our humanity from one another. In the article What does it mean to be human?, he states that humanity is not based on mental faculties or physical capacities, but is centered on the manner in which humans transact and share resources for survival.