Let me tell you something. When the Bible says we are made in the image of God, that is not talking about eyes, ears, hands, or feet. That is not what it means at all. The image of God is not a physical likeness. God is spirit. He is not flesh and blood. He does not have a body like ours. John 4:24 says it plainly: “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

So when Scripture says in Genesis 1:26-27, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness’… So God created mankind in his own image,” it is speaking of something much deeper than the physical. It is talking about the spiritual nature of man that reflects the character of God.

The image of God is the capacity to know. God is all-knowing. He has perfect knowledge, and He gave us the ability to think, reason, and understand. That is why you can seek truth. That is why you can study the Word and comprehend it. Animals cannot do that. Trees cannot do that. Only man has the capacity to know God and to seek after Him. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” That ability to know truth and discern right from wrong comes from being made in His image.

The image of God is also the capacity to feel. God feels. He loves. He grieves. He rejoices. Scripture shows us this over and over. Genesis 6:6 says, “The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.” God feels pain when we sin. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.” That is love in action. Love is not a human invention. It is a divine attribute. When you love, when you have compassion, when your heart is moved, you are reflecting the nature of God who made you.

And the image of God is the capacity to will. You can make decisions. You can choose. You can act. That is not instinct, that is not programming, that is will. God has sovereign will. Ephesians 1:11 says, “He works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.” And because we are made in His image, we have the power of choice. You can choose to obey God or to reject Him. That is what makes you accountable. That is what makes you moral.

So, being made in the image of God means you have a mind that can know, emotions that can feel, and a will that can choose. That is what separates you from every other created thing.

But remember this. God, who is spirit, came in flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” That means the invisible God took on a body so we could see the true nature of who He is. Colossians 1:15 says, “The Son is the image of the invisible God.” In other words, Jesus showed us exactly what the image of God looks like when it walks and talks and lives among men. He was sinless, obedient, and full of truth.

Now, this is where it gets personal. The same Spirit that was in Christ now lives inside of every believer. Romans 8:9 says, “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.” 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” That means the Spirit of God Himself now dwells within you.

So you and I, who have been saved by grace, carry the very presence of God inside us. That is what separates us from the rest of the world. The Holy Spirit, who is God, who is not limited by a physical body, lives within every believer. He gives us the power to reflect that image again.

When sin entered the world through Adam, that image was marred, distorted, damaged. But through Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, that image is being restored. Romans 8:29 says, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” That means God’s goal for your life is to restore His image in you.

So understand this:
You were created in the image of God.
Sin corrupted that image.
Christ redeemed that image.
And the Holy Spirit now renews that image every day.

That is why Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory.”

So when you think about the image of God, do not think about a body. Think about the ability to know truth, to feel deeply, to choose rightly, and to live righteously. That is what it means to bear His image.

God is spirit. The Holy Spirit is spirit. And now that same Spirit lives in you. That is what makes you different from the world. That is what marks you as His own.

That is the image of God. And that is the reality every believer must understand and live by.