THE IMAGE OF GOD IN MAN - Tyndale House

102 TYNDALE BULLETIN
Yet when we review the expressions εἱκών, ὁμοίωσις,
μορφῄ, χαρακτήρ and the like in the New Testament, 198 all
of which are related to the concept of the image, we find that
by far the greatest weight in the New Testament doctrine of
the image lies upon the figure of Christ, who is the true image
of God. As the second man, the last Adam, Jesus is to perfection
the image of God. From Christ, 'who is the likeness of God',
streams 'the gospel light of Christ's glory', which is hidden to
unbelievers; but believers see the 'light of the knowledge of
God's glory in the face of Christ' (2 Cor. 4:4ff.). He is ‘the
image of the invisible God' (Col. 1:15) ; therefore 'he who has
seen me has seen the Father’ ( Jn. 12:45; 14:9) ; He is also the
firstborn of all creation, i.e. the image of God, who is Son of
God (‘beloved son’, Col. 1:13), and to whom authority over all
created things is given. We have already discussed the con-
tinuity between God and the world through His word and His
image; it is of great interest that both themes are taken up in
the New Testament: in John 1, Christ as the Logos is the
continuity; in Hebrews 1 Christ is the image, who 'reflects the
glory of God and bears the very stamp of his character', and
who is also Son and firstborn and word ('hath spoken to us by
a Son').
As the second Adam, Christ is the head of the new humanity;
therefore as Adam shares the image with his descendants, so
Christ shares the image with His descendants, namely those
that are 'in Christ'. 'Those whom he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his son, in order that he might
be the firstborn among many brethren' (Rom. 8:29). The
image of Christ, rather than the image of God, comes to the
forefront when the believer's conformity with the image is
spoken of.
Bearing the image of Christ is an eschatological concept; it
contains elements both of the now and the not yet. 'We are
God's children now, but it does not yet appear what we shall be,
but we know that when he appears we shall be like him' (1 Jn.
3:2). 'Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we
198 A convenient summary is given by R. McL. Wilson, 'Genesis 1:26 and the
New Testament', Bijdragen 20 (1959) 117-125. On the New Testament doctrine
of the image, cf. also J. Jervell, Imago Dei; F.-W. Eltester, Eikon im Neuen Testament
(BZNW 23), Töpelmann, Berlin (1958); R. Scroggs, The Last Adam, Blackwell,
Oxford (1966); R. P. Martin, Carmen Christi, Cambridge University Press, (1967)
99-119; K. Barth, CD III/1 201-206.