Torch, Spring/Summer 2007

14 TORCH J ust what does it mean to be human? We can best answer this question by looking at the biblical teaching about the image of God. This concept first appears in the Bible in Genesis 1:26-27: “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them.” While the term “image” does not convey an exact identification with God, it suggests that man corresponds to God in such a way that he “bears” God’s image. What does it about us that we bear God’s image? Though the church has proposed many ideas over the years, the biblical data suggests that it is something inherent. In other words, the image of God is not something we do; it is something we are (though reflected in how we live). It is that quality or capacity that makes us human persons. When Genesis 1:26 affirms that God created man in His own image, it is really saying, “God created man to be His image.” This sets us apart from the rest of creation as unique possessors of the image of God. To be human is all one needs to be an image-bearer — nothing more and nothing less. It is crucial to note that this biblical understanding of God’s image is not tied to functional capacities. It is not a matter of the ability to reason, to be self-aware, or to relate to others. While these potential functions are common to most adult humans, such functions do not define being made in God’s image. If that were true, then the unborn, the mentally handicapped, or the temporarily unconscious would not be persons, since they would not have “all” of God’s image. To state it differently, all human beings bear the image of God even though fallen or whether or not they realize their full potential as image-bearers. A Christian does not become an image-bearer by virtue of faith in Christ, but is instead someone in the process of having his or her ability to image God restored (Colossians 3:9-10). This is also suggested by the way various passages assume the full personhood of an individual whether in the womb or as an adult. Consider John the Baptist. Not only is he the same person as the babe in Elizabeth’s womb, but both John the babe (Luke 1:41, 44) and John the adult act as persons. Consider as well that the struggle between the adult Jacob and Esau began when they were still unborn twins in the womb (Genesis 25:22-26). In both cases, what separates the babe and the adult is not that one is a person and the other is not, but only that the adult more fully realizes his potential as a person. When does Scripture say that human personhood, as defined by God’s image, first begins? Here the Bible is not specific. A number of passages clearly consider the unborn to be persons, individuals fashioned and known by God before their birth (Psalm 139:13-16; Isaiah 49:5). Yet nowhere does the Bible specify at what point in the womb this What Makes A Body Somebody? by Gregory Couser, Ph.D.