Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street. Recently, in response to a commentary about UAP's Aliens and the Demonic, several people wrote in about our claim that angels are not made in the image of God, as humans are. Though the Bible does speak of angels, it never states that angels are made in God's image. In fact, there's not biblical reason to think that they do.
Genesis 1 plainly emphasizes that humans are made in God's image, repeating the point several times in just two verses. The description offers a contrast between humans and everything else that God made. In this very first mention of humanity in Scripture, in fact, humans were created and set apart for the unique and special task of filling and subduing the earth. That task and the title of image bearer are described together. But angels were not given this task, nor were they given the title.
They are described as assisting humans in this task, and they clearly were made to serve God as his soldiers and his messengers. In other words, angels and human beings were created for distinct purposes. Psalm 8 offers further description of all this in poetic form. It describes God's generosity to humanity, specifically in their unique placement within the cosmic hierarchy. What is man that you're mindful of him?
The son of man that you care for him. The psalmist then compares humanity to heavenly beings and notes that man is made a little lower than angels, yet he's the one crowned with glory and honor. Further, it says, God has put all things under his feet. This contrast is an important point. Human beings have greater dignity than angels, but not because we're more powerful.
In fact, we're not. but our value lies elsewhere. Comparatively, at least throughout Scripture, we know far less about angels than we do about humans. Angels appear in Scripture about 300 times, but the details are vague. The safest thing we can assume about angels is that they are intimidating, because they often appear by saying, be not afraid.
The Bible never portrays angels as being intimidated by human beings, nor as those naked little chubby creatures from pop art. Nor are angels portrayed as mental projections of guilt or conscience, but as specific persons with names and tasks and wills. Angels are also portrayed as curious. In 1 Peter 1, the apostle says that human salvation is something into which angels long to look.
Now, many will point to the mental and physical capacities of angels that scripture describes as suggesting that they also bear God's image as humans do.
However, that's based on an idea that the image of God is what we're capable of doing. But that should not be our understanding of what it means to be an image bearer. After all, if our dignity is dependent on our capacities, what happens when those abilities are lost, either by illness or disability or some other circumstance? Do infants or dementia patients somehow lack the image of God because they lack those capacities? Do they lack dignity?
No.
Now, the consistent theme throughout scripture is that being made in the image of God is something that human beings are. And as such, we're uniquely the object of God's attention and love, more so than angels, even though we have less abilities than they do. Beyond what we can do, being made in the image of God is who we are. Our value is not earned, nor is it achieved by expression. It's intrinsic.
It's endowed. It's not a trait or an ability. Thus we cannot lose it, nor can it be taken away. The creation account in Genesis also has been described as offering a kind of temple motif. In it God places Adam and Eve, his image, at the center of the garden, a place where God and man would commune as one.
And that temple theme continues throughout the Old Testament all the way through Revelation.
So in summary, angels serve God. But God came in human form. Christ was incarnate as a human male. Humans make up his bride. All of that is because humans bear God's image.
Angels do not. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street with Breakpoint. Today's Breakpoint was co-authored with Dr. Timothy Paget. If you're a fan of Breakpoint, leave us a review wherever you download your podcast.
And for more resources or to share this commentary with others, go to breakpoint.org. Colorado is at it again, trying to silence free speech. A law in Colorado forces businesses to use customers' preferred pronouns, even if they're biologically inaccurate, and even if using those incorrect pronouns would violate a person's religious beliefs or conscience. That's a violation of free speech, but as Colorado has proved time and again, it has little concern for the First Amendment. At Alliance Defending Freedom, we're challenging the law on behalf of a Christian bookstore and a Colorado-based sports apparel company.
But a court recently ruled against them. With ADF's help, they appealed the ruling, and they'll continue fighting to ensure Colorado doesn't get away with this next attempt to skirt the First Amendment. Your gift helps protect free speech in cases like this all over the country. And for a limited time, your first gift to ADF is doubled by a special matching grant while funds last. Text Breakpoint to 838-48 or go to joinadf.com/slash breakpoint to have your gift doubled.
