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T19 reasoning: Image of God

Reasoning steps: Image of God

Verdicts: T19 · Image of God. Method: conventions, scoring and proximity eras. Scripture is the primary measure; fathers are weighed by era (Era I to c. 150 = 1.0, II = 0.8, III = 0.6, IV = 0.4).

T19.1: Is the image lost or only marred by the fall?

Step T19.1.1: Scripture

After the fall murder is forbidden ‘for God made man in his own image’ (Gen 9:6); we curse ‘people who are made in the likeness of God’ (Jas 3:9). The new self ‘is being renewed … after the image of its creator’ (Col 3:10). The image remains in fallen people and is renewed in Christ.

Step T19.1.2: Patristic evidence

Irenaeus (Era II): the unspiritual man is ‘possessing indeed the image [of God] in his formation, but not receiving the similitude through the Spirit’; Adam ‘did easily lose the similitude’. Athanasius (Era III): the Word came ’that … He might be able to create afresh the man after the image’. Sources: irenaeus-t19-s1 · irenaeus-t19-s2 · athanasius-t19-s1.

Step T19.1.3: Weighing decision

Era II distinguishes the image (kept) from the likeness (lost); Era III speaks of the image marred and re-created by the Word. Scripture says the image remains after the fall. Verdict: the image is marred, not lost; what was lost is the likeness or communion with God (Era II–III), and Scripture agrees that fallen people still bear the image.

  • Confidence: High.

Step T19.1.4: Source-proximity weighing

  • Scripture (benchmark): Gen 9:6 and Jas 3:9 say fallen people bear the image; Col 3:10 speaks of its renewal. (Scripture confidence: high)
  • Assessment: Scripture and Era II–III agree; a tradition that calls the image simply lost departs from both, unless it means the image in a narrower sense.

T19.2: Original righteousness: created nature, or a gift beyond nature?

Step T19.2.1: Scripture

‘God made man upright’ (Eccl 7:29); the new self is ‘created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness’ (Eph 4:24), which implies that righteousness belonged to the image at creation. Scripture does not distinguish a ‘pure nature’ from added gifts.

Step T19.2.2: Patristic evidence

Athanasius (Era III): God ‘gave them a further gift … made them after His own image, giving them a portion even of the power of His own Word’. John of Damascus (Era IV): ‘after His image’ refers to ‘mind and free will’, ‘after His likeness means likeness in virtue’. Sources: athanasius-t19-s2 · john-of-damascus-t19-s1.

Step T19.2.3: Weighing decision

Era II–IV treat the image as a gift of participation in the Word and the likeness as growth in virtue by the Spirit; they do not define a ‘pure nature’ (a later scholastic idea), nor do they call righteousness simply ‘concreated’. Verdict: the fathers see original holiness as participation by grace; both the later ‘superadded gift’ and ‘concreated righteousness’ formulas sharpen this.

  • Confidence: Medium.

Step T19.2.4: Source-proximity weighing

  • Scripture (benchmark): Eph 4:24 and Col 3:10 link righteousness and holiness to the image; no text separates nature from added gift. (Scripture confidence: medium)
  • Assessment: Scripture leans to righteousness as part of the image; the fathers frame it as gift and participation. Neutral wording fits both best.

Post-750 development by tradition

Catholic

Trent V (1546).

  • T19.1 (fathers 4/4; Scripture 4/4): Trent V.1: ’the entire Adam … was changed, in body and soul, for the worse’ (verified), not deprived of nature; VI canon 5 anathematizes saying free will was ’lost and extinguished’.
  • T19.2 (fathers 3/4; Scripture 3/4): Trent V.1: Adam ’lost the holiness and justice wherein he had been constituted’ (verified); the decree does not use the later ‘superadded gift’ wording.

Orthodox

Dositheus 14 (1672).

  • T19.1 (fathers 4/4; Scripture 4/4): Dositheus, decree 14: man fell ‘from his perfection and impassibility, yet not to have lost the nature and power which he had received’ (verified).
  • T19.2 (fathers 3/4; Scripture 3/4): Dositheus, decree 14: fallen ‘from his perfection’ (verified); no definition of nature and grace.

Oriental Orthodox

Not assessed.

  • T19.1 (fathers 2/4; Scripture 2/4): Shenouda III, Comparative Theology: in baptism ‘we put on God’s image (Gen.1: 26) which we lost through the original sin’ (verified).
  • T19.2 (fathers n/a/4; Scripture n/a/4): Not assessed: no Oriental Orthodox text was checked.

Lutheran

FC I (1577).

  • T19.1 (fathers 2/4; Scripture 2/4): FC Solid Declaration I: original sin is ’the lack of the concreated hereditary righteousness in Paradise, or of God’s image’ (verified): the image in the narrow sense is lost.
  • T19.2 (fathers 2/4; Scripture 3/4): FC Solid Declaration I: ‘concreated hereditary righteousness … or … God’s image’ (verified).

Anglican

Art. IX.

  • T19.1 (fathers n/a/4; Scripture n/a/4): Not addressed: Art. IX speaks of original righteousness (‘very far gone’), not the image (verified).
  • T19.2 (fathers 3/4; Scripture 3/4): Art. IX: man is ‘very far gone from original righteousness’ (verified), without defining it.

Presbyterian

WCF IV.2; VI.2.

  • T19.1 (fathers n/a/4; Scripture n/a/4): Not addressed: WCF VI.2 speaks of falling ‘from their original righteousness’, not of the image (verified).
  • T19.2 (fathers 2/4; Scripture 3/4): WCF IV.2: man created ’endued with knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness, after his own image’ (verified).

Reformed Baptist

1689 4.2; 6.2.

  • T19.1 (fathers n/a/4; Scripture n/a/4): Not addressed: 1689 6.2 speaks of original righteousness, not the image (verified).
  • T19.2 (fathers 2/4; Scripture 3/4): 1689 4.2: created ‘after the image of God, in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness’ (verified).

General Baptist

Not assessed.

  • T19.1 (fathers n/a/4; Scripture n/a/4): Not addressed: Orthodox Creed (1679) arts. XIV–XV speak of ‘Original Righteousness’ lost, not of the image (verified).
  • T19.2 (fathers 2/4; Scripture 3/4): Orthodox Creed (1679) art. XI: man ‘made after the Image of God, in Knowledge, Righteousness, and true Holiness’ (verified, reformedontheweb.com transcription).

Anabaptist

Dordrecht I.

  • T19.1 (fathers n/a/4; Scripture n/a/4): Not addressed: Dordrecht I says Adam was created ‘in His own image and likeness’ but does not say what the fall did to it (verified).
  • T19.2 (fathers 2/4; Scripture 3/4): Dordrecht I: created ‘in His own image and likeness, in righteousness and holiness’ (verified).