The Image of God

Created In The Image Of Jesus

    For the sake of brevity let's get right to the point. All scripture used here is from the New World Translation of the bible and the English Standard Version as a backup. Where the NWT and ESV are different I may quote from both. It will be indicated by the abbreviations. I have underlined and bold the points of interest in each verse please pay special attention to it.

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." (Gen 1:1 NWT) 

"Then God said: “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and the domestic animals and all the earth and every creeping animal that is moving on the earth.” And God went on to create the man in his image, in God’s image he created him; male and female he created them." (Gen 1:26-27 NWT)

We read that "God created" singular because there is only one God. As Christians we profess this belief in the ONE TRUE GOD. In verse 26 God says,  "let us make man in our image according to our likeness." Who is God talking to? Our is plural not singular. He then goes on in verse 27 creating man in his own image, singular. 

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (ESV)

After the fall of Adam and Eve we read...

"Jehovah God then said: “Here the man has become like one of us in knowing good and bad. Now in order that he may not put his hand out and take fruit also from the tree of life and eat and live forever," (Gen 3:22 NWT)

There's that plural form again! So, who is God talking to? We know that God is singular, he is ONE. Yet he is clearly talking to someone. He is clearly referring to someone other than himself. One possible answer is that he is talking to the angels. After all they are with him at this point. Although I argue that he isn't talking to the angels because we aren't created in the image of the angels. The text says, "so God created man in his own image" not in the image of the angels. Sure the angelic beings are spiritual like God, but only man is created in the image and likeness of God! We will get back to this in a moment.

Another possible answer is that he is talking to other gods, but like the angels we aren't created in the image of any other God, or gods. We are created in the image and likeness of the ONE TRUE GOD!  “You are my witnesses,” declares Jehovah,“Yes, my servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and have faith in me And understand that I am the same One. Before me no God was formed, And after me there has been none. I—I am Jehovah, and besides me there is no savior.” “I am the One who declared and saved and made known When there was no foreign god among you. So you are my witnesses,” declares Jehovah, “and I am God. Also, I am always the same One;" (Isaiah 43:10-12 NWT)


All Things From God Through Christ...

Saint Paul explains..

"there is actually to us one God, the Father, from whom all things are and we for him; and there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things are and we through him." (1 Cor 8:6 NWT)

We are told here that from God all things exist. And through Jesus Christ all things exist. Yet in Gen 1:1 we are told that God (in the singular) created. Not deviating from the fact that there is only ONE God, but considering the evidence so far Jesus and God are the ONE God, yet each with his own creative function. God however is not limited to himself and his Son, but also The Holy Spirit. God created all things from himself, his Holy Spirit, and through his Eternal Word, his Son! 

Let's continue...

The Image of The Invisible God!

Remember Gen 1:26? “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness" here is where we get closer to the answer of the question. So, who was God talking to?

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross." (Colossians 1:15-20 ESV)

I have only included the full ESV text here because the NWT wording can be a little tricky and actually tries to take away attention from the fact that Jesus is God, it really doesn't if you take all of the other Scripture into consideration. But I will include some of it for the sake of proving Jesus' divinity using the NWT. Plus the ESV is a more readable text in my opinion.

In Colossians we read that "He is the image of the invisible God" (NWT) The "he" being spoken of here is none other than Jesus. But unlike 1 Corinthians 8:6 We are told that "by him all things were created" the him being Jesus. This isn't a contradiction in fact both instances are true. All things are created by Jesus in the sense that he is God, and through Jesus in the sense that he is The Word of God, and The Son of God. "Because God was pleased to have all fullness to dwell in him," (Col 1:19 NWT) all fullness of God that is, see ESV. Either way they are saying the same thing.

Further we read in (2 Corinthians 4:4) again that Jesus Christ is the image of God! "among whom the god of this system of things has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that the illumination of the glorious good news about the Christ, who is the image of God, might not shine through." (NWT)

It is clear that Jesus is the "image of the invisible God" (Col 1:15 NWT) 

In The Beginning

At last we conclude this study where we began. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made." (John 1:1-3 ESV) 

Here is another situation where the NWT tries to take the focus off of Jesus being God. I have only included fully the ESV text here since it is more readable and is in line with most modern translations like the KJV, and NIV. The NWT text for Jn 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god." But I think it's pretty evident here that Jesus isn't merely a god, or one of many gods. Not only that we know that Jesus is either God or a false god since there is only ONE TRUE GOD! But John 1:1 NWT is for another study altogether.

We can compare John 1:1-3 with this next verse. "and he is clothed with an outer garment stained with blood, and he is called by the name The Word of God." (Rev 19:13 NWT)


Further in John...

"So the Word became flesh and resided among us, and we had a view of his glory, a glory such as belongs to an only-begotten son from a father; and he was full of divine favor and truth."  (Jn 1:14 NWT)

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." (Jn 1:14 ESV)

I  love this last verse so much I had to give it to you again.

So, Beautiful!


Who's The Author of Life?

The next verse that I want to show you is in Acts. Speaking to the Jews Peter says,  "and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses" (Acts 3:15 ESV) The NWT has it rendered "Chief Agent of Life" which is "kinda" the same thing. 

We can look to the Latin Vulgate text (which is the first complete bible) "auctorem vero vitae" When translated literally meas "true author of life." When we look to the Greek text we see "Ἀρχηγὸν ζωῆς." The transliteration is, "Archēgon zōēs" which literally means "the Author of life."

In Conclusion...

Not only is Jesus "the image of God", whom all things were created by, through and for. We are also told that Jesus "was in the beginning with God." In fact "without him was not anything made that was made!" The fullness of God dwells in him, and he is the beginning of all things. Further we are told that he is The Word of God. Also, Jesus is the "Author of life" only someone who is God can have that title.  It is in him our Lord and Savior that we are created in the image and likeness! The Son of God our Lord is the prototype of all humanity! 

The answer to our question is, God was talking to Jesus!  More specifically the second person of the Blessed Trinity! But, that's another post.

"Christ, . . . in the very revelation of the mystery of the Father and of his love, makes man fully manifest to himself and brings to light his exalted vocation." It is in Christ, "the image of the invisible God," that man has been created "in the image and likeness" of the Creator. It is in Christ, Redeemer and Savior, that the divine image, disfigured in man by the first sin, has been restored to its original beauty and ennobled by the grace of God." (Catechism of The Catholic Church 1701 Article 1)

There are so many more beautiful scripture verses that I could show you about the divinity of Jesus. This article is just one way to show Christ's Unique and mysterious relationship with his Father. For another good read with a lot of scripture that I did not touch on in this article please read The Divinity of Christ.

I hope you enjoyed this.

By Joanne Utke

Additional comments

In Genesis we read, "and God said." Everything God created was created by his Word! God's Word proceeds out from God himself. His Word is powerful, and mysterious! God's Word is both God and his Son. God never stopped being God when "the Word became flesh." God didn't change either since God doesn't change. And it doesn't mean that there is more than one God. As we can see his Eternal Word (his Son) was there with him from the beginning creating all things and is together with his Father ONE!


Below is something I put together using the New World Translation of the Scriptures. Also on Pinterest Joanne Utke.

This is a good talk about Jehovah's Witnesses and Catholicism and the Divinity of Christ.

John 6 New World Translation

JW's Come Home to the Eucharist 

How to prove the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist using the New  World Translation Bible.

    It is a well known fact that many Jehovah's Witnesses are former Catholics. When I think about all of the many people who walk away from the Eucharist it really saddens me. It saddens me because Christ wants us to follow him where ever he asks us to go and to believe in him no matter what, or how hard the saying, or teaching is.

This article is about the Gospel of John chapter 6 of sacred scripture. I will not quote the whole chapter here, but after you read this article please go back to your bible and read the chapter entirely.

At the end of this article there will also be a list of extra verses for you to reference, so please take a good look at those. The John 6 verses quoted here is from (John 6:48-69 of the NWT)
Let us begin :)

“I am the bread of life." says our Lord, but what does he mean by this? Bread is something that we eat, something that sustains our life. Yet, Christ is not talking about simple bread that merely sustains our life. He is talking about an imperishable bread that gives us eternal life!

"Your forefathers ate the manna in the wilderness and yet they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die."

Jesus tells the people that the manna that their forefathers ate is inferior to the bread that he is talking about now. "Here I am raining down bread for you from the heavens..." (Ex 16:4) 

In biblical typology the manna is a "type" of the body, and blood of Christ, his flesh. The manna is a sign that points to the true bread from heaven, the Eucharist!

Jesus explains, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever; and for a fact, the bread that I will give is my flesh in behalf of the life of the world.”

This new heavenly bread is the true flesh of Christ!

How did the people take this message? 

They must have understood him figuratively, or symbolically right? And, if they understood him figuratively there was no danger of Christ loosing true followers over it. Would Christ risk his entire economy of followers over one teaching?

And not just one teaching the apex of all his teachings and the last command given before his death. Or, did he save the best, most important, and most testing of his commandments for last?

"Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying: “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 

Was Christ talking about cannibalism, was he really saying, "drink his blood?" is what they must have been thinking.

Notice that his language only intensifies, and gets more serious at there concerns.

"So Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has everlasting life, and I will resurrect him on the last day;" 

The Jews doubted, and argued about what Jesus was saying to them, and rightly so since the Jews were forbidden to eat blood, and of course human flesh.

Christ knowing the law, and what the Jews were thinking continues even more intently...

"for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood remains in union with me, and I in union with him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will live because of me."

This bread  that he is talking about truly is his flesh, his blood is truly a supernatural drink for us! Also "Feeds on me" implies a constant food source just like the manna was for the Israelites, a daily bread!

"This is the bread that came down from heaven. It is not as when your forefathers ate and yet died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” He said these things as he was teaching in a synagogue in Ca·per′na·um."

Unlike the manna which was only a type of the Eucharist/Christ's flesh, the Eucharist is offered in thanksgiving to God, and will allow us to live forever provided that we feed on it. Again, this implies a constant food source, a continued food source that can be eaten daily.

"When they heard this, many of his disciples said: “This speech is shocking; who can listen to it?” 

We could imagine here that Jesus knowing his disciples were having trouble with this new teaching would have to explain that he was only speaking figuratively. Like I said would he really jeopardise his entire economy of followers over one teaching?

"But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were murmuring about this, said to them: “Does this stumble you? What, therefore, if you should see the Son of man ascending to where he was before?"

In other words, if you think this is hard to believe, you think this is shocking just wait until you see me ascend to the Father will you believe then? Remember Christ wants belief without seeing, without fully understanding some things, he wants faith.

"Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe" (John 20:29) Saint Augustine says, "do not understand in order to believe, but believe in order to understand"

Out Lord continues...

"It is the spirit that is life-giving; the flesh is of no use at all. The sayings that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life."

Here it is you say! This is the part where Jesus is telling us what he really means. This is the part where he says that it is all spiritual, and not anything else, right?

He tells us that it is the spirit that gives life, this is true. Christ's body and blood is spiritual, super-substantial food from heaven, and it is the spirit that gives life, and realness to the Eucharist.

But, what about the next part? "the flesh is of no use all." I answer surely he is not talking about his own flesh, the same flesh that he was just saying is the food that gives us eternal life! Surely he is not talking about his flesh, the same flesh that availed forgiveness of our sins by dieing for us!

What he is talking about here is our flesh which is of no use at all without his flesh, without his suffering for us, without the spirit! Our flesh can do nothing apart from Christ, and he said, "...apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5)

Paul states, "But a physical man does not accept the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot get to know them, because they are examined spiritually. However, the spiritual man examines all things, but he himself is not examined by any man." (1 Corinthians 2:14-15)

If we remain in our flesh we will find it hard to understand spiritual things, and to be Christlike. In scripture "man is often called "flesh" to underline the weakness, fragility and transience of human nature, especially when contrasted with God and his Spirit which is strength." (Bible Dictionary Concordance to the NAB)

Christ wants us to believe as spiritual beings not as fleshy human beings!

"But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning those who did not believe and the one who would betray him. He went on to say: “This is why I have said to you, no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

Jesus knows that there are some that do not believe, and will not believe. Notice that after Christ's teaching about eating his body and blood is when he looses Judas "the one who would betray him."

Here Jesus gives us the answer to the question the Jews were arguing about, "how can this man give us his flesh to eat it?" Jesus tells us that belief in this teaching, in the Eucharist must be granted to us by the Father. We need God, and we need Jesus to help us understand divine and lofty matters like the Eucharist.


"Because of this, many of his disciples went off to the things behind and would no longer walk with him.  So Jesus said to the Twelve: “You do not want to go also, do you?” Simon Peter answered him: “Lord, whom shall we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life. We have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Non Catholic Christian groups like to interpret John 6:63 as Christ speaking only figuratively, or symbolically. They deny the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and his Catholic Church who teach what Christ taught about his body and blood.

Notice that despite what Jesus says in verse 63 about "it is the spirit that gives life..." his disciples still go off, and walk with him no more. They did not understand him to be speaking figuratively, or symbolically, even at this point.

They took him for what he was saying, they took him literally! They walked away from Christ anyway, because they could not understand, "how can this man give us his flesh to eat it?"

Will we be like the doubtful Jews who argued and could not understand? Or, like the disbelieving disciples who couldn't even listen to what Christ was saying? Or, will we stand with Peter, and the apostles who despite their lack of understanding took Christ on faith?

Do you stand with Peter? And say, “Lord, whom shall we go away to? You have sayings of
everlasting life. We have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God."

By Joanne Utke 10-21-2014

Further Study:

John 6 The whole chapter this is a must! Pay special attention to verses 27, 32-40, 51, 55.

1 Corinthians 10:16 "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of the Christ? The loaf that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of the Christ?" 

1 Corinthians 2:14-3:4 (What the flesh means in John 6:63.)

Exodus 16 (The chapter about the manna.)

Matthew 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:19: In the NWT, the Watch Tower Society have these verses translated as "means my body" and not "is my body." When we compare these NWT verses with John chapter 6 in the NWT, and what I have shown you here, we can see that "means" is not a faithful way to translate this text. You should also look up these verses in your King James, and other translations of the bible. I have shown you here in John 6 that there is very little room for error to understand Christ as only speaking figurative, or symbolic. He was speaking literally, and the text shows this. 2,000 years of Christian history shows this. You should study the teaching of the early fathers of the Church especially on the teachings on the Eucharist.

"You must all follow the bishop as Jesus Christ follows the Father, and the presbytery as you would the Apostles. Reverence the deacons as you would the command of God. Let no one do anything of concern to the Church without the bishop. Let that be considered a valid Eucharist which is celebrated by the bishop, or by one whom he appoints. Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. Nor is it permitted without the bishop either to baptize or to celebrate the agape; but whatever he approve, this too is pleasing to God, so that whatever is done will be secure and valid."  (LETTER TO THE SMYRNAEANS - ST. IGNATIUS BISHOP OF ANTIOCH, 110 A.D. 2nd century. The Faith of the early Fathers page 25, section 65.)

Please also refer to the Eucharist in the Bible Study that I have put together. Complete with verses about the Lamb of God, the Jewish roots of the Eucharist and much more! http://home-schooling-works.blogspot.com/2014/03/eucharist-in-scripture.html

Verses and references used in this article:

John 6:48-69
Exodus 16:4
John 20:29
John 15:5

1 Corinthians 2:14-15

Bible Dictionary Concordance to the New American Bible

Eucharist: Based on ecclesiastical Greek eukharistia which means thanksgiving, from Greek eukharistos meaning grateful. (New Oxford American Dictionary)