T HE IMAGE OF G OD IN M AN BEFORE THE F ALL
THE IMAGE OF GOD IN MAN BEFORE THE FALL
Gerhard’s treatment of the topics covered in this volume is thorough and as relevant now as ever. While perhaps none of these points of Christian doctrine have gone unchallenged over the years, here we will mention only a few points of Gerhard’s treatment of the image of God in man before the fall into sin, followed by some observations on his treatment of predestination.
As the crowning achievement of His creation, God created first the man and then the woman. But not only did He endow the first two human beings with body and soul, He also created them in His “image.” Gerhard’s teaching is clear on what this image is, and he takes all the biblical data into account, while also considering the testimonies of a great host of church fathers. For example, though the Lutheran Confessions say clearly that the image of God was lost in the fall into sin,11 Gen. 9:6 and James 3:9 seem to say that the image of God remains unimpaired after the fall, or at least that it has ongoing ramifications after the fall. And 1 Cor. 11:7 seems to say that woman was not created in the image of God, but only man was. Gerhard explains all of these issues carefully, showing the various ways that “image of God” has been understood and clearly delineatingwhat of the original creation survived the fall and what was lost.12 For example, Gerhard claims that “remnants” of the image of God, like the rubble of a destroyed building, remain in human beings after the fall. These remnants include the natural knowledge of God’s existence and the moral law written on the heart, though these, too, are greatly impaired and are useful only for driving people to seek God’s revelation in the Word of Scripture.13