“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place: what is mankind that You are mindful of them? What are the sons of men that You care for them? Yet, You have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of Your hands; You put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild; the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, and all that swim the paths of the seas.” (Psalms 8)

“I am created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, if I do not know God, then I do not know myself.” -- Craig D. Lounsbrough

In living life as humans, we need to have meaning and a purpose in life. Without meaning and purpose, life would feel empty and meaningless. Life would also be futile without a purpose. It is gratifying that human life does have meaning. Human life has a purpose. And, to understand the meaning and purpose of our lives, we first need to know who humans really are.

The Greek philosopher said, “Know thyself!” Knowing oneself is something important. By knowing ourselves, we understand the meaning of life, know our identity, purpose of life, and reality. This is truly important. And, one of the most important questions in human history is: What is mankind? Who is mankind? Who am I?

The world view from the perspective of atheism is naturalism. Secular people who embrace the philosophy of naturalistic materialism do not believe in the existence of God. Naturalists believe that the universe is merely natural matter, not supernatural. To support the theory of a natural universe they need a theory that can explain the origin of the universe and mankind. This theory is needed to underpin naturalism into a comprehensive worldview. Thus, to support the naturalism theory, the theory of Evolution or Darwin’s theory developed.

Based on scientific understanding, is it true that the process of human creation as stated in the theory of Evolution, that is, originating from apes that have evolved? And, can the theory of Evolution itself be called science?

What is stated in the theory of Evolution is actually beyond the physical realm. Because, science is concepts, laws, principles, and theories that emerge as a result of observation and trials and can be tested and observed further. Meanwhile, the theory of Evolution is more suitably categorized as a philosophical question about the origin of mankind that does not have empirical proof. It can be said that naturalism with its theory of Evolution is not science, but rather metaphysical or beyond the physical realm.
If humans are the same as animals then the values that state that humans are noble beings become lost. If humans are like animals then the absolute moral values in humans can be denied because they are not beings that have transcendental value within them. There need not be standards within humans. Humans are merely beings that survive and determine their own values.

However, are animals and humans truly equal? Of course not. There is a fundamental difference between humans and animals. Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, said that humans are rational beings. It is this reason that distinguishes humans from animals. Humans can analyze, can plan, can argue, can formulate, can calculate, can draw, can do many things. This cannot be done by animals, including the most intelligent animals.

Mencius, a philosopher from the East (China), said that humans are beings with a conscience. It is this conscience that distinguishes humans from animals. Humans can have compassion.

Humans have compassion. When we see someone sick, we feel their pain. When we see someone suffering, we feel sad. A human without a conscience becomes more evil than an animal. Why? Because, a human who has fallen into sin can have drives, motives, and acts that are more vile than animals.
Because humans are so different from animals, the theory of Evolution can be declared wrong. There is a difference between living and non-living things, between animals and plants, between animals and humans. Each has very clear differences.

If the theory of Evolution doesn't account for the origin of humans, then where do humans come from? What is a human?
The Bible, as the word of God, teaches that God created humans in His image and likeness. God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.” (Genesis 1:26). Humans were created last in the order of creation. Typically, the last in any sequence might be considered the least significant or important. However, in the creation event, the opposite is true. Humans, being created last, became the most important of creations. Why? Because humans were created with the purpose of enjoying everything that had been created before them.

Here we see that sequence provides interpretation.

In Genesis 1:26 it is stated:
“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’”

Who is “Us” in Genesis 1:26? Why is there a plural term “Us” in this verse? Does “Us” refer to a dialogue between God and angels? Certainly not, because God is different from angels. It’s impossible that “let us make mankind in our image” means in the image of both God and angels. God is the Creator, whereas angels are creations. Thus, “Us” here refers to the Triune nature of God.

In the book of Genesis, there are hints or indications of the Trinity. First, in the plural form of Elohim, and in the singular form of bara (to create). Then, it appears again in the word “Us” at the time of human creation. Genesis 1:26 hints at the existence of the Triune God.

The Bible teaches that humans were created in the image and likeness of God. What does this mean? Humans are not animals, nor angels, nor are they God. We, as humans, must find our correct position.
So, who is mankind?

Humans are the image and likeness of God.

What does the image and likeness of God mean?

1.    God is the source of human life.
Humans have one origin or source from God. We are created like Him. This means that when we are creations that are not good, it is because we do not realize that we ought to be like Him. Humans should not be self-centered but must return to God. Humans must resolve all their difficulties there.

2.    Glorifying God is the purpose of human life.
God teaches us that human life has a purpose. This signifies that human life has meaning. The life we have is meaningful. Humans are like God. This means we must improve our lives to be like our Creator, God. God, who is the Alpha and Omega, is also our starting point and our end. We come from Him, and in the life we lead, there is a process of living to please the Lord. We must glorify God, as the Motivator, Decider, and Judge of our actions. God is the purpose because we were created in the image and likeness of God.

3.    Humans must emulate God Himself.
Jesus, who once visited human history, is the standard for human life. We must live by emulating Him.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)

We are called to be like Christ in our morality. For this, we need to learn from Christ. God is holy, so we must be holy. God is good, so we must be good. God is love, so we must love. God is just, so we must be just. God is glorious, so our lives must be glorious. God is patient, so we must be patient. God is wise, we must be wise. God is merciful, we must be merciful. God is forgiving, so we must also forgive. We must emulate all of God's moral qualities.
Why is learning about God so important? Because when we know God, we will know ourselves. And, as we come to know ourselves more, we also come to know God more. Knowing God is also essential because knowledge of God is the source and foundation of ethical life. When we know God, we are called to emulate Him, which becomes the basis of human ethical life.

4. Humans are like God, but not God.
Humans were created in the image and likeness of God. This means that humans are like God, but they are not God because humans are created beings. Being in the image and likeness of God does not mean that humans are the same as God. Humans are merely images, representations of God. Our lowliness is apparent in the creation event, where God formed Adam not from gold, silver, diamonds, or rubies, but from the dust of the ground. Before falling into sin, humans were figures of clay. This signifies that humans are fundamentally fragile and lowly.

However, as the image and likeness of God, humans are both lowly creations and noble beings. We are indeed just images, but images of GOD. God decided to make humans a creation with unparalleled value and dignity. The Creator God declares that we are His image and likeness—an image and likeness that is magnificent, with a dignity determined divinely. We are valuable because we represent the throne of the Kingdom of God on earth. Rich or poor, educated or not, attractive or not, we are the image of God.

Because we are the image and likeness of God, we are valuable and our lives are meaningful. Our self-worth is not based on external things such as wealth, talent, skill, career, job, stability, or health, but from within ourselves, as the image and likeness of God. However, in a world that has fallen into sin, humans misinterpret their self-worth. Humans tend to judge by what is seen, such as physical appearance (tall, short, fat, thin, beautiful, ugly), jobs (driver, maid, civil servant, private employee, trader), social status (rich, poor), and various other categorizations.

Who humans truly are does not depend on physical appearance, jobs, skills, or social status. All these are things that are outside of us or predicates. In language lessons at school, we were taught the difference between 'Subject' and 'Predicate'. Often, humans judge themselves and others based on their predicates, not their subjects. However, the subject is more important. So, who am I? Who I am is not determined by what I do. However, who I am determines what I do. We are valuable.

In relation to sufferers of depression, they too are noble and valuable creatures because they are created in the image and likeness of God. So, sufferers of depression should not demean themselves. They should not feel inferior. Life is valuable, and on that basis, sufferers of depression should not commit suicide. God loves us, even He was willing to die for us. Therefore, we must value ourselves as God values us. However, we also should not be arrogant. Inferiority and arrogance are like twins, they are similar. Besides not needing to feel inferior, we also need to control ourselves and not think more highly than we ought to think. Our life is for the Lord God, and it is valuable. Our self-worth lies in what the Bible says, that we are the image and likeness of God.

Because we are God's precious image, those who wrestle with the dark night of the soul must realize that our paradigm in viewing reality and life stories is not based on a context of survival or staying alive as believed by people who do not know God in their naturalistic and evolutionist thinking. However, our life paradigm is as children of God, who are loved by God and learn to love God. Our life story has hope because it is not a closed system; there is a God who created, sustains, even redeems, and leads us to glory. May God help us!

Prayer:
Thank you, Lord, for creating us in your image and likeness. Thank you for the grace you have bestowed upon our lives. We want to be the extension of your hands on this earth. Therefore, help us to be witnesses of your glory. In the name of Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.