Is man another animal? If not, what makes us different? Why are we concerned about this? People consistently ask these same questions as many teachers begin teaching our children that man is just an animal. Read the answers in “Crown or Creature: An explanatory essay on the image of God”.
“So God created man in His [own] image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.”
Genesis 1:27
In the Image of God
Are humans animals? If not, why not? What makes us different? The popular view of secular scientists is that humans are “advanced animals” or “a more evolved form of ape”. But for starters, what is a scientist? A big-wig with a diploma? A white-robed man peering intently through some super-spectacles with fancy names ending in “scope” at distant objects or tiny life? That’s all really. God made science for us, and when we recognize his authorship over it, we can do good science. But these people — who bask in their white adornment as if they were themselves God — are the ones we allow to tell us what is what. The most famously printed poet and psalmist of all classic literature, and also once a famous king of the early Israelite kingdom, who had no scientific education that we know of, stated the correct mindset of any scientist.
When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained;
Psalm 8:3-9
What is man, that Thou art mindful of him, and the son of man, that Thou visitest him?
For Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all under his feet.
All sheep, and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
The fowl of the air and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
The angels are the second highest authority in the universe. Above them is God, the Trinity, (God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), which are three and yet the same Being. Directly under the angelic hierarchy is man, the race made to hold dominion over the earth. The Bible also says that in the end, man will judge the angels, making the point that mankind is, next to His own Son, God’s beloved. The Psalmist makes the distinction between man, a little lower than angels, and the beasts of the field. The book of Genesis in its creation account, dedicates the entire portion of Chapter 2 to the things that God did for man. Surely, man is no animal, but is the crown of His creation.
The Bible was written for mankind as the guide for righteous living, and the history of the God’s people. The Bible lays down many laws telling humans not to engage in certain animal-like activities such as Polygamy, Cannibalism, murder, killing of the young, (including abortion), cunsuming blood, and fighting against one another without just cause. That is not to say that God created animals with more rights than men. When God finished his creation, everything was “Very Good (טוב מאוד)”. There was no killing or cannibalism. “But,” you say, “in a world that is Tov Meod, or Very Good, wouldn’t polygamy be very good as well?”
Glad you asked!
True, Polygamy kills nobody — usually — hurts nobody, and animals would have carried this trait before the Fall. But for one thing, only God knows what animals were like before Adam sinned. Maybe serpents had legs, like lizards. Eve didn’t scream or faint when a bug crawled up. Maybe animals were not polygamists. Regardless, the Image of God (צֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים) is a picture of loyalty. God designed marriage to be between one man and one woman. But seriously, God can make animals polygamists but not humans if He wants.
Do not think that to be made Tzelem Elohim , in the Image of God is a burden. Check this out: Beavers make dams, live under the water, and chew down trees. We don’t have the teeth — let alone the skeletal and muscular makeup — to mulch trees, or to live in water, or — most of us — the know-how to make a dam out of branches. When we overuse our teeth, they can chip and break. When our bodies are submerged for a long time, we notice the puffiness on our fingers and toes.
The Difference
A beaver, however, looks at you one day, with your riverside cabin, with light in the windows, in contrast with his own dark, damp home in midstream. And after he stops being frightened of you, may wonder at your peculiar habitat.
God made beavers to dam, fish to swim, birds to fly, and man to dominate all. He also gave man the wisdom to invent machines to do things like fly, swim, or dam for ourselves. But animals don’t do politics — imagine a sloth working in the government! Animals don’t have parades — schools of fish don’t count. Animals have no understanding of justice. This is part of man’s place as keeper and protector of the earth. Animals are for our enjoyment also. Do you have a dog or a cat? A bird, or perhaps a guinea pig? Have you ever watched the animals outside your home and thought, “Wow, how amazing!”?
Man, since Adam, is inherently sinful. The punishment for sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus lived the perfect life, in order to die and rise again on the third day, conquering death, so that anyone who believes, trusts, and welcomes Jesus in their life will have Eternal Life in heaven. God loves us, the crown of his creation, so much that He came to earth in the embodiment of His Son, Jesus, to die so that we may live.
