I have read posts on here and discovered that atheists have a distorted view of the real meaning behind the statement "made in the image of God" so here is my simplest explanation to this statement.
Having the image or likeness of God means, in the simplest terms, that we were made to resemble God. Adam did not resemble God in the sense of Gods having flesh and blood. Scripture says that God is spirit (John 4:24) and therefore exists without a body. However, Adams body did mirror the life of God insofar as it was created in perfect health and was not subject to death.
The image of God refers to the immaterial part of man. It sets man apart from the animal world, fits him for the dominion God intended him to have over the earth (Genesis 1:28), and enables him to commune with his Maker. It is a likeness mentally, morally, and socially.
Mentally, man was created as a rational, volitional agent. In other words, man can reason and man can choose. This is a reflection of Gods intellect and freedom. Anytime someone invents a machine, writes a book, paints a landscape, enjoys a symphony, calculates a sum, or names a pet, he or she is proclaiming the fact that we are made in Gods image.
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