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Write a 12 page essay on The Image of God in Man: Sin corrupted that image.

But what exactly does it mean to say that man is created in the image and likeness of God? The notion of man being the image of God obviously indicates the presence of God in every individual human person. But in what manner is God really present in the human person, in what way is man the image of God (Imago dei)? This is the question that this paper seeks to answer. The paper delves into the motif of man as being the image of God and also shows how sin corrupted God’s image in man. According to the research findings in this paper, man is created in the image of God in the sense that man has the ability to commune with God and to relate with him at an intimate and personal level. Man’s sin has however broken this ability of man to communicate and to relate with God, thus corrupting God’s image in man. The paper also discusses the relevance of this knowledge of man being the image of God, to the lives of the Christians. Main Part of the Paper/Body On the meaning of the notion of man being the image of God, it can be postulated that God’s image signifies God’s character in Man’s being and disposition in the sense that it is through Man that God manifest His will and presence to the rest of creation. Before we explore the actual manner in which God expresses his will and presence on earth through man, it is important that we first look at the common characters of God according to the Bible, and also look at the common characters of man. This will help us in understanding how God is able to express his will on earth through man. According to the Bible, God is inherently pure, good and righteous and that everything pertaining to His actions is for the greater good of creation. Man, on the other hand, is born with the ability to be both good and/or evil, a choice given to Man after what is regarded as the big fall. The big fall was Man’s first committal sin or disobedience against the will of God under the influence of the Devil. The Bible teaches that the image of God in Man was marred by sin, following the disobedience of man against God. This led to man being equipped with the ability to make choices regarding right or wrong. The knowledge of man as being the image of God is quite important to the lives of Christians. There is indeed the need for more research on this topic because the availability of more information on the aspect of sin in Man’s life would help Christians to better understand their role and responsibility in reinstituting God’s divine gift1. The research should help us to better understand the correct theological meaning of the notion of being made in the image and likeness of God. Theological interpretation of the scripture therefore is the key to understanding the concept of Man being created in the image of God. But for us to be able to get the correct theological interpretation of this notion of man being the image of God, we must first, of necessity, answer the question of, “what is man? 2 .Answering this question will help us to know the purpose and the mission of man according to his creator, God. This knowledge will in turn help us in better understanding the meaning of the concept of man as being created in the image and likeness of God.