Giving a dolphin a high-five
What does it mean to be made in the image of God? PLUS: The intelligence of animals, humanity's royal calling, and why idols fail.
Last week, I checked another item off my bucket list by swimming with dolphins. Since these were trained dolphins, I got the chance to hold their fins, touch their vinyl-like skin, nuzzle their noses, and even stick my hand in their mouths, feeling their short, rounded teeth.
And I even got to high-five one! The flipper-on-hand sound made a resounding CLACK that echoed across the pool.
Dolphins are among the most intelligent creatures on the planet. Not only can they be trained for various interactions, but even in the wild, they demonstrate sophisticated communication, cooperation, and playfulness. Some have even been observed using tools, such as sponges, to protect their noses when foraging on the seafloor—passing that knowledge on to their offspring.
Yet dolphins aren’t the only creatures demonstrating qualities once thought to be uniquely human. It used to be commonly agreed that tool use, language, culture, society, entertainment, art, and morality were solely human qualities. These were the things said to separate us from animals. In Christian circles, these qualities have often been linked to being “made in the image of God.”
In truth, the animal kingdom is brimming with these so-called human traits.
Some animals display grief rituals, like elephants returning to the bones of their dead, chimpanzees mourning a group member, or crows gathering around a fallen companion.
Certain species, such as chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, dolphins, and magpies, can recognize themselves in mirrors, indicating self-awareness.
Many animals form intricate societies—ants and bees build organized colonies with specialized roles, while each orca pods develop distinct group hunting strategies.
Communication among animals can be surprisingly advanced. Prairie dogs use specific calls to describe predators, while parrots can sometimes understand abstract concepts like color and quantity.
Tool use is more widespread than once thought. Chimpanzees use sticks to extract termites and stones to crack nuts, while crows can bend wires into hooks to catch insects in hard-to-reach places.
Empathy and fairness are also evident. Capuchin monkeys refuse rewards when others receive better ones for the same task, and rats have been observed freeing trapped companions despite tempting food distractions.
Some animals even create artful displays—male bowerbirds decorate intricate nests with colorful objects, and male pufferfish create large, symmetrical sand patterns as part of their mating rituals.
Many animals engage in play. Ravens slide down snowy hills for fun, and dolphins have been known to play tricks on humans.
With all that in mind, this raises an awkward question: What actually makes humans different from animals?
In the Image of God
The Creation Story in Genesis 1 and 2 helps us answer this pivotal question. The book of Genesis is primarily concerned with theology, demonstrating humanity's role and how God works in the world. And it starts at the beginning to get everything straight.
Old Testament scholar John Walton notes that the early chapters of Genesis, like other ancient origin literature, focus on the function of creation rather than the how of creation. In other words, the ancients agreed with my mom’s favorite phrase: “There’s a place for everything, and everything has a place.” This type of literature tells us where everything belongs.
In Genesis 1 we see that the sun governs the day, the moon governs the night. Fish belong in the sea, birds in the air. Everything is categorized and organized. And finally, we arrive at humans.
Then God said, “Let us make humans in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the cattle and over all the wild animals of the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
So God created humans in His image,
in the image of God He created them;
male and female He created them.—Genesis 1:26-27 (NRSV)
In this passage, God defines humanity's place in creation: we are made in God’s image and tasked with dominion.
The term image doesn’t necessarily mean we physically resemble God, as “image” can suggest today. I can’t say whether God has two legs and two arms. But being Spirit, it’s unlikely that God has chromosomes, blood cells, or skin. It’s not biology we share. Instead, being made in the image of God means we possess certain God-like qualities. These include emotions and morality—though we don’t embody these perfectly. It does mean, certainly, that we are set apart from animals, as none of them share these distinctions. But I don’t think that’s the primary message here.
A study of Ancient Near Eastern writings reveals that the phrase “image of God” was fairly common. Yet it wasn’t usually reversed for everyone. It was reserved for kings.
Kings derived their right to rule from their connection to the gods. Gilgamesh, from Mesopotamian lore, was said to be one-third divine (don’t ask me how that works). Pharaohs were considered earthly embodiments of the gods. Later, Augustus Caesar deified his adopted father, Julius Caesar, and referred to himself as the "son of God."
Yet, in Genesis, this royal status is extended to every human everywhere.
Being made in the image of God means that we are royal representatives of God on earth, tasked with caring for the planet on God’s behalf. We are all lords over creation, with all the responsibilities that come with the assignment.
Our Role as Representatives
In our efforts to smash idols, as we do in this newsletter, it’s important to understand one chief reason that all other paths to God fail: idols will never be good enough representatives of God.
The Hebrew word for “image,” tselem, is also used in the Old Testament to describe idols—physical representations of deities. God rejects these idols partly because they cannot serve as authoritative images. No wood, stone, or gold object can capture divinity. The best representation of God is found in human beings.
Through humanity, we can see how God works more clearly than through any other dimension of life.
Nahum Sarna, in the JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis, writes:
“All human beings are created ‘in the image of God’; each person bears the stamp of royalty. …The characterization of man as ‘in the image of God’ furnishes the added dimension of his being the symbol of God’s presence on earth. While he is not divine, his very existence bears witness to the activity of God in the life of the world. This awareness inevitably entails an awesome responsibility and imposes a code of living that conforms with the consciousness of that fact.”
God has appointed us as stewards of this world. In the Babylonian creation story, humans were created to be slaves to the gods, providing sacrifices so the gods could function. But our God has not made us slaves—God has made us rulers.
As rulers of the world, we are responsible for ensuring it doesn’t fall into ruin. We must also actively seek to improve it. Our dominion should not resemble the harsh rule of earthly powers marked by vengeance and brute strength. Instead, we must care for the earth as gentle gardeners.
Being made in the image of God doesn’t mean we possess all of God’s traits—not eternality, omnipresence, or a purely spiritual nature. However, we do share communicable attributes, such as holiness, love, mercy, righteousness, and wisdom. These traits guide how we exercise our rule over creation, extending care and justice to both fellow image-bearers and all of creation.
As the pinnacle of creation, we are representatives of God on earth—every one of us, from CEOs to cashiers. We are called to reveal God’s nature and design to the world. That’s our function. That’s why we exist.
In a fallen world that often fails to recognize the image of God in others, we must lead by example, helping the world see God's fingerprints in all people. We should use the earth’s resources sustainably and responsibly, stewarding what has been entrusted to us. Though many competing "images" vie for our attention, we must not abandon our God-given task to bring goodness, truth, and righteousness into this messy world.
Dolphins can give high-fives. Chimps can make tools. Elephants can mourn their dead. But no creature besides us is given the divine right to be royal representatives of God on earth. Let’s not take that for granted—we must let that truth guide every choice we make.
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One image-bearer to another,
Jake Doberenz
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