All men are made in the image of God. Not all men are in the image of God. These two statements may seem contradictory, but they are not, because they reference different aspects of what it means to be an image of God — and what it means to be regenerate (i.e., to be on the path we call Sanctification). The regenerate man is in the image of God in a way that the unregenerate man is not, because the regenerate man is justified and is being sanctified. This distinction is key, and is often conflated (both accidentally and deceptively) in modern, Christian (at least seemingly) discourse.
A helpful way to think about the distinction: Last week, we went over the image of God with emphasis on image; this week, we go over the image of God with emphasis on of God.
Show Notes
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Art. II — Original Sin
Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord, Art. I — Original Sin
Colossians
The Ten Commandments
The Large Catechism, Preface
See Also
Further Reading
Parental Warnings
None.