The doctrine of the image of God (Imago Dei) stands as one of the most awe-inspiring and transformative truths in Scripture. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible declares that human beings are created not as cosmic accidents or biological anomalies but as divine image-bearers, uniquely fashioned to reflect the glory, character, and authority of God. In his profound theological treatise The True Image, Philip Edgcumbe Hughes recovers this majestic truth, tracing its origin in creation, its defilement in the Fall, and its restoration in the redemptive work of Christ. But at the heart of Hughes’ theological vision is one truth that makes the image doctrine both possible and effectual: our union with Christ.
The Image: Not Lost, But Marred
Genesis 1:26–27 declares that man is made in the image and likeness of God. This likeness is expressed in humanity’s rationality, morality, relationality, and delegated dominion. Unlike animals or angels, man was formed from the dust and breathed into by the Spirit, occupying a mediating role in creation—a priest-king in God’s cosmic temple.
Yet, as Hughes clearly affirms, the Fall in Genesis 3 introduced a rupture. Man’s sin did not destroy the image of God altogether, but it disfigured it. The divine likeness was not erased, but it was profoundly distorted. Reason was corrupted, affections were disordered, the conscience was darkened, and man’s dominion devolved into exploitation.
Scripture affirms the ongoing presence of the image even after the Fall (Gen 9:6; James 3:9), but it also shows that redemption is necessary to restore the image to its true glory. It is here that Hughes presents union with Christ as the redemptive linchpin.
Christ: The Archetype and Restorer of the Image
The New Testament presents Christ not only as the Savior of sinners but as the perfect image of God: “He is the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). In Jesus, we see not only God revealed but man as he was meant to be. Hughes emphasizes this dual truth: Christ is both the revelation of God and the revelation of true humanity.
But the restoration of the image is not accomplished by moral striving or human effort. Rather, it comes by being joined to Christ in a spiritual and transformative union. Hughes writes that union with Christ is not peripheral—it is the central reality of the Christian life. It is through this mystical, covenantal union that we receive not only forgiveness but participation in Christ’s righteousness, holiness, and sonship.
He argues persuasively that the image of God is restored precisely because believers are united to the One who is the perfect image. As Christ dwells in us and we in Him, we are “conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29). This is not legal fiction. It is a living, spiritual transformation, carried out by the Holy Spirit and grounded in the believer’s inseparable connection to Christ.
The Mechanics of Transformation: In Christ, By the Spirit
Hughes takes pains to root the believer’s transformation in the work of the Holy Spirit. He draws especially from 2 Corinthians 3:18: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” This transformation is not external reformation but internal regeneration, made possible by union with the risen Christ.
Union with Christ means that the believer shares in His death (to sin), His resurrection (to new life), and His ascension (to communion with God). The image of God is thus restored in and through Christ’s own humanity, which is the firstfruits of the new creation.
As Hughes explains, the Incarnation is central to this process. The Son of God assumed human nature not as a costume but as the true humanity that would undergo death and emerge in glorified form. In Christ’s glorified humanity, we see both our eschatological hope and our present sanctification. By faith and through the Spirit, we are made participants in this new humanity.
Ethical Implications of Union and the Image
Union with Christ is not a private mystical experience but a life-shaping reality. It redefines how we live, how we relate, and how we treat others. Every person bears the image of God and is therefore worthy of dignity and respect. But only those who are in Christ are being actively conformed to the true image through regeneration and sanctification.
This has direct consequences for ethics:
- Sanctity of life: We oppose abortion, euthanasia, and unjust violence because every person reflects God’s image—even in a fallen state.
- Sexual and gender identity: Since the image includes our created nature as male and female, gender ideology is not just false but rebellion against the created order and a rejection of the divine image.
- Racial unity: In Christ, ethnic distinctions do not divide the body. All are one in Him, and all bear the same image and are headed toward the same glorification.
- Vocation and culture-making: Work, creativity, and stewardship are all expressions of our image-bearing role and are redeemed through union with Christ.
Other Worldviews: No True Restoration
Hughes’ insights on union with Christ also expose the bankruptcy of other worldviews. Islam knows no union with Allah. Man is a slave, not a son. There is no restoration of the image, because there is no image to begin with.
Hinduism offers a cyclical escape from individuality, aiming not at restored personhood but at absorption into an impersonal absolute. The self is not renewed; it is erased.
Judaism retains the doctrine of the image but lacks the Christocentric fulfillment. Without union with the true image, the restoration cannot be realized.
Secularism, perhaps most tragically, offers a pseudo-dignity without divine grounding. Man is merely an advanced animal, and ethics are social constructs. There is no telos, no restoration, no union with the divine—only entropy.
The Glory of Glorification
Union with Christ not only restores us now—it secures our future. Hughes beautifully reflects on glorification as the final and perfecting stage of the image. “What we will be has not yet appeared,” says John, “but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him” (1 John 3:2). The believer’s conformity to Christ will be perfected in glory.
This hope is not merely forensic but transformational and eschatological. Hughes ties it directly to our union with Christ. We shall be like Him, not because we imitate Him, but because we are joined to Him in body and soul. We will be fully human—restored, radiant, and reigning with Christ as heirs of God.
Conclusion: No Image Without Christ
The doctrine of the image of God is not a philosophical abstraction—it is a theological reality that finds its meaning only in Christ. Philip Edgcumbe Hughes’ The True Image shows us that the restoration of this image is not the result of human striving, religious ritual, or cultural achievement. It is the fruit of union with Christ, worked in us by the Holy Spirit.
Without Christ, man is an image broken beyond self-repair. In Christ, man is not only restored but glorified. The mirror, once shattered, now reflects the light of the Son—not as a mere imitation, but as a living union. As Paul proclaims, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20, ESV).
And so the Christian life is not merely a moral improvement plan. It is a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), a spiritual rebirth that begins now and will be consummated in glory. We are being remade—not in our own image, or in the image of the age, but in the true image—Jesus Christ.
S.D.G.,
Robert Sparkman
rob@christiannewsjunkie.com
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