Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
🔗 Study Genesis 1 with 40,000+ scholarly resources – try Logos free:
logos.com/configure/subscriptions?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=show-witw&utm_content=description-link
What does it mean to be made in the image of God – and why has this question divided theologians for centuries? In this episode of What in the Word?, Kirk E. Miller sits down with biblical scholar J. Richard Middleton to examine Genesis 1:26–28 and explore three major interpretive traditions: the substantive view, the relational view, and the functional/vocational view.
Middleton, author of The Liberating Image: The Imago Dei in Genesis 1, makes a compelling case for understanding the image of God in light of its ancient Near Eastern context – and what that means for how Christians understand human dignity, vocation, and calling.
📌 CHAPTERS
00:00 – What Is God's Image?
00:47 – Meet Richard Middleton
02:11 – Context, Context, Context
03:24 – Human Vocation in Genesis
05:55 – Reading Genesis 1:26
06:49 – Why It's Been Debated
07:47 – Assumptions and Exegesis
11:52 – Representing, Not Resembling
12:53 – The Substantive View Explained
15:54 – The Relational View and Barth
21:11 – The Vocational/Functional View
24:39 – Image as Gift and Call
27:29 – Dignity Beyond Abilities
29:14 – The Image and Likeness Debate
31:07 – The Case for a Vocational Image
37:27 – Imago Dei Ethics
40:38 – Christ and the New Humanity
42:36 – Abraham, Israel, and Mission
46:06 – Ancient Near East Context
49:28 – Practical Takeaways for Preaching
52:18 – Final Thanks and Outro
📚 LINKS
• Read more about this episode:
logos.com/grow/witw-image-of-god-genesis-1?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=show-witw
• Try Logos Bible Software free:
logos.com/configure/subscriptions?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=show-witw&utm_content=links-section
• What in the Word? playlist:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXkjd_l1xkSRj0rbPdFy_z7TdKgEiiqoz
💬 Which view of the image of God resonates most with you – substantive, relational, or functional? Tell us below.
#LogosBibleSoftware #WhatInTheWord #ImageOfGod #ImagoDei #Genesis1
#RichardMiddleton #BibleStudy
🔗 Study Genesis 1 with 40,000+ scholarly resources – try Logos free:
logos.com/configure/subscriptions?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=show-witw&utm_content=description-link
What does it mean to be made in the image of God – and why has this question divided theologians for centuries? In this episode of What in the Word?, Kirk E. Miller sits down with biblical scholar J. Richard Middleton to examine Genesis 1:26–28 and explore three major interpretive traditions: the substantive view, the relational view, and the functional/vocational view.
Middleton, author of The Liberating Image: The Imago Dei in Genesis 1, makes a compelling case for understanding the image of God in light of its ancient Near Eastern context – and what that means for how Christians understand human dignity, vocation, and calling.
📌 CHAPTERS
00:00 – What Is God's Image?
00:47 – Meet Richard Middleton
02:11 – Context, Context, Context
03:24 – Human Vocation in Genesis
05:55 – Reading Genesis 1:26
06:49 – Why It's Been Debated
07:47 – Assumptions and Exegesis
11:52 – Representing, Not Resembling
12:53 – The Substantive View Explained
15:54 – The Relational View and Barth
21:11 – The Vocational/Functional View
24:39 – Image as Gift and Call
27:29 – Dignity Beyond Abilities
29:14 – The Image and Likeness Debate
31:07 – The Case for a Vocational Image
37:27 – Imago Dei Ethics
40:38 – Christ and the New Humanity
42:36 – Abraham, Israel, and Mission
46:06 – Ancient Near East Context
49:28 – Practical Takeaways for Preaching
52:18 – Final Thanks and Outro
📚 LINKS
• Read more about this episode:
logos.com/grow/witw-image-of-god-genesis-1?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=show-witw
• Try Logos Bible Software free:
logos.com/configure/subscriptions?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=show-witw&utm_content=links-section
• What in the Word? playlist:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXkjd_l1xkSRj0rbPdFy_z7TdKgEiiqoz
💬 Which view of the image of God resonates most with you – substantive, relational, or functional? Tell us below.
#LogosBibleSoftware #WhatInTheWord #ImageOfGod #ImagoDei #Genesis1
#RichardMiddleton #BibleStudy
