During some personal reading about a week ago, a friend of mine raised the question "Are angels created in the image of God?" Having never really researched the question myself I took a guess and said "yes" for a few reasons. Since leaving organized religion, I had come to understand more fully the role of angels in the ministry of the Testimony of Christ.
"And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said to me, See, do not do it! I am your fellow servant, and of your brothers who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Rev 19:10
Being our fellow servants, they worship, serve and testify to God's glory and to the Lamb. To me this seemed to show a similarity to our own purpose and nature of our worship. Also into my consideration fell the fact that they are also held accountable, just as humans, for pure worship of God. In the old testament it also seems they were in fact used to represent God's face. Gen. 32:25-30. And although all these facts seem to be worthy of consideration. It still does not answer the purposed question. Are angels created in God's image?
The First questions has to be, What is the image of God?
And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creepers creeping on the earth.
And God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him. He created them male and female. Gen. 1:26,27
Adam was clearly stated to be created in the image of God. What I found interesting was that God seems to be discussing this creation with someone else. "Let us make man in our image." So by this context we see it is no longer just God's image, but OUR image. To whom is God addressing this comment?
We can find this answer in a couple of scriptures.
Who is the image of the invisible God, the First-born of all creation. For all things were created in Him, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created through Him and for Him.
Col 1:14-16
We can see here, that Jesus is called the image of God. He being the first-born of all creation, also was used to create all things. So when our Father was speaking in Genesis he was speaking to Jesus, his Son, whom he used to create all things. The words "let us", was a direction from God to Jesus to create man in their image. It would be "their" image because Jesus is the expressed image of God.
Has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds, who being the shining splendor of His glory, and the express image of His essence, and upholding all things by the word of His power, through Himself cleansing of our sins, He sat down on the right of the Majesty on high,
Heb 1:2-3
In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving ones, so that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ (who is the image of God) should not dawn on them. 2Co 4:4
With this understanding we can see that Adam was created in the Image of God, The image of God, being Jesus. After Adam and Eve's transgression against God, they no longer reflected his image. Therefore when they had children, they were in the image of Adam, not in the Image of God.
Gen 5:3 And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years and fathered a son in his own likeness, after his own image. And he called his name Seth.
Man continued to multiply according to his own image, and this led to all being enslaved to death. With Jesus coming as the second Adam, death is no longer king over Man. Jesus is now King, and with him all enemies will cease, including death.
For since death is through man, the resurrection of the dead also is through a Man.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first-fruit, and afterward they who are Christ's at His coming; then is the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He makes to cease all rule and all authority and power. for it is right for Him to reign until He has put all the enemies under His feet. The last enemy made to cease is death. 1Co 15:21-26
Man can now reflect God's image again.
And so it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul," the last Adam was a life-giving Spirit. But not the spiritual first, but the natural; afterward the spiritual. The first man was out of earth, earthy; the second Man was the Lord from Heaven. Such the earthy man, such also the earthy ones. And such the heavenly Man, such also the heavenly ones. And according as we bore the image of the earthy man, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. 1Co 15:45-49
Through Jesus, we can now reflect the image of the heavenly man, in the image of God.
But we all, with our face having been unveiled, having beheld the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are being changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Lord Spirit. 2Co 3:18
And you should put on the new man, who according to God was created in righteousness and true holiness. Eph 4:24
What a beautiful thing. We as Christians become the body of Christ, his image, in the image of our Heavenly Father. Jesus truly restored to us what was lost and gave to us light and life.
If you have noticed, I still have not addressed the original question "are Angels created in the image of God?" I will be honest, I do not know. The Bible does not tell us. To me it seems that if they share with us, being a reflection of God's image and of Jesus, they would also be included in the body of Christ, or being part of his bride. There is no biblical support for this view. I think the scripture below seems to explain to us the difference in creation.
There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But the glory of the heavenly is truly different, and that of the earthly different; one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. 1Co 15:40,41
Since the Bible does not explain to us the specifics of the creation of angels we cannot assume any other creation was made in the image of God other than the first human pair and Jesus.
