2 Corinthians 5:1 –
For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.
What does in mean “made in God’s image” anyway? Are our bodies made in the image of God or is it something deeper than that? Think about God and His attributes before answering these questions. God is “omnipresent,” meaning He is everywhere at all times. How can our earthly bodies be more than one place at any given moment? So if our bodies have this limitation of being here at one time, then that puts limits on God if our bodies are like His.
God is also “omniscient” or all knowing. In order to do this God must be able to transcend the physical world and go into thoughts and emotions. If our physical bodies could do this most of our marriages would be more peaceful … or maybe not. So how can we be in God’s image if we cannot be more than one place at any given moment and have no clue what the person we live with is thinking?
This is simple; we all tend to think of the world on a physical level and not in a spiritual one. This chapter attempts to clarify this by explaining what happens to our “earthly” bodies. We tend to limit our ideas of God and heaven by our limited views of this world. Look at art to see this; Michelangelo’s painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel called the “Creation of Adam” shows God on a cloud with old man features but a fit body. So our view of God is in our image not His.
To really get a grasp on God it’s easiest to get quantum physics to understand His attributes. God more closely resembles energy than a human body. Energy is everywhere, in everything, can change form quickly and cannot be created or destroyed, much like God only without a conscious. Our bodies are basically operated by the “spirit” or image of God. So our conscious energy that helps our bodies operate is what is actually in God’s image. I know I dwell on this from time to time, but it actually makes sense when you think about it in detail.