Is Man Still in God’s Image? Also Does Romans 5:12-21 Refer to Physical or Spiritual Death?

Summary

Grace in Focus — Episode Summary

Date: April 9, 2026
Hosts: Bob Wilkin and Sam Marr
Main Themes: The Image of God in Fallen Humanity; The Meaning of Death in Romans 5:12-21

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Overview

In this concise 13-minute episode, Bob Wilkin and Sam Marr explore two foundational theological questions submitted by listener Ruth:

1. Does humanity still bear the image of God after the Fall?
2. Do references to death in Romans 5:12-21 mean physical or spiritual death?
   The conversation draws out distinctives of Free Grace Theology while engaging broader Christian traditions and biblical interpretation.

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1. Does Man Still Bear God’s Image after the Fall? (Imago Dei)

[00:57–06:50]

Key Discussion Points

• Genesis 5:1 vs. 5:3 — Change in Wording:

  • Listener’s Question: Genesis 5:1 says Adam was made in God’s likeness, but 5:3 says Adam's son Seth was in Adam’s likeness. Does this mean man is no longer in God’s image?
  • Bob Wilkin: Refutes the idea that humanity lost God’s image after the Fall. Argues the image of God is marred, not destroyed.
  • Quote:

    “The image of God was marred but not destroyed.”
    — Bob Wilkin [01:19]

• Biblical Text Exploration:

  • Genesis 9:6 — After the Flood, God affirms human life’s sanctity “for in the image of God He made man.”
  • James 3:9 — New Testament affirms humans “have been made in the likeness of God.”
  • Colossians 1:15, Hebrews — Jesus as the exact representation of God; humans resemble but aren’t precise copies.

• Implications:

  • Even unbelievers reflect aspects of God’s image (e.g., creativity, love, morality).
    • Quote:

      “Even unbelievers manifest…creativity, which is, I think, part of the image of God.”
      — Bob Wilkin [03:42]

  • Communicable vs. Incommunicable attributes: Humanity reflects love, goodness, etc., but not omnipotence or omniscience.
  • Examples of common grace: Parental love is universal.

Notable Moments & Quotes

• On parental love:

  “A mother's love for a newborn child…transcends Christianity. You don't have to be a believer to love your child.”
  — Sam Marr [04:40]

The “Diluting” Theory

• Question: Is the image of God diluted over generations?
• Bob Wilkin: Image is not eroded generationally, though the genetic pool degrades; yet spiritual standing (image of God) remains constant.
  • Quote:

    “I'm not so sure we can say the first few generations were more reflective of the image of God than later generations.”
    — Bob Wilkin [05:34]

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2. Death in Romans 5:12-21: Physical or Spiritual?

[07:28–12:50]

Key Discussion Points

• Listener’s Question:
  Is Romans 5:12, 14, 17 describing physical or spiritual death resulting from Adam’s sin?

• Bob Wilkin’s View:

  • Romans 5:12-21 mainly refers to physical death.
  • Contrasts Free Grace perspective with Calvinism (federal headship), which sees the passage as about inherited guilt and spiritual death (“all sinned in Adam”).
    • Quote:

      “According to the Calvinist view…if you…lived an absolutely sinless life, [you] would still be condemned to the Lake of Fire because [you] sinned in Adam.”
      — Bob Wilkin [08:21]

• Physical Death Emphasis:

  • Sin caused the onset of mortality (“in the day you eat of it, you shall surely die” — Genesis 2:17), which was fulfilled gradually.
  • The effects of death spread to the whole created world (animals, possibly plants)—not just humanity.
    • Quote:

      “They put the clock of mortality on the whole planet, not just on humanity.”
      — Sam Marr [10:44]

• Rebuttal of Federal Headship:

  • Cites scholarship (Basinger, Journal of the Evangelical Society, c. 2000): Argues Paul speaks of actual, committed sins — not inherited guilt.
  • Points to Romans 3:23 (“all have sinned” is active, not just imputed guilt).
  • People die because sin entered the race, and everyone inherits a sin nature.

• Condemnation & Judgment:

  • Christ’s atonement covers both inherited and actual sin; people are condemned for rejecting Christ, not for Adamic guilt.
    • Quote:

      “No one is condemned because of their sin…people are sent to the lake of fire not because of what is in the books of deeds, but because they're not found written in the book of life.”
      — Bob Wilkin [11:00]

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3. Memorable Quotes & Insights

• Image Still Present:

  “All the descendants of Adam still carry the imago dei, the image of God.”
  — Bob Wilkin [01:56]

• Inherited Sin Nature:

  “Adam passed on…a sin nature. And then the Father, every generation passes on a sin nature to their children.”
  — Bob Wilkin [11:00]

• On Grace and Judgment:

  “Even if we did sin in Adam, the blood of Christ covers that.”
  — Bob Wilkin [11:00]

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4. Timestamps for Important Segments

• Listener’s opening question: [00:57–01:19]
• Genesis passages discussed: [01:38–02:35]
• Image of God after the Fall: [02:35–04:40]
• On “diluting” the image: [05:34–06:51]
• Romans 5:12-21 read and explained: [07:29–08:21]
• Federal headship contrasted with Free Grace view: [08:21–10:44]
• Physical death argument wrapped up: [10:44–12:50]

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Conclusion

Bob Wilkin and Sam Marr reaffirm that all humanity, even after the Fall, retains the image of God (though marred), and that Romans 5:12-21 refers predominantly to physical death entering creation through sin. The episode highlights distinctions between Free Grace Theology and Calvinism especially regarding inherited guilt and the condition for final condemnation, all with a practical, pastoral tone and thoughtful biblical exegesis.

Transcript

[A]

The following is a listener supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society. What does it mean that man is made in God's image? And though fallen, do we still carry or reflect the image of God? A couple of questions we will consider today here on Grace in Focus. Glad you are joining us friend. And this is a ministry of the Grace Evangelical Society. Our website is faithalone.org there you can find out a lot about us and you can get information about our free online seminary where you can earn an M. Div. Degree. About our subscription free magazine, also called Grace and Focus, published six times per year. You can read and research many of the hundreds of articles we have there. And there's also a bookstore. Come visit us [e-mail] and now for today's question and answer discussion, here's Bob Wilkin along with Sam Marr.

[B]

And we have a question from Ruth. It's about what theologians call the imago dei, which is Latin for the image of God.

[C]

She asked Genesis 5:1 says, Adam was made in the likeness of God. But then verse three says Adam had a son in his own likeness. Why did the wording change? Does this mean man is not in God's image?

[B]

So first of all, no, it doesn't mean man is not in God's image. Now there are some people who argue that when Adam and Eve sinned, they destroyed the image of God. But the more orthodox position is that the image of God was marred but not destroyed. What does it say in 5:1?

[C]

Yeah, Genesis 5:1 says, this is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. And then verse 3 and Adam lived 130 years and begot a son in his own likeness, and after his image named him Seth.

[B]

Okay, so I would put it this way. The exact opposite is true because Adam was made in the likeness of God and Adam's son is in his likeness. Therefore Adam's son Seth is also in the image of God. That would mean that all the descendants of Adam still carry the imago dei, the image of God. And there are several verses that suggest this. Genesis chapter 9 After the flood, God's talking to Noah. And what is it?

[C]

Verse 6, verse 6 whoever sheds man's blood by man his blood shall be shed. For in the image of God he made man.

[B]

So notice this is after the Fall and it's saying, in the image of God he created man. Now you could argue, well yeah, that was true in the past. But then why the death penalty if man is no longer in the image of God. There's also a couple of verses in the New Testament. James 3:9.

[C]

Yep, James 3:9.

[B]

And the king James has an odd word, similitude, which I can't remember the last time in my life I used similitude. But most translations, I think, say likeness. But what does it say in the new King James?

[C]

He's talking about the tongue and guarding your tongue. So it starts with. With it being the tongue, we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men and who have been made in the similitude or in the likeness of God.

[B]

Okay, so we have that verse. If you look at Colossians 1:15, I believe it also speaks of the fact that Jesus is in the exact image of the father.

[C]

Yeah, verse 15 says, he being Jesus, is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

[B]

Hebrews also has a reference to that, that he's the exact image or the exact likeness of the Father. So Jesus is an exact representation or exact image. That's why Jesus could tell, Philip, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. But we are not. But we are still in the image of God. And that's why even unbelievers do some good things. Even unbelievers manifest, for example, creativity, which is, I think, part of the image of God. Part of the image of God are his communicable attributes. You know, some of his attributes he can't communicate to us, like omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent. But things like love or things like goodness or those sorts of things, he can communicate to us to a limited degree. And we will fully have that when we are glorified.

[C]

Yeah, I've heard a lot of Christians say that a mother's love for a newborn child or something is the closest thing we have to God's love for us. And that transcends Christianity. You know, you don't have to be a believer to love your child.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

So that's definitely an example of that. I had a question to go back to the Genesis 5:3. So, because what you were saying, I think is probably the best explanation for why verse three says, and he begot a son in his own image. And it's not to say that's contrary to the image of God, but because Adam was made in the image of God, his son was therefore made in God's image as well. But does that mean that it's diluted every time? If it, you know, Adam was the closest, and then Seth is a little bit less, and then a little less and a little less until we're far from the image of God. Or is that a skewed understanding?

[B]

Yeah, I think that's a skewed understanding, but I do think there's a part of that which is correct. Our friend Jeff Stevens, who worked for Answers in Genesis for a number of years and has a science background and also a master of theology from Dallas Seminary, he thinks that Adam and Eve were probably the smartest people that ever lived. They probably had the highest iq. They were the top of the gene pool, because the gene pool would start to degrade over time and you would start having mutations and things, which is why you would get genetic flaws eventually. And I think that's correct. But in terms of the image of God, I'm not so sure we can say that the first few generations were more reflective of the image of God than later generations. For example, Abraham's called God's friend. David's called a man after God's own heart. Moses is God's servant. So there are people in the Old Testament who seem to stand out as being especially good at reflecting the image of God more than the average person. But I would think probably Adam and Eve were very godly people.

[A]

It's coming. It'll be here before you know it. What am I talking about? The Grace Evangelical Society's National Conference 2026, May 18th through the 21st, at Camp Kopas, an absolutely beautiful campground in North Texas, right on the lake, with lots of recreation, great food, a great place to stay, wonderful fellowship and wonderful free Grace Bible teaching information and online registration [e-mail] events first timers waive registration fees. Faithalone.org events so I think Ruth asked the second question.

[B]

I think we have time.

[C]

Yeah. Ruth asked another question. She asks, is Romans 5:12, and then verses 14 and verse 17. Are they speaking of physical death?

[B]

Okay, so what does 5, 12, 14 and 17 say?

[C]

12 is therefore just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. For until the law, sin was in the world. But sin was not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned, according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who was a type of him who was to come. And skipping to 17. For if by the one man's offense, death reigned through the 1, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.

[B]

So, yes, Ruth, I would say that all those refer to physical death. This passage, 5:12 through 21, is a pivotal passage concerning something called federal headship. Federal headship is the Calvinist view that God elected in eternity past those who would have everlasting life. And everybody else, he either elected for the Lake of fire or he simply bypassed, meaning they're going to the Lake of Fire anyway. So there's not much difference between double predestination or single predestination. Anyway, Calvinists look at verse 12, and it says, therefore, just as through one man, sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. They say all sinned in Adam. So they say when Adam sinned, he was like our senator, he was like our congressman. He represented all of his race. And so when he sinned, we all sinned. And so, according to the Calvinist view, if you or I or anyone lived an absolutely sinless life, they would still be condemned to the Lake of fire because they sinned in Adam. And so without any individual sin. And that's how they understand verse 12, because all sinned. Now, there was an article in the Journal of the Evangelical Society, I think it was by Basinger, and It was around 2000, in which he argued that this passage was about physical death and about the fact that all sinned themselves. In other words, remember Romans 23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That doesn't mean all sinned in Adam. That means all sinned in this life and present tense continue to sin, continue to fall short of the glory of God. And so I like his argument. I think he's correct. And the issue here is the reason we die is because sin entered the human race. Remember, God said in Genesis 2:17, in the day you eat of it, you shall surely die. Well, what that means is mortality began the moment they ate the forbidden fruit. It took them a long time to die physically in their life, but they started dying that day.

[C]

Well, and it says in verse 12 that sin entered the world and death. So sin and death entered the world. Not just humanity, but plants, animals, the world itself. Because of that, they put the clock of mortality on the whole planet, not just on humanity.

[B]

Yeah, no, I agree, at least as far as the animals. It appears animals wouldn't have died. It appears that humans obviously wouldn't have died. I'm not sure about plants, but in any regard, the other flaw with this approach is John 1:29 says behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. No one is condemned because of their sin. If you look at Revelation 2011:15, the great white throne Judgment, people are sent to the lake of fire not because of what is in the books of deeds, but because they're not found written in the book of life. That is because they never believed in Christ. So the idea that people are condemned to hell forever because they sinned in Adam is wrong on so many fronts. First of all, even if we did sin in Adam, the blood of Christ covers that. But secondly, that's not what happened. What this passage is saying is Adam passed on to his sons and his daughters a sin nature. And then the Father, every generation passes on a sin nature to their children. And so the reason we all sin is because we inherit what some people have called the osn, the old sin nature. So yeah, I would encourage you to study this passage more. But Ruth, thank you for this question and the earlier question about the image of God. They're both things which we should study and be conversant in because they come up a lot in the New Testament. By the way, one final point on this the wages of sin is death that occurs in the Old and New Testament. And that's essentially what 512 through 21 is explaining. Well, thanks so much and Sam, let's keep grace in focus.

[A]

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