I've been meditating quite a bit on Adam and Eve these last two days.
I think there are two key scriptures in chapter 3 of Genisis that prove that God is making man in his own image, rather than made man in his image.
Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise
Here in verse 5 of chapter 3 the serpant is giving Eve some truth, even though he's using it as part of the deception. "And you will be like God, knowing good and evil". If Adam and Eve were already in the image or likeness of God, why would the serpant use the phrase will be, future tense? In verse 6 we see that Eve commits all of the sins John lists in 1 John 2:16 that are in the world, before she even touches the tree. 1 John 2:16For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
Eve ate of the tree because she was a sinner, made that way By God. She did not become a sinner because she ate of the tree, which is mainstream orthodox Christian teaching. As Ray often teaches, why would someone in the image/likeness of God sin?
Genesis 3:22 22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Here in verse 22 God says that man has become like on of us.........you cannot become something unless you were not that thing beforehand. If Adam and eve after coming to the knowledge of good and evil, became more like God, then no way were they ever in his image/likeness to begin with. God then expresses concern that man might take also of the tree of life and eat and live forever, have imortality. In the NASV the word might is used, in the NIV its worded "He must not be allowed........"
Be blessed
David.