Man and Woman as God's Image. Sex and the Image of God in Man

Sławomir Kunka

Nicolaus Copernicus University , Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2249-0683

Abstract

The article considers the subject of the relationship between sex and creation of man in God’s image. First it discusses the unity of man and woman of being the image of God. Every human person is directly the image of personal God. The proper space for fulfilling God’s image is a mutual self-giving as man and woman. Then, the article makes analysis on the role of the ”spousal” meaning of the human body in fulfillment of God’s likeness. The human being, as man and woman, remains a unity in diversity. Their unity is made possible by the ”spousal” meaning of the human body. The truth of their bodies and of sexes, is also the truth of communion of persons. Another issue is sex in a context of the Trinitarian understanding of the ”image of God”. The ”spousal” meaning of the human body can be revealed purely in relation to someone else, to the other person. The Trinitarian understanding of the image of God lets capture the truth that the human being, a man and a woman, it is the image and likeness of one God in the Trinity of Persons. At the closing the cited article considers the case of fecundity, referred to sexuality, and its participation in the implementation of God’s image and His likeness. Everyone of us proceeds from someone else, and the Father of all is God (Ephesians 3: 14-15). The fertile unity of husband and wife is a form of imitation by their bodies of the generosity and fecundity of God. The fecundity entails the reality of the parenthood. A very important dimension of human fecundity is the ”fecundity from the Spirit”, which means both, the spiritual fatherhood and motherhood.

Keywords:

human being, man and woman, image and likeness of God, sex, fatherhood and motherhood, fecundity from the Spirit