Yes — human life is sacred because God created man alone in His own image and likeness.
The Bible grounds the sacredness of human life in the creation account: God made man in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27), and nowhere else in creation is that said. This unique status makes man the crowning act of creation, placed head and shoulders above everything else. Because human life bears God's image, it is not cheap — God requires the life of any man or beast that sheds human blood (Genesis 9:5-6).
Genesis 1:26 — God's declaration that man would be made in His image and likeness and given dominion — the foundation of human life's sacredness.
Genesis 9:6 — The clearest biblical statement of why human life is protected: man was made in the image of God.
In Genesis 1:26, God declared, "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 air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." The very next verse records, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them" (Genesis 1:27). No other creature is said to bear God's image. After the flood, God reinforced the value of human life: "And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man" (Genesis 9:5-6). God required even the life of a beast that killed a man — a striking measure of human life's sacredness. The Bible also grounds human life's sacredness in man's creation: "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7). Man alone received the breath of life directly from God.
Les teaches that the sacredness of human life begins in Genesis 1:26, where God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." He emphasizes that the plural pronouns reveal the Trinity's involvement, and that the word "dominion" means absolute control. Man was put head and shoulders above everything else in God's creation because he alone was made in God's image. That is why human life is not cheap but is of intrinsic value to God (Clip 1). Les also connects this to Genesis 9, where God established capital punishment. God did not declare human life cheap; rather, He protected it — whoever sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed, "for in the image of God made he man" (Genesis 9:6). In the pre-flood world there was no law and no government, but after the flood God gave man the right to put a murderer to death to protect the sanctity of life (Clip 7). Finally, Les calls man "the crowning act of creation." When God breathed into man the breath of life, man became a living soul — an eternal being. The body is only a tent, a dwelling place for the real person: the mind, will, and emotion, which are eternal as God is eternal (Clips 2, 3).
The Bible records God's declaration, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" (Genesis 1:26), and its fulfillment: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them" (Genesis 1:27). Les Feldick explains that in this direct creation God gave man invisible entities — mind, will, and emotion — which are attributes of God as well. Because man's inner person is a direct creation of God, it is eternal, just as God is eternal.
After the flood, God declared, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man" (Genesis 9:6). Les teaches that this stipulation reveals human life is not cheap but of intrinsic value to God. Under governmental authority, man was given the right to put a murderer to death. Les notes this was a progression from the pre-flood civilization, where there was no law and no government.
God commanded Noah, "But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat" (Genesis 9:4), and then added, "And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man" (Genesis 9:5). Les points out that the Bible was scientifically correct — medical science eventually recognized that life is in the blood. God's stipulation on the blood underscores the intrinsic value of human life.
Les describes the creation of man as the crowning act of creation. God formed man from the dust of the ground, and when He breathed into him the breath of life, man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). The word "living" means more than a lifespan of 70 or 80 years — it means eternal. Every human being is an eternal being; the body is merely a tent, a dwelling place for the real person, who is the invisible image-bearing part that God created.
The Trinity and Man's Dominion
Les shows that God the Son spoke the creation into being and that man alone was given dominion — absolute control — over all the earth, a unique position that grounds the sacredness of human life.
Human Life Has Intrinsic Value
Les explains that because man was made in God's image, his life is not cheap but of intrinsic value to God, and is connected to the blood in which the life of a human being is found.
The Crowning Act of Creation
Les teaches that man is the crowning act of creation — when God breathed the breath of life into him, he became a living soul, meaning every human being is an eternal being.
The Real You Is Eternal
Les describes the body as a tent — a dwelling place for the real person. That inner person is a direct creation of God and is eternal, just as God is eternal.
Created in God's Image
Les reiterates Genesis 1:26-27, emphasizing the plural pronouns that reveal the Trinity and affirming that man — male and female — was created in God's own image.
Life Is in the Blood
Les shows the Bible's scientific accuracy: God declared the life of the flesh is in the blood, and God requires the life of man, a stipulation rooted in human life's unique value.
Adam, a Living Soul
Les compares the first man, Adam, who was made a living soul, with the last Adam, Christ, who became a life-giving spirit — connecting man's unique creation to the Bible's larger story of life.
Capital Punishment Protects Sacred Life
Les explains that God gave government the authority to execute murderers precisely because man is made in God's image — a progression from the lawless pre-flood world to protected human life.
Genesis 1:26: 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 air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
The foundational verse showing man was created in God's image and given dominion — the basis for the sacredness of human life.
Genesis 1:27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Confirms that the image of God was actually stamped on the human race alone.
Genesis 2:7: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Describes man as the crowning act of creation — the only creature into whom God directly breathed the breath of life.
Genesis 9:4: But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
God's stipulation that life is in the blood, pointing to the unique value of living creatures, especially man.
Genesis 9:5: And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.
God requires the life of any beast or man who sheds human blood — a direct protection of human life's sacredness.
Genesis 9:6: Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
The clearest biblical explanation for capital punishment: man bears the image of God, so his life must be protected.
1 Corinthians 15:45: And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
Paul connects Adam's unique creation as a living soul with Christ, the life-giving Spirit — showing the lasting significance of human life.
The Bible says God created man "in his own image, in the image of God created he him" (Genesis 1:27). Les Feldick explains that God gave man invisible attributes — mind, will, and emotion — which are attributes of God as well. Because man's inner person came directly from the heart of God, it is eternal.
Only man was made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), and only man was given dominion over the fish, birds, cattle, and all the earth (Genesis 1:26). Les Feldick says this puts man head and shoulders above anything else in God's creation. That is why God even requires the life of a beast that takes a human life (Genesis 9:5).
After the flood, God said, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man" (Genesis 9:6). Les teaches that God gave governmental authority the right to put a murderer to death. The reason is that human life bears the image of God and must not be treated as cheap.
Yes. Les Feldick teaches that when God breathed the breath of life into man, he became a living soul, and the word "living" means eternal (Genesis 2:7). Every human being's invisible inner person — mind, will, and emotion — will never die, while the body is only a temporary tent.
Watch the Teaching: Genesis 1:26 Explained: The Trinity & The Creation of Man