God has clearly revealed Himself through His Word, declaring that He possesses form and shape. In Genesis 1:26-27, it is stated that man is made in His image and likeness, a direct and concrete resemblance, not merely an abstract concept. This image, described by the Hebrew word "tselem," means shape, figure, or resemblance, as seen consistently across scriptures like Exodus 20:4 and Leviticus 26:1, where images reflect physical forms. The Greek term "icon," used similarly in the New Testament, reinforces this idea of a direct relationship between the original and the image, as in Romans 1:23 and Matthew 22:20, where images on coins bear clear likenesses. Despite such clarity, some question whether God truly has form, suggesting His descriptions are mere figures of speech. Yet, the consistent use of terms like "tselem," "demooth," and "icon" across contexts—whether referring to idols or man's creation—indicates a physical resemblance. Scriptures like Ezekiel 1 and John 5:37 affirm that God has a visible form and an audible voice, as witnessed by those who saw and heard Him. Jesus Christ Himself taught that a spirit being's body is not vaporous but has tangible form, distinct from earthly flesh and bone, yet real and perceptible. To deny that God means what He says about His image is to cast doubt on His revelation. If man is made in His image, as Genesis declares, then God must have an outward form and shape. His purpose, evident from the foundation laid in Genesis, is to reproduce Himself, with man bearing His likeness even now, holding the potential to be exactly like Him.

Bears beget bears in their own image, and they look just like the parents. The same thing is true of bees. The same thing is true of birds, the same thing is true with dogs, with cats, or lions, or tigers, or anything. But somehow or another we are asked to believe that even though God has declared that we are His children, He is our Father, He has given us His Spirit, that somehow or another when He becomes a full-fledged Father, we are not going to be in His image. We are not going to be God as He is God. There are patterns that are established in creation by which we may understand things that would otherwise be hidden from us. The major issue is whether we can believe the simple statements given in the Bible about what God looks like. God's every revelation of Himself in His word reveals Him, shows Him, with form and shape like a man. What God has done in His word is reveal to us what He wants us to think about Him and His way of living. God establishes patterns in His word and we can never go wrong if we follow those patterns. They are models for us to follow so that we can conform our life to His way, so that we can think about Him within the correct parameters, so that we can understand the goal that lies before us, so that we can grab hold of it and give our time and energy and all of our enthusiasm and diligence over to it. We are going to be like Jesus Christ. We are going to be conformed to His image. If our Elder Brother looks and is composed of certain materials with a form and shape that was clearly recognizable and we're going to be conformed to what He looks like and what He is, isn't that simple and plain? This word image here is the Greek word icon. In these three places, we are moving into an area of likeness that indicates more than simple form. It indicates personality. It indicates character image as well. We're looking then at something that indicates other aspects of personality in which image is expanded to include the entire person. But this is not shown in the Old Testament. It is in the Old Testament that God first makes the statement that we are in His image and likeness. This does not tend to be shown in the Old Testament. It is implied there in the Old Testament. But when men say that shape and form are not included in Genesis 1, that is an outright corruption of the usages of tselem (image), demooth (likeness), and icon (in the New Testament, meaning image). There is absolutely no question about man being made in the intellectual, moral and spiritual likeness of God, but the overwhelming numbers of usages in their context have to do with form and shape. If man, then, is made in the image and likeness of God bodily, then God must have a body. That is He must have an outward form and shape. One might as well argue that tselem, demooth, and icon when they are used of idols means moral and spiritual image and likeness and not outward bodily shape. If you are going to use that argument one way in reference to God, you also have to use it the other way in reference to idols, because the same words are used for both God and idols. Tselem, demooth, and icon all refer to what can be observed by man's natural senses. Our likeness, our image of Him, extends into so many areas it's almost beyond comprehension. We can know from other portions of Scripture that this image, the created human being, is but a pale reflection of the reality and that God's creative power is still at work reproducing the image. That is, we are a work in progress and, as yet, unfinished.