The Devil and Our Being Created in the Image and Likeness of God

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I have this notion, probably through a synthesis of different facts and tenets of the Catholic Christian faith I have picked up here and there, that the Devil hates in particular our being created in the image and likeness of God. I am now seeking some references, ideally to Church documents, Doctors of the Church or Church Fathers to support that statement.

Can anyone help?
 
Very interesting topic! 🤔 Yes the devil does all he can to distort the image of God in us…bringing about sickness, possession, death, sin, and everything that separates us from God. Satan tried to get us to fall into the same deadly sin that he did - trying to exalt ourselves above God. Of the fall of man, ⬇️

CCC 398 “In that sin man preferred himself to God and by that very act scorned him. He chose himself over and against God, against the requirements of his creaturely status and therefore against his own good. Constituted in a state of holiness, man was destined to be fully “divinized” by God in glory. Seduced by the devil, he wanted to “be like God”, but “without God, before God, and not in accordance with God”.”

The devil tries to kill all good in us. And God is goodness. The devil hates the Holy Spirit and tries to put our souls to death by original sin and keeping us in the cycle of sin without finding freedom in Christ. He hates the image of God in us and so he tries to lead us to both bodily death and spiritual death. His goal is to separate us from God. And without God, we die.

CCC 400 “Harmony with creation is broken: visible creation has become alien and hostile to man. Because of man, creation is now subject “to its bondage to decay”. Finally, the consequence explicitly foretold for this disobedience will come true: man will "return to the ground,” for out of it he was taken. Death makes its entrance into human history”

So the devil led Adam and Eve into meriting physical death, which temporarily destroys the perfect harmony of body and soul, and thus destroys the fleshly likeness of God that we have been given. But Christ trampled over death (both physical and spiritual) by His life, death, and resurrection! Satan now tries to stop us from receiving the fruits of this.

Yes I’m sure Satan hates our being in the likeness of God, though he is sneaky, because he tried to tempt Adam and Eve into “becoming more like God,” by gaining knowledge of good and evil. He is the father or lies, as Jesus says.
 
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Also interesting:

Hebrews 2:14 “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil–“

So we can see that Jesus broke the reign of the devil over death by using our human “likeness” (our version of resembling God in the flesh.) Jesus is the “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) and He had human flesh, so we, who resemble Jesus in our human features, also resemble God. Which the devil must hate, because he was overcome by God using the very image He fashioned for us to wear, that is, human flesh. By Jesus’ suffering in the flesh (and spiritually) He bought us salvation. No doubt, Satan hates this! Satan hates everything that is good, and because God is good, he must hate anything that resembles His goodness. So he tries to twist it and destroy it (by death, sickness, possession, etc) and use it against us (by tempting us to gratify the flesh over the Spirit), but God works all things out for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose! (Romans 8:28)
 
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@christismylord:
I appreciate your expounding on my statement. I am still looking for a source of that teaching, however. I wanted to properly reference it in a separate argument I was going to make about a related topic.
 
I’ve never heard of that before ? Where is that written the devil dislikes our image in God.

Satan is more interested in turning people’s souls away from God I always thought.
 
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lapisque said:
I have this notion, probably through a synthesis of different facts and tenets of the Catholic Christian faith I have picked up here and there, that the Devil hates in particular our being created in the image and likeness of God. I am now seeking some references, ideally to Church documents, Doctors of the Church or Church Fathers to support that statement.
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This is an interesting theory, but I don’t know that you have any scriptural support for this idea. The Fall account doesn’t even mention Satan, it is only in the Revelation of John that we come to equate the serpent with Satan. Quite frankly, I don’t believe the Bible gives a reason for why Satan rebelled and acts as our accuser. It would be tough to write a book on mere speculation. I am not sure it adds anything to doctrine either to speculate. I would just accept what scripture says and back off where it remains silent.
 
I’m positive you can find it for free online if you’d like to read, but I’ll offer this:

In Mystical City of God - Mary of Agreda. She says that Satan and all the Angels were tested before they were given the beatific vision or hell. The Vision according the Mary of Agreda is described in Revelation 12. Apparently it describes God showing the angels that God would take on the form of man (whom the angles deemed to be lesser than themselves) and that the angels would have to serve Him (Jesus). Some didn’t like this plan, and rebelled, thus this war in Heaven which is described in the same chapter of the book of Revelation.

It makes sense to me because there couldn’t be a war in Heaven after the fact, since nothing unclean can be in Heaven. Unless this chapter is actually describing an event in the past before the Beatific Vision was merited by the faithful angels.

Hope it helps!
 
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I’d suggest reading/listening to Dr Peter Kreeft on the topic.
 
Hodos said:
Quite frankly, I don’t believe the Bible gives a reason for why Satan rebelled and acts as our accuser.
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(Isaiah 14:12–15) “How you are fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into Heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit”

(Ezekiel 28:12–17) “You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God…You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings”
 
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christismylord said:
( Isaiah 14:12–15 ) “How you are fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into Heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit”
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If you actually read this passage in context, it is talking about the King of Babylon, using the term Lucifer (which coincidentally is not coined for Satan, and is in fact used by Peter and John to refer to Christ in 2 Peter and Revelation).
christismylord said:
( Ezekiel 28:12–17 ) “You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God…You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings”
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If you read this passage in context it is describing the king of Tyre, a Phoenician city-state off the coast of Syria and Lebanon.
 
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christismylord said:
Ah you are right about Ezekiel! But for Isaiah, the USCCB interprets it to mean Satan.
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When the author of the passage says, “take up this taunt against the king of Babylon,” I go with his word first. Anything else is speculation or allegory. And again, the Hebrew terms which are translated as Lucifer (not a great translation by the way) are applied elsewhere in scripture to Christ.
 
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The general teaching I see is that both angels and man are made in the image of God, this being a reference to their intellect and will. Also, I’ve separately read that Satan was envious of man since he knew that God planned to glorify them through the Incarnation. To my knowledge there’s no strong doctrinal position on this, though.
Hodos said:
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lapisque:
I have this notion, probably through a synthesis of different facts and tenets of the Catholic Christian faith I have picked up here and there, that the Devil hates in particular our being created in the image and likeness of God. I am now seeking some references, ideally to Church documents, Doctors of the Church or Church Fathers to support that statement.
Click to expand...
This is an interesting theory, but I don’t know that you have any scriptural support for this idea. The Fall account doesn’t even mention Satan, it is only in the Revelation of John that we come to equate the serpent with Satan. Quite frankly, I don’t believe the Bible gives a reason for why Satan rebelled and acts as our accuser. It would be tough to write a book on mere speculation. I am not sure it adds anything to doctrine either to speculate. I would just accept what scripture says and back off where it remains silent.
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The Book of Wisdom–which I know is considered apocryphal by your denomination but is pre-Christian Jewish literature–also makes the connection between the serpent in Eden and the devil.
 
Wesrock said:
The Book of Wisdom–which I know is considered apocryphal by your denomination but is pre-Christian Jewish literature–also makes the connection between the serpent in Eden and the devil.
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Yeah, I figured that John was alluding to that in Revelation. Thanks for the info.
 
lapisque said:
I have this notion, probably through a synthesis of different facts and tenets of the Catholic Christian faith I have picked up here and there, that the Devil hates in particular our being created in the image and likeness of God. I am now seeking some references, ideally to Church documents, Doctors of the Church or Church Fathers to support that statement.

Can anyone help?
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I’ve never heard of that.

That said, it appears Satan’s greatest gripe is his opposition to God Himself.

Satan’s Pride makes him want to Destroy God and His works, and be Adored.
 
Wisdom 2:23-24 for God created man for incorruption, and made him in the image of his own eternity, but through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his party experience it.
 
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