Therefore, Hick says that the Augustinian theodicy is part of a ‘pre-scientific world-view.’ Thus, although the idea of the human being as the imago Dei seems plausible with most traditional theologians, sometimes the idea becomes a contradiction alongside their other thoughts. However, this should not undermine the notion totally. Instead, other theologians such as Irenaeus provide us with ideas that support the notion completely.

The Irenaean framework talks of two stages of creation. Firstly, God created in God’s image. The process of coming into God’s likeness has to happen in the second stage of creation.
Irenaeus distinguishes between ‘image’ of God and the ‘likeness’ of God, making it clear that the latter is something humans acquire after a “period of growth.” Irenaeus criticises the human race in its “immaturity,” blaming only us for our inadequacy while praising God for his “power, wisdom and immense goodness.” This triad of traits plausibly seems to be what Irenaeus wants humanity to strive for, as this is the likeness of God. Irenaeus understood this to mean that humans were created as personal and moral beings, already existing in the image of God, but not yet formed in to the likeness of God.
Therefore, the ‘imago Dei’ for Irenaeus is the potential for human beings to resemble God and his traits, and likeness is rather the actuality of this resemblance. By ‘likeness’ Irenaeus means a quality in human life that reflects the divine life. Growing into the likeness of God is the perfecting of person, which is seen as God’s ultimate purpose for humanity, ‘the bringing of many sons to glory’ (Hebrews 2:10). Therefore, we cannot have been created perfect, as this develops in the second stage of our lives.

Irenaeus’ idea of the imago Dei seems highly plausible. As God who is the pinn