The word image is selem in Hebrew, and it can be translated “idol” or “statue.” An idol is a visible representation of an invisible being. A statue was put in the temple of every god in the ancient world so the worshiper could see what that god was like. We are God’s statues. His selem. We were put on earth — because the entire cosmos is this God’s temple — to make visible the invisible God. To show the world what God is like. We are the Creator’s representatives to his creation.
