When God created man, He created him in His image. Now, one can wonder what is the image of God? Is God a man; is he a woman? Why should we consider God to have flesh? Is God is flesh? Does God live by blood? Is he flesh and blood as we are? No, that is not the nature of God! The Bible clearly states that God is a spirit. God is a spirit, he is not a fleshy being. He is a spirit. Now the God who gave different kinds of flesh for different creatures on earth, what type of flesh could He Himself be made of? God is not a flesh; He is a spirit.
When we are talking about the likeness of God, we should know that of all the animals, it is only man who has reasoning ability. It is only man who can meditate on something. A cow can't meditate on the word of God. Though some animals have been cultured to be able to hear and understand some sounds and signs, they are not in the class of humans. No other creature can communicate with God. It is only humans that can reason and communicate effectively with God. So, man is in the likeness of God in ability to fellowship with God.
God is holy. He said that we should be holy as he is holy. Holiness is an attribute of God. We have that image of God. We were created in righteousness because God is a righteous God. When we walk out of holiness and righteousness, we are walking out of the image of God. So, another aspect of God’s image in us is holiness and righteousness.