50、上古教会对主“形像”的理解无法用语言来表达。人完全没有意识到这一事实：主通过天使和灵人掌管他，至少有两个灵人和两位天使与每个人同在。他通过灵人与灵人界联系，通过天使与天堂联系。人若非通过灵人与灵人界联系，通过天使与天堂联系，根本无法存活。他的整个生命都取决于这种联系；如果灵人和天使真的退离，他必瞬间灭亡。
只要一个人仍未重生，他就以完全不同于他重生时的方式被掌管。只要他未重生，恶灵就与他同住，并如此掌控他，以致天使虽同在，却几乎什么也做不了，只能分散他的注意力，防止他陷入最糟糕的邪恶，把他转向某种良善。事实上，他们甚至利用他自己未重生的欲望把他引向良善，利用他的感官幻觉把他引向真理。这时，他通过与他同住的灵人而与灵人界联系，但没有如此与天堂联系，因为恶灵掌权，天使只是预先阻止他们，转移他们的影响。
然而，当他重生时，天使便掌权，把各种良善和真理，以及邪恶和虚假的可怕和恐惧吹入他。天使的确引导人，但他们只是仆人或辅助者；唯独主通过天使和灵人掌管一个人。由于天使有辅助作用，所以本节经文以复数形式说：“我们要照着我们的形像造人”。但由于唯独主掌权和管理，所以下节经文以单数形式说：“神就照着自己的形像创造人”。主在以赛亚书清楚说明了这一点：
耶和华你的救赎主如此说，祂从子宫中形成了你；我耶和华是制造万物、独自铺张诸天、凭自己铺展大地的。（以赛亚书44:24）
天使自己也承认他们没有任何能力，唯独靠主行动。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]50. What the people of the earliest church meant when they spoke of the Lord's image involves more than can be put into words.
People have no idea whatever that the Lord governs them through angels and spirits, or that at least two spirits and two angels accompany each of them. The spirits create a link with the world of spirits,{*1} and the angels create one with heaven. We cannot possibly live without a channel of communication open to the world of spirits through spirits and to heaven through angels (and in this way to the Lord through heaven). Our life depends totally on such a connection. If the spirits and angels withdrew from us, we would be destroyed in a second.
[2] As long as we are unregenerate, we are governed in a completely different way than the regenerate. Before regeneration we have with us evil spirits whose grip on us is so strong that the angels, though present, can achieve hardly any results. All they can do is head us off from rushing into the worst kind of evil and divert us toward some form of good. They even use our own appetites to lead us toward good, and the illusions of our senses to lead us toward truth. Under these circumstances we communicate with the world of spirits by means of the spirits around us but not so much with heaven, since the evil spirits are in charge and the angels only deflect their influence.
[3] When we are regenerate, on the other hand, the angels are in charge, inspiring us with all kinds of goodness and truth and instilling a horror and fear of evil and falsity.
Angels do give us guidance, but they are mere helpers; the Lord alone governs us, through angels and spirits. Since angels have their assisting role, the words of this verse appear in the plural — "Let us make a human in our image." But since only the Lord rules and manages us, the next verse uses the singular — "God created the human in his image." The Lord states his role clearly in Isaiah:
This is what Jehovah has said, your Redeemer and the one who formed you from the womb: "I, Jehovah, make all things, stretching the heavens out on my own, spreading the earth out by myself." (Isaiah 44:24)
The angels themselves confess that they have no power but act only at the Lord's behest.
Footnotes:
{*1} On the world of spirits, see note 3 in 0. [LHC]
Potts(1905-1910) 50
50. The Most Ancient Church understood by the "image of the Lord" more than can be expressed. Man is altogether ignorant that he is governed of the Lord through angels and spirits, and that with everyone there are at least two spirits, and two angels. By spirits man has communication with the world of spirits, and by angels with heaven. Without communication by means of spirits with the world of spirits, and by means of angels with heaven, and thus through heaven with the Lord, man could not live at all; his life entirely depends on this conjunction, so that if the spirits and angels were to withdraw, he would instantly perish. [2] While man is unregenerate he is governed quite otherwise than when regenerated. While unregenerate there are evil spirits with him, who so domineer over him that the angels, though present, are scarcely able to do anything more than merely guide him so that he may not plunge into the lowest evil, and bend him to some good-in fact bend him to good by means of his own cupidities, and to truth by means of the fallacies of the senses. He then has communication with the world of spirits through the spirits who are with him, but not so much with heaven, because evil spirits rule, and the angels only avert their rule. [3] But when the man is regenerate, the angels rule, and inspire him with all goods and truths, and with fear and horror of evils and falsities. The angels indeed lead, but only as ministers, for it is the Lord alone who governs man through angels and spirits. And as this is done through the ministry of angels, it is here first said, in the plural number, "Let us make man in our image;" and yet because the Lord alone governs and disposes, it is said in the following verse, in the singular number, "God created him in His own image." This the Lord also plainly declares in Isaiah:
Thus saith Jehovah thy Redeemer, and He that formed thee from the womb, I Jehovah make all things, stretching forth the heavens alone, spreading abroad the earth by Myself (Isa. 44:24). The angels moreover themselves confess that there is no power in them, but that they act from the Lord alone.
Elliott(1983-1999) 50
50. What the Most Ancient Church understood by 'the image of the Lord' exceeds everything one can say about it. Man is totally unaware of the fact that the Lord is governing him by means of angels and spirits, and that at least two spirits and two angels are present with everyone. By means of the spirits he is in communication with the world of spirits, and by means of the angels with heaven. Without this communication with the world of spirits by means of the spirits, and with heaven by means of the angels, and so by means of heaven with the Lord, a person cannot exist at all. His entire life depends upon that link, and if the spirits and angels were to withdraw he would perish instantly.
[2] As long as a person remains unregenerate he is governed in an entirely different way from when he is regenerate. As long as he is unregenerate, evil spirits reside with him, who have such dominion over him that angels, though present, can accomplish little more than simply distract him from plunging into utter evil and so divert him towards something good. Indeed they use his own unregenerate desires to divert him towards good, and his illusions of the senses to do so towards truth. At that point he is in communication with the world of spirits by means of the spirits who reside with him, but not in the same way with heaven, for the reason that evil spirits have dominion and angels simply forestall them.
[3] When however he is regenerate it is the angels who then have dominion, and they breathe into him every kind of good and truth, as well as a horror and dread of evils and falsifies. Angels do indeed lead, yet they are but servants, for it is the Lord alone who, by means of angels and spirits, governs a person. Now because this is done through the ministry of angels, it is said here, in the plural first of all, 'Let Us make man in Our image'. Yet because it is still He alone who rules and disposes, it is said in the following verse, in the singular, 'God created him in His image'. This the Lord also states plainly in Isaiah,
Thus said Jehovah, your Redeemer, He who formed you from the womb, I Jehovah make all things, stretching out the heavens Alone, spreading out the earth by Myself. Isa 44:24.
Angels themselves also profess that no power at all resides with themselves but that they act from the Lord alone.
Latin(1748-1756) 50
50. Quid Antiquissima Ecclesia per 'imaginem Domini' intellexerunt, plura sunt quam ut dici possint. Homo nescit prorsus quod regatur a Domino per angelos et spiritus et quod apud unum quemvis hominem sint ad minimum bini spiritus et bini angeli; per spiritus fit communicatio hominis cum mundo spirituum, et per angelos, cum caelo; absque communicatione hominis per spiritus cum mundo spirituum et per angelos cum caelo, et sic per caelum cum Domino, nequaquam vivere potest; vita ejus pendet prorsus a conjunctione illa; si recederent spiritus et angeli, momento periret. Quamdiu homo non regeneratus est, regitur prorsus aliter quam cum regeneratus; cum non regeneratus, apud eum sunt spiritus mali qui dominantur ita super eum ut angeli tametsi adsunt, vix quicquam efficere possint qua solum dirigere ne praecipitet se in ultimum malum, et flectere eum ad quoddam bonum, et quidem per propria ejus cupiditates ad bonum, et per fallacias sensuum ad verum; tunc communicationem habet cum mundo spirituum per spiritus qui apud eum, sed non ita cum caelo, quia spiritus mali dominantur et angeli solum avertunt. Cum autem regeneratus est, tunc dominantur angeli et omnia bona et vera ei inspirant, ac horrorem et timorem pro malis e falsis. Angeli quidem ducunt, sed solum ministrant, nam Dominus solus est qui hominem regit per angelos et spiritus; et quia fit ministerio angelorum, hic primum dicitur in plurali, 'faciamus hominem in imaginem nostram'; sed quia solus usque regit et disponit, in subsequente versu dicitur in singulari, 'creabat Deus illum in imaginem Suam'; quod etiam Dominus clare dicit apud Esaiam, Ita dixit Jehovah Redemptor tuus, et Formator tuus ab utero, Ego Jehovah facio omnia, extendens caelos Solus, expandens terram a Me Ipso, xliv 24. Ipsi angeli etiam fatentur quod nihil potestatis apud eos, sed quod Solo Domino agant.