Imago Dei

  Language is fundamental, a basic part of our existence.
Not only is it native to the nature of the Creator, but it is also native to the nature of the creature. As the image-bearers of God we, too, are given the great capacity for speech. In Genesis 1:26,27 we are taught that God created man. In Genesis 1:28 we are taught that God communicated with man. We are given the distinct impression that at the very moment of Adam's creation he was given the capacity for speech. He could instantaneously utter and understand language.

  Without doubt, this great capacity is a by-product of the
image of God in man. God's image in us includes what is:

• rational - the ability to think abstractly and to
   reason logically and analytically
• moral - an intuitive grasp of right and wrong, a deep
   sense of moral ought
• spiritual - an innate knowledge of God, a native
   hunger for Him and the potential for fellowship    
   with Him
• verbal - the built-in capacity for intelligent, complex
   and even symbolic communication

  It is this great gift of speech which distinguishes man from the animals. His ability to formulate and then communicate ideas is unparalleled in nature and is unique in the world of living things. The gulf between the chattering of animals and the complex communication system of mankind is completely unbridgeable by any evolutionary hypothesis. Language as we know it requires a special act of creation. As the image-bearers of our Creator, language is a fundamental part of our anatomy.

(excerpt from "Reclaiming Authentic Fundamentalism" by Dr. Douglas McLachlan)