Since the so-called Church Fathers, the idea gradually emerged that all human beings bear the image of God, regardless of their relationship with Him.
Medieval scholasticism adopted this idea and turned it into a theological axiom, until it became almost a sine qua non of Christianity.
The problem is that this claim is never stated explicitly in Scripture. The Bible clearly speaks of likeness, but reserves the image of God for Christ — the true Man.
In the New Testament, human beings are not described as possessing the image, but as being called to be transformed into His image.
When tradition becomes more authoritative than the text, we no longer interpret Scripture — we correct it.
Perhaps it is time to return to the Bible and ask again:
What does Scripture actually say?
For clarification, please read the short document available at the link below: