Man and Sin by Piet Schoonenberg (1964) 2.1DG

[Why do I draw these two nested forms together?

I could say that, since God Recognizes Himself, and since we are created in the image of God, that I anticipate that human nature should participate in divine nature.

However, consider all other animals. Most animals (with few exceptions) do not recognize themselves in a mirror. They do not exhibit self-recognition. Their animal natures do not seem to hold divine attributes. However, they are not without recognition. They recognize what ‘they want to participate in’, ‘what they want to avoid’, and ‘what they can safely ignore’.

So, in as much as humans are animals, there is an analogy.

Animals participate in what they recognize.

So do humans.

Humans recognize divine nature.

Human nature is to participate in the divine nature.]