God created man in his image,is it literal or figurative? The one speaking is a spirit we know by the bible that God is a spirit. In the book of john 4 verse 23 and 24, but the hour cometh and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the father in spirit and I truth, for the father seeketh such to worship him.
Verse 24, God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. That is the principle that we must believe about God. He is a spirit now he said, in Genesis 1 verse 26 that and God said,let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepth upon the earth.
So,it is not a physical likeness,neither will it be a figurative likeness because God is a spirit, it is a spiritual likeness that God mention in the verse. Psalm 17 verse 15, as for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness. The likeness of God is righteousness, As he is righteous, he made us righteous also. As he is holy, he made man holy also. Let us read Ecclesiastes 7 verse 29, lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright, but they have sought out many intentions. "God hath made man upright," righteous,holy but man have sought out many inventions. Let us make man after our image, after our likeness, he means, has is holy , as he is righteous, he going to become a man and that was the state of Adam when he was created.