THE CREATION OF MAN
[Genesis:1:26-31 [26] 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 creepeth upon the earth. [27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. [28] And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. [29] And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. [30] And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. [31] And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. ]; [Genesis:2:1-25 [1] Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. [2] And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. [3] And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. [4] These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, [5] And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. [6] But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. [7] And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. [8] And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. [9] And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. [10] And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. [11] The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; [12] And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. [13] And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. [14] And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. [15] And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. [16] And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: [17] But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. [18] And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. [19] And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. [20] And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. [21] And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; [22] And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. [23] And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. [24] Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. [25] And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. ].
"What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?" (Psalm 8:4).
I. The Crowning Work of God's Creation
1. Man was created in God's own image and was made master over God's handiwork, [Genesis:1:26-28 [26] 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 creepeth upon the earth.
[27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
[28] And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
]; [Psalms:8:4-6 [4] What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
[5] For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
[6] Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
]; [Acts:17:28-29 [28] For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
[29] Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
].
2. The Lord had provided food bountifully for both man and beast, [Genesis:1:29-30 [29] And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
[30] And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
]; [Psalms:37:25I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
]; [Psalms:145:15The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.
]; [Isaiah:30:23Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.
]; [Isaiah:33:16He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.
].
3. God's creation was pronounced perfect, and He sanctified the day of rest, [Genesis:1:31And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
]; [Genesis:2:1-3 [1] Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
[2] And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
[3] And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
]; [Exodus:20:11For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
].
II In The Garden of Eden
1. Moisture was sent upon the earth causing the plants and herbs to grow, [Genesis:2:4-6 [4] These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
[5] And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
[6] But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
]; [Psalms:104:14He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;
].
2. God planted the Garden of Eden and placed man therein, [Genesis:2:8-15 [8] And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
[9] And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
[10] And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
[11] The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
[12] And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
[13] And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
[14] And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
[15] And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
]; [Isaiah:51:3For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
].3. Man had the privilege of eating of all trees of the Garden except one, [Genesis:2:16-17 [16] And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
[17] But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
].
III A Helpmate for Adam
1. Adam named all the creatures of the earth, [Genesis:2:18And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
] 20.
2. God provided a helpmate for Adam, [Genesis:2:21-23 [21] And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
[22] And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
[23] And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
].
3. The law of man and wife was ordained of God in the Garden of Eden, [Genesis:2:24-25 [24] Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
[25] And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
]; [Matthew:19:4-6 [4] And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
[5] And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
[6] Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
].
Last Creative Act
Man was God's last creative act. Not until the rest of the creation was completed and the earth was put in readiness to receive its master, was man created "The house," says one of the Bible students, "was builded, furnished, and amply stored, by the time the destined 'tenant' was ready to occupy it." The divine order of creation leads to the conviction that all God's handiwork was brought into being for man’s particular benefit.
"God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." (The plural pronouns "us" and "our," occurring in this verse, imply that the creation of man was the joint work of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.) No such sublime words were spoken concerning the rest of God’s creatures. Of them it was said that God created them each “after his kind."
"After Our Likeness"
Man is the only creation who was after God's likeness. "God is a Spirit," and to bear His image means to be like Him spiritually, as the Apostle Paul explains, "which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness" [Ephesians:4:24And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
]). Thus the Word of God affirms that as man was created in the beginning, there was a dividing line between him and the beast, and what marked the difference was the image of God implanted in the soul of man. God breathed into man the breath of life, and man became a living soul, and that soul never dies. Man has a God - consciousness -- that no animal has. The spirit of man goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast goeth downward [Ecclesiastes:3:21Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?
]). The doctrine, therefore, of the evolutionist who claims that man evolved from the beast, or even from a much lower order of life, is a false teaching, a profane denial Of God's Word, and a debasing theory without foundation, which would rob man of the stately position for which God designed him in the beginning.
The evolutionist cannot satisfactorily explain the origin of life. He speaks in vain of "spontaneous generation," "accidental chemical combination," and "seeds of like from other planets"; but in the light of God's Word, we must reject all these. There is not the slightest evidence that living matter could arise from nonliving matter, although diligent efforts and numerous experiments have been made to try to prove otherwise. If life could be produced by man, then the evolutionists would say they had proved their theory to be true that live came from dead matter and was not created by God.
Source of Life
Granted that live exists, the theorist has bunt great air castles of supposed happenings and reactions; but nevertheless the theorist must borrow from God's Word to secure this beginning of life. The Bible tells us where life came from: “And in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men" [John:1:1-4 [1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
[2] The same was in the beginning with God.
[3] All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
[4] In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
]).
Going to God's Word for a satisfactory answer to the origin of live, why are men not willing to believe God's Word in its true demonstration? God created the grass, the herbs, the trees, the fowl, the fish and all inhabitants of the waters, the animals, and all other living creatures, giving each the power to bring forth seed "after its kind." God's pattern was perfect, all things holding to that pattern to this day. "After its kind" is the statement of a biological principle that no human observation has ever seen to fail. The most desperate efforts of man in modern times have failed to alter that decree. Burbank produced beautiful new daisy forms, but they were still daisies, the kind that was a daisy from the beginning. A prominent English evolutionist admits that they are "no new creation," they are still "after their kind."
Formed from Dust
"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, breathed into his nostrils the breath of live; and man became a soul." The biologists of today confirm this Scripture: the sixteen or more basic elements of which man's body is composed all came out of the dust.
But the "breath of life" came from God, "and man became a living soul.” Thus he was created, not a mere animal, but a living soul. And as he came from the hand of his Creator, made in the image of God, he was perfect in body, soul, and spirit, without a blemish or taint of sin. He was the noblest specimen of God's handiwork. The Apostle Paul wrote, "We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works" [Ephesians:2:10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. ]). The Greek word translated workmanship is poema, and the literal rendering of the verse is, "We are His poem."
"God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good" -- perfect. What a happy place this world would be if it had remained in the state in which God created it -- no sin, no disease, no pain, no sorrow, no tears, no curse! Adam was in perfect communion with his Creator. In righteousness and true holiness he walked with God in the cool of the day.
God's All Seeing Eye
At the end of each day, and at the end of God's creative week, God took minute notice of all that had been accomplished, and pronounced His work good. He saw everything that He had made, and He still does; for all the works of His hands are under His eye. The heavens and the earth were created by the word of God's power, and, "by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgement and perdition of ungodly men" [2 Peter:3:7But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
]).
It seems that the children of men could learn a lesson from the manner in which God reviewed each phase of His creation. God has given man the power of thought, and a conscience to help guide him into the right pathway of life. At the end of each day, should not man look back over his works, actions, and thoughts of the day to be sure that all conforms to God’s will? Then, as the week is accomplished and man prepares to enter the day that God has set aside for rest and worship, should not man review the events of his week to ascertain that all is well between his soul and the Saviour? Following this practice, following the right and rejecting the wrong, would surely bring a man to the desired Haven: "The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened" [Proverbs:10:27The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened. ]).
The Garden of God
"The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; . . . And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food." In this beautiful Garden, God placed the man whom He had formed. God made Adam master over all that He had created, over the fish of the sea, the fowls of the air, and the beasts of the field. God brought the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air to Adam to see what he would call them; so Adam gave names to all the living creatures.
Thus in the beginning Adam was made master of the earth, and had every inducement to retain his righteousness and fellowship with God. But a provision was added to Adam's keeping his perfection, the blessings bestowed upon him, and the high position to which he was appointed: "The LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Adam's privilege of remaining in the Garden, and enjoying the good things bestowed upon him, depended upon his implicit obedience.
The condition upon which Adam could have retained his blessing is still the condition of receiving the promises and blessings that God will pour out upon the children of men today: implicit obedience. Many good and faithful promises to the believer stand out on the pages of God's Word. They are obtainable by meeting the condition of doing what "thus saith the Lord." "If ye love me, keep my commandments" [John:14:15If ye love me, keep my commandments. ]). "And his commandments are not grievous" ([1 John:5:3For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. ]).
Helpmate
God looked upon man in the Garden of Eden and saw that it was not good that man should be alone. Causing a deep sleep to come upon Adam, and taking a rib and closing the flesh in its place, God made a woman and presented her to Adam for a helpmate. Thus, in the very beginning, God ordained and stated the law of man and wife. God has never changed that law.
There are many people in the world today, even some who call themselves Christians, who feel that the law of marriage is a human institution, being validated only by the courts of the land. They say that a legal divorce is the end of a legal marriage, and both parties are free to marry again. But how different is the Word of God upon this subject! And God's law is just as forceful as ever, in spite of what men say or do. God made no provision for divorce for Adam, for God made only one woman. In speaking against divorce and remarriage, Jesus said: "Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" [Matthew:19:4-6 [4] And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, [5] And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? [6] Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. ]).
1. Why were all the other steps in creation taken before the creation of man?
2. What is said about the creation of man, which distinguishes and separates him from the other creatures?
3. It is written that man was formed out of the dust of the earth. What part of man's make up did this dust form?
4. It is also said that God breathed into man the breath of live. What part of man did the breath of live form?
5. In what respect was Adam created in the image of God?
6. Where was Adam placed after everything was in readiness for him?
7. What position or authority did God give to man?
8. In what way would Adam have proved worthy of this position?
- Login to post comments
