Creation (Man)

Genesis 1:26–31
» View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway)

In the previous passage God made the large and small earth animals. The earth was now beautiful and filled with living creatures; however, there  was no one whom He could love and fellowship with and who could love and talk to Him in return. At this point God made man in His own image and in no way is he related to the beasts (vv. 26-31). Being in God’s image means that humans share, though imperfectly and finitely, in God’s nature, that is, in His communicable attributes (life, personality, truth, wisdom, love, holiness, justice), and so have the capacity for spiritual fellowship with Him. Though man was the last creature mentioned in the account, he did not evolve; he was created.

What animal can transmit accumulated achievements from one generation to another? What animal experiences a true sense of guilt when it does wrong? What animal ever learned to read and write or set goals and achieve long range objectives? What animal ever learned to cook its own food, make clothes or invent things? What animal ever enjoyed a hearty laugh? What animal has the gift of speech? Even the most primitive human tribe possesses complex linguistic abilities. Physically, he alone has the ability to communicate, and spiritually has the capacity to know the will of God.

God desired someone like Himself so on the sixth day God formed the first man’s body out of the dust of the ground and he breathed His own breath into this body and man became alive (Gen. 2:7):

1.  A Body - “The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground.

2.  A Spirit - “and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life”

3. A Soul - “and man became a living soul.”

After God’s own life was breathed into man’s spirit He called the first man He created Adam. God gives Adam  dominion over the creatures (v. 28) and later we find he gives them their name (Gen. 2:20).

Application