Question 14: How did God create man?

God created man, male and female, in His own image, in knowledge, righteousness, & holiness, with dominion over the creatures.

DAY 1: Genesis 1:27-28

God’s creation of man seems to be the climax of the creation week. He made an incredible universe filled with amazing things that He brought into being from nothing. At the end of the week, however, the Scripture tells us that He formed the man from the dust of the earth. Earlier, we saw that the “dust of the earth” really refers to red clay and water. While the body of man was definitely made from the earth, God breathed into him his life and spirit.

God not only made man, but He also made woman. Genesis one tells us an overview of the sixth day of creation, while Genesis two gives us a little more detail of what went on that day. We know that Adam did a lot that day. He received instruction from God about what He could eat (2:16), the consequences of failing to obey (2:17), he was given a task (2:15), and he named the animals (2:19-20). Since God saw that it was not good that man should be alone (2:18), He decided to make a helper suitable to himself. Verses 21-25 give us the account of the first surgery. God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam and opened up one of his sides and from that side, He made woman. She was to be his companion in this new world. She was specifically designed to be his helper (vs. 18).

Was man perfect in the beginning? Yes. The Bible says that the man and woman were created in the image of God. We do not mean that they were little gods. We mean that they had the ability to reason, and communicate, and that he was made in purity, righteousness, and holiness. In the beginning man was immortal. He was not subject to death. It was only after eating the forbidden fruit that man became mortal. However, his soul still remains immortal. It will go on long after the body had died. God also established man as a ruler over the earth (vs.28). The man and his wife were to subdue the earth and take dominion over it. The use of the word subdue means that they were to make use of the earth God had given them, while the phrase take dominion refers to occupying and ruling over the earth. How were they to accomplish this? It was through the first command in verse 27 and that was to “be fruitful and multiply”. They were to produce offspring. Since the world is such a large place they must be able to fill it (vs. 27) and they aren’t going to be able to do it by themselves. There must be others involved. This is also our mandate.

Though man was given knowledge, and we don’t know exactly how much, he seems to be at a dependent state in his understanding. He must be told by God what to eat and what not to eat, how he is to exercise his dominion, and how he is to respond with his new helper. Though man today is incredibly knowledgeable, he is still dependent upon special revelation from God. Without the special revelation from God, man will be lost in his endeavors in life. That special revelation comes from the Bible.

Man was not to be subject to the earth or the creatures of the earth. Rather he was to have dominion over them. The likes of many in our society to equate animals with man is silly. If those in some of the animal liberation movements would obey the divine revelation of God they would stop the nonsense that they are involved in. While we are not to mistreat the creation, God did give the command that we should subdue it. That is part of the order that God established when he made man.

DAY 2: Colossians 3:10

The passage we are looking at today is in the context of looking at our new life in Christ. If we have identified with Christ in His death and resurrection (1-3), then we are to do away with certain things (vss. 5-9). Why? Because we have put off the old man (vs. 9), and we have put on the new man (vs. 10). The old man is known by his deeds, but the new man is renewed in his knowledge. The word renewed is anakainoo, which is a compound verb that literally means “a new kind in the midst”. We have been made new creatures (2 Cor. 5:17). Our new man comes up from the midst of the old man. Our spiritual growth is dependent upon knowledge (2 Cor. 6:6; 8:7;2 Tim. 3:16-17;2 Pet. 1:5-8) . We must learn from God'’ Word HOW to put to death the deeds of the flesh, which are of the old man (vs. 9).

In verse ten we are told that we are renewed in knowledge, according to the image of Him who created him. There is a reference here back to the account in Genesis. God made man in His image. However, man, through his sin, marred the image of God in himself. The image can only be restored in Christ. Again, we have man after regeneration returning similarly to the state of Adam in that he is once again dependent upon divine revelation for direction. God has graciously provided this direction in the Scritpures. We do not return totally back to the way Adam was before the Fall. He was completely perfect, holy, and righteous. Our passage here tells us to begin to conduct ourselves that

Gen. 1:27-28; Col. 3:10; Eph. 4:24