Completing Day Six: The Creation of Mankind
Completing Day Six: The Creation of Mankind [TRANSCRIPT]
Why do you suppose that the same groups and sometime the very same individuals will march with signs declaring, “Save the Trees” or “Save the Owls,” that they will on another occasion carry signs that say, “Save Abortion!” How can such concern for nature and animals not extend to infants? It’s something to ponder. But perhaps, it’s not as much a mystery as it is a clear working and the result of a worldview that elevates nature but not the God who created it. Let’s look today at what God did as He completed day six of creation and why it matters.
In Genesis 1:26-31 we have recorded the completion of God’s creative work on day six. It says,
So now, God completes His creative work on the Earth with the making of mankind. In all of the days leading up to this point, the Scripture is clear that the creative work was not a long process but an intentional activity enacted by the command of God. God said it and it happened. That’s the creative work. Just like a story, it has a point or purpose, now we see why God made the world like He did. He was making it not only for a habitat for the creatures of the sea, the sky and the ground. He was making a habitation for mankind.
I know, that in the light of our current cultural mindset that this sounds human centric. But as we will see, that’s exactly what God declares in His Word. The human race has a central part and a purpose in the material universe. That’s not my opinion. It’s what the Word of God states.
In Mark 13:24-25 Jesus said this.
Jesus said that days will come when the heavens will be shaken. This description is expanded in Revelation 6:13,14 when it says,
This says that the physical world is not in charge of itself. The Naturalist is wrong to assume that the material world controls itself. The Creator declares otherwise. As if to make that point very distinct, we read in 2 Peter 3:10 that everything that was created will cease to continue as it is.
The final word does not come from the opinions of the experts in science or philosophy. No. The Creator declares that one day the very elements will have a finale that He determines. And while stars and mountains and trees, and all we see around us will be burned up, the same is not determined for mankind. The human race has a different place in the plan of God. In the end and in the beginning of the Story, God has determined a special purpose and creating of mankind. Now, that’s the long view in the plan of God. But let’s return to the beginning when He creates mankind.
In all of the previous descriptions of the creation days, more space is given when the Scripture describes the making of mankind. This is also an indication of man’s importance in God’s creation. In fact, Genesis 2 is an expanded retelling of God creating mankind. You’ll make note that in neither one of the descriptions in Genesis 1 or 2 is there any a hint of the idea that humans evolved. They are made by God fully human. But there’s more.
It says in verse 26, “Let Us make mankind.” Now, up to this point in God’s describing of His creative activity, the descriptions have repeatedly reading, “Let there be… let the waters brings forth… let the waters abound… let it be done.” But now there’s a personal connection declaring between God and humanity that was not announced before. It says, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness.” There is a unique connection between God and mankind that is not there with anything else that He created.
It says, “Let Us…” The complete community of God is represented here. The Trinity, acknowledged is a revealed mystery to us. But they are all here at the moment when mankind is made. It doesn’t get more personally involved than that. Before God, mankind has a unique place in the created order. We are not the accidental next step in a random evolutionary process. We are the intentional design of the Creator.
But there’s more, for God declares that we are made in His image, according to His likeness. What does it mean that we bear the Creator’s image? The simple fact that humanity is described in this way is by itself a marking of a unique difference. We did not evolve into this position. There is a designation from the beginning for us.
So, what does the “image” or “likeness” mean? The Hebrew word translated “image” is the word “tselem.” It points to a form, a phantom, a resemblance or representative figure. The word translated “likeness” is the Hebrew word “demooth.” This word describes a resemblance, a model, a shape or likeness. In both of these you have a visual representation which carry a resemblance of something that’s possibly unseen.
This representation, this image, is something that is unique to mankind and is not shared by animals.
Now remember, God is Spirit. And so, this image is not seen in the physical makeup of man. The image does refer to something in the material part of man. It therefore describes some immaterial, spiritual or a spiritual attribute of humanity. Let me insert here, that what I’m describing is before the image becomes marred by sin. Nonetheless, it touches mankind’s self-consciousness, his moral consciousness and consciousness of others. It would also include attributes of God’s character seen in mankind’s, for instance, appreciation of beauty or creative abilities. Now, these is by no means an exhaustive list, but you get the idea. The image of God placed within mankind cannot be seen by physical observation. They are inner qualities which are unique to mankind.
Also, like God we are relational beings. As God created, He looked upon His work and He pronounced that “it was good.” There’s only one time when He said otherwise. In Genesis 2:18 He said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” He therefore made someone to correspond to man and He made woman.
And regardless of what might be proclaimed by the culture, He made them male and female. This is God’s declaration and work from the beginning. Nothing humanity declares will change that. This is even seen on the genetic level. All males carry the X and Y chromosome. Females carry a pair of X chromosomes. Genetically, it is the Y chromosome that determines maleness. If an offspring inherits the X chromosome from the father, the offspring will be a female, because the females contains two X chromosomes. If an offspring inherits a Y chromosome from the father, the offspring will be a male, an X from the mother and a Y from the father. You see, this truth matters genetically.
Then comes God’s command, “be fruitful and multiply; and fill the earth.” This is accomplished within the boundary of the physical working of God’s creative order, just like before. And within the relationship of a man and a woman coming together, this is accomplished. God had purpose in creating mankind. We are not the result, again, of random undirected chance occurrences in nature. The Creator has given humanity the command to increase and fill the Earth which He made and He purposed for us. Do not allow the opinions of culture to convince you or direct you otherwise.
When God created the world, He made provision for His creation for us to fulfill this command. It says, in verse 29 and 30,
There is nothing happenchance in God’s creative work. God made the world and all those in it along with the provision that they needed for them to multiply and expand across the Earth. It was His intention “and it was so.”
But there is one other thing that God declared concerning His plan for mankind. This man who He made in His image is given a stewardship and a responsibility. He states in verse 26 what His intention is for the one who bears His image.
God lists the creatures that He made in the very order that He made them. And says that mankind is to rule, to have dominion over them. We are given the duty and the responsibility to rule over what God created. This rulership is a responsibility which carries accountability. But this accountability is not to nature but God Himself.
Part of that responsibility is seen in Adam in Genesis 2 when he is told to name the animals. He was told to tend to the garden in which he was placed in. Remember that the context of this original mandate is expressed in a world unaffected by sin. Neither he or the animal kingdom had yet experienced the turmoil that is very normal to us today. This was the original state.
What God created in the beginning for nature and mankind was ordered, pristine and ready to fulfill the purposed desires of the Creator. God looked over the completed works at the end of day six and He said, “And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” He scanned the work in its totality and He made a statement of approval. Keep that in mind as move forward in the story in the coming weeks.
Now, it is a common practice today for critics and skeptics of God and His Word to judge and measure the past by the present. This includes the declarations of the Naturalists who promote a world which is the result of life progressing out of random events. These purposeless events move through a process of survival of the fittest which somehow ended in this astounding complexity that we see. And such a meaningless process leaves both nature and mankind futilely searching for direction and significance.
Cultural norms are likewise sent adrift when they exclude the Creator. I mean, by what authority can anyone at that point rise up and direct a world and those within it if they have only themselves as a reference point for purpose either culturally and most importantly individually.
What I’m saying is this. I am not promoting a Creator so that I can have purpose and meaning in my life. I’m saying that there is a Creator. He can be seen and expressed in what He has created. We are not left with only creation to inform us though. But they are there as a witness of His eternal power and divine nature. Romans 1:20 says,
In other words, God the Creator has revealed His power in creation as well as divine nature so that it can be perceived when looking at His creation. Creation bears witness to the God who made it.
But He did more than just that. The Creator came to be among us, to show us who He is and to rescue us from the mess that has been made. Jesus is the Savior sent from God the Father to provide what we cannot provide for ourselves. John 1:14 says,
We do not judge the past by the present. The past provides a witness to show us and to instruct us of the Creator’s intentions. Although at present, the image of God in us is muted, tainted and distorted by sin, there is enough within us that remains that allows us to know. We know that we are more than material. We have been given abilities and qualities which do not exist among the animals. We know love and we perceive an absence of love. We have a moral sense about us that even without laws we can perceive injustice. We have a deep hollowness of a meaningless existence without Him. This tainted image of God recognizes that there is a spiritual part to us. So many don’t want to admit the need for God that yearns within them.
It does not need to be so. God created us with a perception to understand our need. Without God we are orphaned from meaning or a way to obtain it on our own.
Let me invite you to know your Creator. Believe in the One who made you, who loves you, who has provided a means to reunite with your Maker. His name is Jesus. He is the Savior. Turn away from your rebellion, confess your lostness and come home.
Those of us who know Him, we can tell you. This is His desire for you. He made you to know Him. It’s true. John 1:12,13 says,
Call out to your Creator. Allow Him to rescue you from yourself.
It’s the truth.
And Truth Matters.
In Genesis 1:26-31 we have recorded the completion of God’s creative work on day six. It says,
Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.” So, God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every animal of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to everything that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
So now, God completes His creative work on the Earth with the making of mankind. In all of the days leading up to this point, the Scripture is clear that the creative work was not a long process but an intentional activity enacted by the command of God. God said it and it happened. That’s the creative work. Just like a story, it has a point or purpose, now we see why God made the world like He did. He was making it not only for a habitat for the creatures of the sea, the sky and the ground. He was making a habitation for mankind.
I know, that in the light of our current cultural mindset that this sounds human centric. But as we will see, that’s exactly what God declares in His Word. The human race has a central part and a purpose in the material universe. That’s not my opinion. It’s what the Word of God states.
In Mark 13:24-25 Jesus said this.
But in those days, after that tribulation, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.
Jesus said that days will come when the heavens will be shaken. This description is expanded in Revelation 6:13,14 when it says,
and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
This says that the physical world is not in charge of itself. The Naturalist is wrong to assume that the material world controls itself. The Creator declares otherwise. As if to make that point very distinct, we read in 2 Peter 3:10 that everything that was created will cease to continue as it is.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be disclosed.
The final word does not come from the opinions of the experts in science or philosophy. No. The Creator declares that one day the very elements will have a finale that He determines. And while stars and mountains and trees, and all we see around us will be burned up, the same is not determined for mankind. The human race has a different place in the plan of God. In the end and in the beginning of the Story, God has determined a special purpose and creating of mankind. Now, that’s the long view in the plan of God. But let’s return to the beginning when He creates mankind.
In all of the previous descriptions of the creation days, more space is given when the Scripture describes the making of mankind. This is also an indication of man’s importance in God’s creation. In fact, Genesis 2 is an expanded retelling of God creating mankind. You’ll make note that in neither one of the descriptions in Genesis 1 or 2 is there any a hint of the idea that humans evolved. They are made by God fully human. But there’s more.
It says in verse 26, “Let Us make mankind.” Now, up to this point in God’s describing of His creative activity, the descriptions have repeatedly reading, “Let there be… let the waters brings forth… let the waters abound… let it be done.” But now there’s a personal connection declaring between God and humanity that was not announced before. It says, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness.” There is a unique connection between God and mankind that is not there with anything else that He created.
It says, “Let Us…” The complete community of God is represented here. The Trinity, acknowledged is a revealed mystery to us. But they are all here at the moment when mankind is made. It doesn’t get more personally involved than that. Before God, mankind has a unique place in the created order. We are not the accidental next step in a random evolutionary process. We are the intentional design of the Creator.
But there’s more, for God declares that we are made in His image, according to His likeness. What does it mean that we bear the Creator’s image? The simple fact that humanity is described in this way is by itself a marking of a unique difference. We did not evolve into this position. There is a designation from the beginning for us.
So, what does the “image” or “likeness” mean? The Hebrew word translated “image” is the word “tselem.” It points to a form, a phantom, a resemblance or representative figure. The word translated “likeness” is the Hebrew word “demooth.” This word describes a resemblance, a model, a shape or likeness. In both of these you have a visual representation which carry a resemblance of something that’s possibly unseen.
This representation, this image, is something that is unique to mankind and is not shared by animals.
Now remember, God is Spirit. And so, this image is not seen in the physical makeup of man. The image does refer to something in the material part of man. It therefore describes some immaterial, spiritual or a spiritual attribute of humanity. Let me insert here, that what I’m describing is before the image becomes marred by sin. Nonetheless, it touches mankind’s self-consciousness, his moral consciousness and consciousness of others. It would also include attributes of God’s character seen in mankind’s, for instance, appreciation of beauty or creative abilities. Now, these is by no means an exhaustive list, but you get the idea. The image of God placed within mankind cannot be seen by physical observation. They are inner qualities which are unique to mankind.
Also, like God we are relational beings. As God created, He looked upon His work and He pronounced that “it was good.” There’s only one time when He said otherwise. In Genesis 2:18 He said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” He therefore made someone to correspond to man and He made woman.
And regardless of what might be proclaimed by the culture, He made them male and female. This is God’s declaration and work from the beginning. Nothing humanity declares will change that. This is even seen on the genetic level. All males carry the X and Y chromosome. Females carry a pair of X chromosomes. Genetically, it is the Y chromosome that determines maleness. If an offspring inherits the X chromosome from the father, the offspring will be a female, because the females contains two X chromosomes. If an offspring inherits a Y chromosome from the father, the offspring will be a male, an X from the mother and a Y from the father. You see, this truth matters genetically.
Then comes God’s command, “be fruitful and multiply; and fill the earth.” This is accomplished within the boundary of the physical working of God’s creative order, just like before. And within the relationship of a man and a woman coming together, this is accomplished. God had purpose in creating mankind. We are not the result, again, of random undirected chance occurrences in nature. The Creator has given humanity the command to increase and fill the Earth which He made and He purposed for us. Do not allow the opinions of culture to convince you or direct you otherwise.
When God created the world, He made provision for His creation for us to fulfill this command. It says, in verse 29 and 30,
I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every animal of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to everything that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so.
There is nothing happenchance in God’s creative work. God made the world and all those in it along with the provision that they needed for them to multiply and expand across the Earth. It was His intention “and it was so.”
But there is one other thing that God declared concerning His plan for mankind. This man who He made in His image is given a stewardship and a responsibility. He states in verse 26 what His intention is for the one who bears His image.
Let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.
God lists the creatures that He made in the very order that He made them. And says that mankind is to rule, to have dominion over them. We are given the duty and the responsibility to rule over what God created. This rulership is a responsibility which carries accountability. But this accountability is not to nature but God Himself.
Part of that responsibility is seen in Adam in Genesis 2 when he is told to name the animals. He was told to tend to the garden in which he was placed in. Remember that the context of this original mandate is expressed in a world unaffected by sin. Neither he or the animal kingdom had yet experienced the turmoil that is very normal to us today. This was the original state.
What God created in the beginning for nature and mankind was ordered, pristine and ready to fulfill the purposed desires of the Creator. God looked over the completed works at the end of day six and He said, “And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” He scanned the work in its totality and He made a statement of approval. Keep that in mind as move forward in the story in the coming weeks.
Now, it is a common practice today for critics and skeptics of God and His Word to judge and measure the past by the present. This includes the declarations of the Naturalists who promote a world which is the result of life progressing out of random events. These purposeless events move through a process of survival of the fittest which somehow ended in this astounding complexity that we see. And such a meaningless process leaves both nature and mankind futilely searching for direction and significance.
Cultural norms are likewise sent adrift when they exclude the Creator. I mean, by what authority can anyone at that point rise up and direct a world and those within it if they have only themselves as a reference point for purpose either culturally and most importantly individually.
What I’m saying is this. I am not promoting a Creator so that I can have purpose and meaning in my life. I’m saying that there is a Creator. He can be seen and expressed in what He has created. We are not left with only creation to inform us though. But they are there as a witness of His eternal power and divine nature. Romans 1:20 says,
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
In other words, God the Creator has revealed His power in creation as well as divine nature so that it can be perceived when looking at His creation. Creation bears witness to the God who made it.
But He did more than just that. The Creator came to be among us, to show us who He is and to rescue us from the mess that has been made. Jesus is the Savior sent from God the Father to provide what we cannot provide for ourselves. John 1:14 says,
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
We do not judge the past by the present. The past provides a witness to show us and to instruct us of the Creator’s intentions. Although at present, the image of God in us is muted, tainted and distorted by sin, there is enough within us that remains that allows us to know. We know that we are more than material. We have been given abilities and qualities which do not exist among the animals. We know love and we perceive an absence of love. We have a moral sense about us that even without laws we can perceive injustice. We have a deep hollowness of a meaningless existence without Him. This tainted image of God recognizes that there is a spiritual part to us. So many don’t want to admit the need for God that yearns within them.
It does not need to be so. God created us with a perception to understand our need. Without God we are orphaned from meaning or a way to obtain it on our own.
Let me invite you to know your Creator. Believe in the One who made you, who loves you, who has provided a means to reunite with your Maker. His name is Jesus. He is the Savior. Turn away from your rebellion, confess your lostness and come home.
Those of us who know Him, we can tell you. This is His desire for you. He made you to know Him. It’s true. John 1:12,13 says,
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a man, but of God.
Call out to your Creator. Allow Him to rescue you from yourself.
It’s the truth.
And Truth Matters.
Posted in Truth Matters - with Emilio Lartigue
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