INTRODUCTION

It is important we understand that when we look at man today in his state of degradation, which Scripture teaches us resulted from the Fall, the contrast between what man was and could be and what man is should be shocking to us.  The ‘flesh’, the ‘world’ and the Devil have gone to great lengths to make us forget the memory implanted in us that we were once living in our Father's ‘house’, with everything around us created in a state of perfection. As one writer says:

“It has not always been the lot of human beings to “eat with the pigs….. There was a time when being human was a phenomenal thing, when nearness to God and dominion over the earth, righteousness and intimacy with each other were the common experience”.

So we hope today that after our study we will hunger and thirst after the salvation and righteousness that God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit has provided for us. 

The invitation is clear. “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson they said be as wool”. 

The Apostle Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 1:1-5.

“Peter, and apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God's the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 

We must constantly remember that man and creation was not as they are now. 

When someone tries to explain the nature or moral state of mind of people without looking at the Genesis text and then explore the other texts which detailed who man really is, we are bound to have a dangerous psychology. This is the kind of psychology current today in academic circles which looks at man as little more than a highly evolved animal. They purport that man is driven by certain impulses (for example sexual needs) and he cannot be blamed for his actions and thoughts, for these arise from things which are either inherited or forced on him by circumstances.   

For example, we see that recently one doctor called Freud and his followers called the Neo-Freudians have proposed a view of man that divides his immaterial part into three aspects: the id, the ego, and the super-ego.  One writer comments on the influence this has had on the Christian community.

“Some psychologists who claimed to have a Christian orientation have adopted this view and replaced Freud's terminology with more biblical sounding expressions.  They see the ‘id’ as our animal instincts (this soul), the ‘super-ego’ as our conscience (the spirit), and the ‘ego’ as the self conscious arbiter (the will).

Since this cannot be supported from Scripture without distorting the context of verses used  there is no biblical governing principle to define the terms.  Therefore there are many variations of this view among its proponents.

This approach often blames the ‘soul’ for sin and makes the ‘will’ the referee which determines the course of a person's sanctification.  This has become a favourite view of the more humanistic branches of the church.” 

Different theories on the nature of man have multiplied and have led to many and varied cures for his ills and those of society.  None of these theories have ever worked.  The modern psychologists and doctors have resorted mainly to the control mechanism of pharmacology, that is, they load up people with different drugs. 

Sometimes it had been thought that education will cure whatever ails man.  At other times it is thought that the creation of what is called a “perfect society’ or a “better environment” will get rid of, or allow him to control his destructive impulses. Frankly, despite our best efforts the gains made by psychology and humanistic theories of man have not amounted to very much.  It should be clear to all thinking people that unless one listens to the Creator very little progress will be made in curing the ills of man.   

God has specifically revealed certain things about man and we must remember that we cannot redefine man's basic nature and thereby soften the reality of his present situation. If we forget what God has revealed, all that will come about is a dangerous psychology and a dangerous anthropology, which is what exists today. 

Genesis opens its revelation with the historical record of creation. Creation by God is foundational to all history and in fact is the basis of all truth and all true religion. The logic of this situation is quite clear.  If the universe came into existence by divine creation, there is God and since there is God, He is in charge, He is sovereign and sets the rules.

Christianity does not begin with accepting Jesus Christ as Saviour alone. It begins with accepting God as Creator, with Jesus being the direct instrument who was in charge of creation as we read in John 1. The real problem for many in our post-modern world is not only that they reject Jesus Christ, it's that they reject God as Creator.  For this reason we must critically examine all the assumptions of modern humanism which has created a view of man that leaves him without absolute moral responsibilities.  People love this view for they can then blame everything and everyone else for the ills of man and society.   People in the world and sadly even in the church also, like it when they can separate individuals from their actions and thoughts and so insulate them from responsibility for what they do and think. 

On the other hand, when we believe that God is the Creator and He created exactly as He revealed in Genesis, that establishes the foundation for all truth, for then God is sovereign and all truth and authority flows down from Him on all issues. 

The Book of Genesis presents man as a direct and particular creation of God. The creation of man is set forth as an act of deliberation and design in the council of the Godhead.  The subsequent unfolding of the history of mankind can only be understood and appreciated, when one realizes the nature of the qualities and attributes conferred on man at his creation.  Man is the final act in God’s week of creation. He is the pinnacle of the creation and was to preside over the preceding works.  

Genesis, particularly its early chapters speak to the most fundamental issues that pertain to humankind such as his origin, nature and destiny. Not surprising then, it has generated unending debate and discussion (see last week’s lesson).  

Our study focus is on the final climactic creation on the sixth day and this short account provides the rationale for the Christian view on man and his society. The story of man’s creation reveals a plurality in the Godhead and that man is made in the image and likeness of God. Definitions of words are therefore critical for our understanding. 

The following are some of the issues that arise from our text and they deserve special attention.

-God's plan to make man in his image and likeness.  What did this mean for us?

-The meaning of “Us” and the self- deliberation of God

-The definition of “image” and the definition of “likeness”.  How do these words teach us about the very structure of man?

-Is there anything special about the creation of man?  Was it immediate and from previously existing non-living molecular matter?  Or was he formed from already living creatures?  Or was he created out of nothing?  Did man descend from other animals and from apes? What are the implications of the different views?

-What do we mean when we say that man is the crown of creation?

-What does this text teach us about our relationship to animals and plant life?

-What does the decree of God that man have dominion over creation and subdue it really mean?

-What does the blessing of God mean and His command that man be fruitful and multiply?  What does it imply in sexual relationships and in our view of sex itself?

-Does all of this section of the text given our present condition, give us reason for a lively hope? 

It appears that when we understand that man is the climax of God's creation, we can more easily understand that man is at the center of the unfolding of redemptive history.  So this is the start of much of the doctrines that Scriptures teach.   

If we do not understand this lesson, it will be difficult to properly understand what redemption is all about; for the doctrine of redemption flows from this text. If this text was not there, there would be no need for the amazing overflow of the mercy and grace of God when man fell.  

So we begin to look at the reasons for the love of God and we are given a first marvellous glimpse and insight into the very nature of our God and the Father, His beloved and only Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

We noted that the land animals were divided into three categories mentioned in verses 24, 25 and verse 26. There was the category of cattle which were domestic animals, animals that could be tamed. The creeping thing was the group that lived low to the ground, from insects to rodents and reptiles and so forth. Then there were the beast of the earth which no doubt refers to the higher non-domesticated four-legged animals that walk the earth. The completion of this phase of creation was the final piece in putting together a perfect environment for man.

God placed his signature on creation up to this point with the statement; God saw that it was good.

Verse 26-27.   ...Let us make man…This first line makes one of the most profound statements in the Bible concerning the origin and nature of man and an equally important statement about God. God’s first words concerning man are in sharp contrast to those to the rest of His creation. Up to this point regarding the creation we have been reading some ponderous statements that all began with

“Then God said…here we read let us!

Two points are immediately clear, God is in some form a plurality and man will be a special creation. This is not a proof text for the Trinity as that revelation, though it is referred to in the Old Testament, is made absolutely clear in the New Testament. The door however is opened to an understanding of our Triune God.

Pagans at this time believed in a multiplicity of gods and coupled with other statements in the writings of Moses, the Israelites who first had this revelation would understand their Creator God was very different from the gods of the other nations. He was the God of the covenant and there were reasons why he would enter into covenant with them.

It is very important for us to understand the kind of fantasies that existed about man's creation.  We looked at one in the previous lesson.  Let us not think however that it was only ancient peoples who had these kinds of ideas. One writer tells us about Greek mythological stories of creation which we will briefly relate.  Let us be mindful that many of these Greek ideas are extremely influential in our modern culture and accordingly we should be very careful when we adopt some modern concepts, for they are based on corrupted pagan ideas. As we read this, note carefully how corrupted the pagan accounts were from the original truth given to man. Also note the attempt to shift all moral responsibility from man, for here he is really the victim of the gods and of circumstances.  Nowadays modern man tries to do the same thing in different ways.

Note also that this is the kind of intellectual and religious climate in which the Apostles worked.  Greek thought and its many mixtures of ideas they had adopted from other nations had spread all over the world. 

Not surprising, corrupt man created corrupt gods.  The Apostles had an uphill task in spreading the true words of God.  Its success in reaching the hearts of men was solely due to the power of the Holy Spirit. So we don't have to be afraid in witnessing of this truth of the Creator God, the Designer, the one omnipotent and omniscient God of grace. So let us not falter as we spread the truth of the creation of man.  Under the power of the Spirit Christianity spread all over the world and saved many.  We have the same opportunity since we have the power of the Spirit.

Let us look at this perverted story from an intellectual tradition which we inherit. There was a group called Titans which fought unsuccessfully with the gods of Olympus.  A couple of these demi-gods who had not fought against the Olympians were given the task of creating man. One called “Prometheus shaped man out of mud, and Athena breathed life into his clay figure. Prometheus had assigned Epimetheus the task of giving the creatures of the earth their various qualities, such as swiftness, cunning, strength, fur, wings.  Unfortunately, by the time he got to man Epimetheus had given all the good qualities out and there were none left for man. So Prometheus decided to make man stand upright as the gods did and to give them fire.

Prometheus loved man more than the Olympians, who had banished most of his family to Tartarus.  So when Zeus (the father of the gods and the chief god) decreed that man must present a portion of each animal they sacrificed to the gods Prometheus decided to trick Zeus.  He created two piles, one with the bones wrapped in juicy fat, the other with the good meat hidden in the hide.  He then bade Zeus to pick.  Zeus picked the bones.  Since he had given his word Zeus had to accept that as a share for future sacrifices.  In his anger over the trick he took fire away from man.

However, Prometheus lit a torch from the Sun and brought it back again to man.  Zeus was enraged that man again had fire.  He decided to inflict a terrible punishment on both man and Prometheus.

To punish man, Zeus had Hephaestus create a mortal of stunning beauty.  The gods gave the mortal many gifts of wealth.  He then had Hermes gives the mortal a deceptive heart and a lying tongue.  This creation was Pandora, the first woman.  A final gift was a jar which Pandora was forbidden to open.  Thus completed, Zeus sent Pandora down to Epimetheus who was staying among the men.

Prometheus had warned Epimetheus not accept gifts from Zeus, but, Pandora's beauty was too great and he allowed her to stay.  Eventually, Pandora's curiosity about the jar she was forbidden to open became too great.  She opened the jar and out flew all manner of evils, sorrows, plagues, and misfortunes.  However, the bottom of the jar held one good thing-hope.”

So let us not give undue respect to pagan traditions and to the current teachings of men.  They are simply distortions of the original truth.

Here is a foundational and absolute truth of God.  There is one God the Father, one Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and one Holy Spirit.  Genesis 1 tells us they deliberated among themselves in their divine and inimitable fashion and created man differently from any of the other creatures.

…in our image, after our likeness, man is clearly marked out as unique in creation. He alone bears the image and likeness of God but how does man bear the image and likeness of God.  It means we are not animals higher or lower. It means we didn't evolve from monkeys or any other thing. Man was created on a divine pattern in his responsibilities to God and in his attributes. Furthermore in chapter two we are told God breathed into man and he became a living soul.

Though he was made from the dust of the ground part of his constitution comes directly from God. The essence of man cannot be reduced to any chemical formula nor can it be seen in DNA. So man is portrayed as being in nature and yet over nature.

Man is to be related to the Eternal Being. God and man shared a “likeness” that is not shared by other creatures. The relation however, is not to be in matter, but in form; not in essence, but in semblance and this precludes all pantheistic notions of the origin of man.

It is clear at this stage of revelation that there was “likeness” at the creation of man.  A relationship of extremely close fellowship can thus exist between God and man and this relationship is unlike that with the rest of his creation, a creation which God loves and had declared to be good.

God's covenant at Sinai with Israel and His covenant with us who are grafted into the original ‘Olive tree’ is a real relationship. Without ‘likeness’ this covenant would be unthinkable.  This is what is called often “abstract similarity”.

It is also clear from this term as well as that of “image” that there are at least two distinct essences working in union in the individual person, so that he has a complete human nature.  So Romans 8:10 can tell us, “If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.”

And “Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit” (2 Corinthians 7:1).

"Image" is a word taken from sensible things, and denotes likeness in outward form, while the material may be different. "Likeness" is a more general term, indicating resemblance in any quality, external or internal.

The image of God indicates attributes and personality. Man is a person. He is self-conscious and has reason rather than the instinct found in animals. Man has the ability to think, appreciate beauty, feel emotion and be morally conscious. He can and feels the need to personally relate to others and especially to God. 

God's image in man consists in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness, (Ephesians 4:24,

Col. 3:10). According to the Scriptures he has the capability to be holy and righteous. He has the ability to be sanctified and to obey God.

Another expression of God’s image is man’s mandate to rule and have dominion over all of God’s creation. So man is rational, moral and he rules and these qualities and functions totally separate him from the animals.

It is noteworthy that man is plural because man is a collective term and that's why it says, Let us make man… and then, let them have dominion… “Man” refers to mankind, not Adam and so God could say “them”.

…male and female defines the sexuality of the human race. Adam was not created as an androgynous being (him) but distinctly male and Eve explicitly female.

Note that God created “them” and so clearly they did not evolve from any lower life form.  There is an unbridgeable gap between human life and animal life but because God is the same designer, we are biologically similar in certain respects.

So the incarnation was truly possible, for God in the form of the Second Person of the Trinity could really become man.

So we note now that human life has intrinsic value.  This is not just a “quality of life” matter.  Human life is made in the image of God and so human life has intrinsic value.

The image is as God puts it “Our image”.  Of course God does not have a human physical body for He is spirit.  But man's physical body can do many of the things that God does such as see, hear, think, plan and so on.

So made in God's image and likeness we are aware of our selves, aware of each other, and are aware of the living God himself.  We have the capacity to worship God, humble ourselves, praise Him and know that He is the only One who makes order out of the events of life.

So brethren, all of this is deep down inside us no matter where we live, no matter how destructive our lives have been, no matter that we have been ‘eating with the pigs’. We undoubtedly know we are different, that we are persons and that He exists and that He alone is God.

Verse 28.  God gave His approval and satisfaction with His creation in blessing the man and woman and gave them their mandate.

Here is God’s design for marriage and procreation. There is no room or allowance made for homosexuality or any other deviant sexual behaviour. Homosexuality is a sin as any other act so defined by the Scriptures and its solution is the same as that of any other sin; the ‘blood’ of Christ cleanses from all sins!

It is clear then that men are not women, and women are not men and so there is no rational justification for the gender confusion which exists today.  A man should not try to be a woman and neither should a woman try to be a man.  Any such attempt produces something that is sad and quite depraved.  The differences between men and women that God made are not accidents, but are designed to be good and meaningful.

This concept of “superiority” is mistaken and it is foolish to wonder if men or women are superior to the other.  Both genders have their place and their roles and the place and roles for both were created by God.

Note here that God's blessing is intended to make man procreate in spite of death which would come because of sin.  God knew sin and death would come and He pronounced his blessing so that death would not rule over man in such a way that he would be wiped from the face of the earth.  The blessing of God denotes and enables human fertility which of course would help him achieve dominion.  These desires are built into both men and woman and God has established how these desires should be met and fulfilled.

Man, the plural, is to exercise dominion and rule over the creation as appointed by God. Power is accorded to man according to his creation (verse 26). One writer notes:

“…Without a special permission he cannot exercise any lawful authority. For the other creatures are as independent of him as he is of them. As creatures he and they are on an equal footing, and have no natural fight either over the other. Hence, it is necessary that he should receive from high heaven a formal charter of right over the things that were made for man. He is therefore authorized, by the word of the Creator, to exercise his power in subduing the earth and ruling over the animal kingdom. This is the meet sequel of his being created in the image of God”.

Man’s dominion is not limited to the mere supply of his natural needs, for which provision is made in the following verse, but to the accomplishment of his various purposes as he sees fit. Still it is the part of moral reason to employ power for the general good, and so the rule of man should benefit the whole creation.

This raises the issue of man's stewardship and his accountability, and this is discussed in subsequent chapters in Genesis.  One writer comments:

“The dominion God gives human beings, mentioned twice in these verses, is important.  Everything else that exists should be under the care of human beings like us.  We should serve what exists, be mindful of what is beautiful, give order to what is difficult, enhance what should grow.

We were placed in dominion over all the created things, but not to abuse them, ruin them

or indulge our short-lived pleasures. 

This has profound implications for progress in technology, for government priorities.

On the other hand, we were not to worship the environment or let the creation rule over us.  We don't find the earth to be a goddess or the planets gods.

We don't find ourselves falling under the spell of created things and natural processes, reducing ourselves beneath them.  We neither abuse them or worship them, but serve them and care for them, bringing order as God's regents over the creation.”

Verse 29-30.   In these verses God’s care and concern for all His creatures is seen as He provides their food which is to be vegetarian and fruits, but there is a sense of unlimited variety in their choices. God is clearly concerned about the animals and all the creatures He made.

From this it seems that animals were not to be slaughtered for food, nor were animals to become prey for other animals. Note that death did not exist at the creation.

The current condition with the violent preying of animals on weaker animals and men having them both for food is not a primary law of nature, nor a divine institution founded in the creation. It was not until after the flood, that men received authority from God to eat the flesh of animals as well as the green herb as food (Gen 9:3). 

Isaiah 11:6-8; 65:25 description of the millennial kingdom which is a sort of restoration of Edenic conditions sees no carnivorous animals. The Messiah removes the ‘curse’ from the earth and the complete transformation of the world into the kingdom of God is described as being accompanied by the cessation of slaughter and the eating of flesh, even in the case of the animal kingdom.

Verse 31.   A general review and approval statement is now at the end of the creation work. The time period is again emphatically announced and sets the stage for God’s holy Sabbath Day, the next institution established before the ‘Fall’ and enjoined on all men according to God’s example.

God’s stated approval of both his physical creation and government over the creation eliminates any thought of inherent sin in man or the creation. God saw everything that he had made, all the works of his hands.  He was omniscient as well as omnipotent.  He was pleased with what He had done.  He reflected on his works.  He knew all his works and they were well made with no flaw or defect.

CONCLUSION

So we are back to the thought, What is man that God is mindful of him?

We cannot look at man’s degradation without understanding the contrast between what man was, could be and what man is now.  The disastrous results of sin are quite clear, for because of sin the divine commands that God gave man at the dawn of history has not been fulfilled properly.

Jesus knew the secret of manhood, the knowledge that had been lost, for when He was among us He  did His work in complete reliance on the work of the Father in him.

We must remember that anything that man creates is slanted toward evil.  He still knows moral values but he denies those and when he does evil he rationalizes what he does.  When God changes and sanctifies us He will look at us and see His image and likeness and know that it is pure.

So as a previous lesson taught us, God will come and sit as a refiner and purifier, melting away the dross which will then floats to the surface so it can be skimmed off and thrown away.

The creation account gives the lie to so-called creation myths in the days of Moses and does likewise to those current in our day.

Genesis is forceful that God created man in His own image, created man to be king of the earth, created man to procreate, to propagate and fill the earth with others who would be made in the image of God. He created man to enjoy the bounty of His blessings.

The account shows that God is sovereign and all-powerful and that God is no mere force, but a Person.  God eternal attributes of immortality, omniscience, omnipotence and goodness are all on display in creation. Consequently, men should submit to the God of creation in fear and obedience.

Christians can find comfort in times of distress and difficulty, knowing that their creator is able and willing to deliver them and we should be humbled by the wisdom of God and trust him to meet all our needs. So we can close by quoting from Colossians 3:9-10.

“Do not like to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices and have put on the new nature which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator”. RSV. 

So why does God often take us through terrible disappointments, wrenching heartaches, hard trials, pressures, tribulations, temptations and times of failure?  Why does he sometimes, though not as often as we would like, balance these times of distress with joy, some blessings, some ecstasy in the Lord? What is he doing?  He is refining the silver so that He can see His likeness in us! He is conforming us to the image of his Son as Romans 8:29 reminds us.  He is changing our shame into glory.