The Creation on Man – In God’s Image
Who is Man?
Before Man, before the Angels of heaven – before the heavens and the Earth were created – God was One – The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In the exercise of His will He brought forth life – for His own glory.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. John 1:1–3
Jesus is the image of the invisible God , the firstborn of all creation: for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him. Colossians 1:15
In God’s works of creation, He desired to glorify Jesus – the Son of God. But, man was not the first of God’s creation. The bible paints a picture of beauty. Untold numbers of spirits – in various forms – performing various duties.
Foremost among them was “Lucifer.”
“You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering… You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I established you…”
Ezekiel 28:12–15:
God created man and angels with the freedom to choose whom they would serve. Lucifer was not content with being a creation – he wanted to be like the creator.
12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! … For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.”
Isaiah 14:12–14
Lucifer said “I will be a god.” – But, he lacked the power or authority to usurp God’s will. And, there can only be one God. Thus, he separated from, God’s will – in order to goes his own way. And will utimately be judged.
God was not finished with His creation.
God is spirit and so are the angelic host. The decision to create man deviates from this form. In His desire, God chose to create a physical world with physical beings.
“The first man was from the earth, a man of dust.”
1 Corinthians 15:47
The physical limitations were not subordinate to role.
“4 What is man that You think of him, And a son of man that You are concerned about him? Yet You have made him a little lower than angels and You crown him with glory and majesty!”
Psalm 8
“For He did not subject to angels – the world to come…”
Hebrews 2:5
While the angelic host managed the heavens, man was intended to rule the Earth. Further, unlike the angels – Man was to be the manifestation of God Himself.
26 “Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness and let them rule … “
Genesis 1:26–27
In creation, God forms the earth out of nothing. God wills the universe into existance, but then – instead of creating man from nothing – He creates man out of the earth. He used the earth He had already made. The body is not made to be eternal – it is physical, it is dust.
I said to myself regarding the sons of mankind, “God is testing them in order for them to see that they are as animals, they to themselves.”For the fate of the sons of mankind and the fate of animals is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath, and there is no advantage for mankind over animals, for all is futility. All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust.
Ecclesiastes 3
However, next God “Breathes” life into man – the created spirit which will be eternal.
“Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living person. Genesis 2:7
God did not create the angelic host to populate through sexual relations. But He did want man to be fruitful – to multiply – and fill the earth. God recognized Adams need for a partner.
18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”
Genesis 2:18
“male and female he created them”
Genesis 1:27–28
Interestingly, God did not make Eve from the dust like Adam. She was taken from out of Adam.
He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.
And the
Lord
God built a woman from the rib which He had taken from the man,
Genesis 2:21-24
“bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.”
Genesis 2:21–24
Adam and Eve were the first of their kind. There were no other humans before them or with them. Eve was to be the mother of all humans.
20 Now the man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all the living – Genesis 3
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.”
Genesis 1:28
Adam was given authority to subdue and rule over all the earth and everything within it. Adam (and Eve) would bring a generation of beings unlike the angels.
The glory of mans creation would reflect the image of God to all creation. This would be fulfilled later …
“Jesus is the image of the invisible God…”
Colossians 1:15
Abraham was chosen to show the nations the Image of God …
“19 For I have chosen him (Abraham), so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice…”
Genesis 18:19
And, we would be commanded to do likewise…
“… Put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”
Ephesians 4
But, as with Lucifer, we have a warning …
2 “I am the LORD your God, “You shall have no other gods before (except) Me.”
Exodus 20
The purpose of obedience is also abundantly clear:
4 “Hear, Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is (the only) one! 5 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength… 13 You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name. 14 You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, 15 for the LORD your God who is in the midst of you is a jealous God; so follow Him, or else the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth… 25 And it will be righteousness for us if we are careful to follow all this commandment before the LORD our God, just as He commanded us.”
Deuteronomy 6:4