“For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.” - Psalm 139:13-14
Last Sunday we discussed stage 5 of creation, God’s creation of the animals, which took place on Day 5 and the 1st half of Day 6. In this morning’s message, we will talk about the 6th and final stage of creation which took place on the 2nd half of Day 6.
Before we get into it, let me point out another parallel in the structure of Days 1-3 and Days 4-6. There is continuity between Days 1 & 4, 2 & 5, and 3 & 6. This is yet another reflection of God’s wise and orderly process during creation.
Day 1: God Commands Light to Shine Day 4: God Creates the “Lights”
Day 2: God Separates the Waters Creating Day 5: God Creates Animals to Live In
Creating the Oceans and the Sky the Waters and Sky
Day 3: God Gathers the Waters to Reveal Day 6: God Creates Animals and People
Dry Land and Creates Plants to Live on Land and Eat Plants
Today’s message is titled “God Creates Mankind”. We will be studying the final verses of Genesis chapter 1. Let’s start reading with verse 26.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, so that they will have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that creeps on the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given to you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has the fruit of the tree yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that creeps on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. 31 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.
I. IN OUR OWN IMAGE
After creating the land animals, God said, “Let Us make man in Our image; according to Our likeness”. Notice the pronouns used in this verse… Us, Our, and Our. Who is God talking to? The 3 Persons of the Godhead - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - are talking to each other! This confirms that all 3 were involved in creation, as stated earlier in this series, and reveals that man bears the image of all 3 Persons of the triune God.
There are some religions and religious movements that have misinterpreted what it means to be created in the image of God. Several charismatic churches, in particular Word of Faith churches, have taught that God created mankind as divine and of the same spiritual class as Himself. This heresy is known as the “little gods doctrine”. It is soundly refuted by the remainder of Scripture. Let me be clear - people are not gods, do not have the authority of gods, and never become gods.
To be created in the image of God means that people, unlike any other of God’s creations, have an immaterial soul or spirit in addition to their physical bodies. People were made to commune with and live in relationship with God. They were made to live eternally. People also have the ability to reason, to create, to make their own decisions. They exhibit a sense of morality and naturally desire to live in fellowship with others. Mankind reflects the image of God in all these ways and more.
II. DOMINION OVER THE ANIMALS
God gave mankind dominion over the animals and told them to subdue the earth. While God certainly loves and cares for animals (as we discussed last week), He loves and values people much more (Luke 12:6-7). Animals were not created in the image of God like people were. That said, God gave man the responsibility to care for them and tend to the earth, and we should take this task seriously. We should approach this task of stewardship with a proper Biblical perspective, understanding that human welfare outweighs that of animals/nature.
III. MALE AND FEMALE
God created man in His Own image; male and female He created them. I really don’t see how this could be stated any clearer. God created 2 sexes - male and female. The rest of Scripture elaborates on these 2 genders. Anything beyond this is a fabrication of man, a perversion of God’s design, and a deception from Satan. In preparation for this message, I discovered a medical website that listed 72 additional “genders” besides male and female. I cite this as yet another example of how broken, confused, and fallen our world is.
God is spirit, and does not have a physical body like we do (John 4:24). That said, He reveals Himself to mankind in masculine terms. Words like “King”, “Father”, and so on are used throughout the Bible. When God the Son came to the earth, He was incarnated as a man (Jesus). God presents Himself as male, and intends for us to think of Him as such. That said, both male and female are created in His image. Both are equal in value and mirror His character in distinct ways that are described and distinguished throughout Scripture.
IV. GOD’S BLESSING
God blessed mankind and told them to be fruitful and multiply. We observed this same blessing and command last week during our discussion about animals. God’s blessing revealed His love and affection for humanity. He charged humanity with populating the earth. In other words, God did not create thousands of people to simultaneously fill the earth, but rather He gave this responsibility to the couple He created. We will discuss this in more detail later in this series.
V. PLANTS FOR FOOD
God stated that the plants He created, particularly the fruits and vegetables, were to be used as food for both people and animals. Originally, people were vegetarians and all animals were herbivores. No one ate meat. There was no hunting, no predators and prey, and no survival of the fittest. Animals and people lived together peacefully and harmoniously, without fear of or threat from one another. In fact, this type of blissful relationship will be restored in the Last Days (Isaiah 11:6-9).
Theologians suggest that certain animals began to become carnivorous after the Fall of Mankind. If so, this change was part of the curse that God placed upon creation. As for humanity, God didn’t make a provision for people to eat meat until after the Great Flood (Genesis 9:3). Thus, if read literally, the Bible teaches that for hundreds of years men and women were strictly vegetarians.
CONCLUSION
In closing, after creating mankind God saw that all He had made was “very good”. Up to this point, the Bible had described God’s work at the conclusion of each day or stage of creation as good. The creation of people was the pinnacle of His creative work. It was very good, the best of all He had done. The 6th day of creation was concluded.
Those who don’t believe that God created mankind and that we are all made in His image miss a foundational Biblical truth. The innate value of each person and the mutual love and respect we are to have for one another are rooted in this truth. The understanding of who we are and our reason for our existence are rooted in this truth. In fact, the remainder of Scripture is greatly undermined and hampered if you don’t accept that God created mankind.
God created you. You are made in His image, according to His likeness. He loves you. He has a purpose for your life. You are not a mistake. You may have made some mistakes - we all have - but God sent His Son Jesus to forgive and redeem you. Would you receive Him today?
Last Sunday we discussed stage 5 of creation, God’s creation of the animals, which took place on Day 5 and the 1st half of Day 6. In this morning’s message, we will talk about the 6th and final stage of creation which took place on the 2nd half of Day 6.
Before we get into it, let me point out another parallel in the structure of Days 1-3 and Days 4-6. There is continuity between Days 1 & 4, 2 & 5, and 3 & 6. This is yet another reflection of God’s wise and orderly process during creation.
Day 1: God Commands Light to Shine Day 4: God Creates the “Lights”
Day 2: God Separates the Waters Creating Day 5: God Creates Animals to Live In
Creating the Oceans and the Sky the Waters and Sky
Day 3: God Gathers the Waters to Reveal Day 6: God Creates Animals and People
Dry Land and Creates Plants to Live on Land and Eat Plants
Today’s message is titled “God Creates Mankind”. We will be studying the final verses of Genesis chapter 1. Let’s start reading with verse 26.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, so that they will have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that creeps on the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given to you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has the fruit of the tree yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that creeps on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. 31 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.
I. IN OUR OWN IMAGE
After creating the land animals, God said, “Let Us make man in Our image; according to Our likeness”. Notice the pronouns used in this verse… Us, Our, and Our. Who is God talking to? The 3 Persons of the Godhead - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - are talking to each other! This confirms that all 3 were involved in creation, as stated earlier in this series, and reveals that man bears the image of all 3 Persons of the triune God.
There are some religions and religious movements that have misinterpreted what it means to be created in the image of God. Several charismatic churches, in particular Word of Faith churches, have taught that God created mankind as divine and of the same spiritual class as Himself. This heresy is known as the “little gods doctrine”. It is soundly refuted by the remainder of Scripture. Let me be clear - people are not gods, do not have the authority of gods, and never become gods.
To be created in the image of God means that people, unlike any other of God’s creations, have an immaterial soul or spirit in addition to their physical bodies. People were made to commune with and live in relationship with God. They were made to live eternally. People also have the ability to reason, to create, to make their own decisions. They exhibit a sense of morality and naturally desire to live in fellowship with others. Mankind reflects the image of God in all these ways and more.
II. DOMINION OVER THE ANIMALS
God gave mankind dominion over the animals and told them to subdue the earth. While God certainly loves and cares for animals (as we discussed last week), He loves and values people much more (Luke 12:6-7). Animals were not created in the image of God like people were. That said, God gave man the responsibility to care for them and tend to the earth, and we should take this task seriously. We should approach this task of stewardship with a proper Biblical perspective, understanding that human welfare outweighs that of animals/nature.
III. MALE AND FEMALE
God created man in His Own image; male and female He created them. I really don’t see how this could be stated any clearer. God created 2 sexes - male and female. The rest of Scripture elaborates on these 2 genders. Anything beyond this is a fabrication of man, a perversion of God’s design, and a deception from Satan. In preparation for this message, I discovered a medical website that listed 72 additional “genders” besides male and female. I cite this as yet another example of how broken, confused, and fallen our world is.
God is spirit, and does not have a physical body like we do (John 4:24). That said, He reveals Himself to mankind in masculine terms. Words like “King”, “Father”, and so on are used throughout the Bible. When God the Son came to the earth, He was incarnated as a man (Jesus). God presents Himself as male, and intends for us to think of Him as such. That said, both male and female are created in His image. Both are equal in value and mirror His character in distinct ways that are described and distinguished throughout Scripture.
IV. GOD’S BLESSING
God blessed mankind and told them to be fruitful and multiply. We observed this same blessing and command last week during our discussion about animals. God’s blessing revealed His love and affection for humanity. He charged humanity with populating the earth. In other words, God did not create thousands of people to simultaneously fill the earth, but rather He gave this responsibility to the couple He created. We will discuss this in more detail later in this series.
V. PLANTS FOR FOOD
God stated that the plants He created, particularly the fruits and vegetables, were to be used as food for both people and animals. Originally, people were vegetarians and all animals were herbivores. No one ate meat. There was no hunting, no predators and prey, and no survival of the fittest. Animals and people lived together peacefully and harmoniously, without fear of or threat from one another. In fact, this type of blissful relationship will be restored in the Last Days (Isaiah 11:6-9).
Theologians suggest that certain animals began to become carnivorous after the Fall of Mankind. If so, this change was part of the curse that God placed upon creation. As for humanity, God didn’t make a provision for people to eat meat until after the Great Flood (Genesis 9:3). Thus, if read literally, the Bible teaches that for hundreds of years men and women were strictly vegetarians.
CONCLUSION
In closing, after creating mankind God saw that all He had made was “very good”. Up to this point, the Bible had described God’s work at the conclusion of each day or stage of creation as good. The creation of people was the pinnacle of His creative work. It was very good, the best of all He had done. The 6th day of creation was concluded.
Those who don’t believe that God created mankind and that we are all made in His image miss a foundational Biblical truth. The innate value of each person and the mutual love and respect we are to have for one another are rooted in this truth. The understanding of who we are and our reason for our existence are rooted in this truth. In fact, the remainder of Scripture is greatly undermined and hampered if you don’t accept that God created mankind.
God created you. You are made in His image, according to His likeness. He loves you. He has a purpose for your life. You are not a mistake. You may have made some mistakes - we all have - but God sent His Son Jesus to forgive and redeem you. Would you receive Him today?