Creation: Genesis 1:26-2:7 — David Oliver

Humanity Made in the Image of God

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, even to its smallest creature, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

So God created man in his own image. In the image of God created he him. Male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said, Unto them be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth, creepeth upon the earth.

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed. To you it shall be for food, for meat, and to every beast of the field, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth wherein there is life.

I have given every green herb for meat, and it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made, and God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth. When they were created in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, and every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground, and the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.".

Now the outline includes verse 8 in this Bible reading and in the next Bible reading, and being very generous of heart I'm going to give that to the next Bible reading, because it actually belongs with the truth that's developed from verse 9 and so on.

The Reliability of Scripture and the Challenge of Doubt

Now it is a great privilege to be together to consider subjects as awesome and important as the subject we are looking at. I just want to give a personal note if you'll allow that. It is not something that I like to do in general, but just to underline the relevance of what we're looking at, my mind goes back to college days, and while in the grace of God I was preserved from a moral fall, I had a spiritual fall.

I was overcome, this is an admission of my own spiritual failure, but I was overcome with all the insinuations of instructors in every class assailing the existence of God and the existence of the order of a Creator, and all of those things.

In every class, except the language classes probably, in every class my faith was assailed, and I did not have answers, I did not know, and I think it is our responsibility not only to provide young believers with answers from the word of God, but to provide all of us with the capability of giving those answers to fellow believers, because the Lord said to Peter, take care of the sheep and then take care of the land.

So we do have a responsibility to grasp these things in our limited measure, to underscore our confidence in the word of God and the confidence of a generation to follow, because I am convinced there are maybe many more Christians than we want to admit that are closet doubters.

Do you know what I mean by that? They have swept under the rug these questions, but they're still there, and you can count on it that unresolved questions about the reliability of the word of God have a detrimental effect upon the Christian's life.

To just live by faith, and faith that has been undermined is a liability to plain basic Christian life. Several years ago, when I had the privilege of working with Mr. Crawford in gospel meetings, we met a man who was born a Jew and became a Christian, who was trained as an engineer and worked as a real estate manager, and who had a side interest in creation.

So through a chain of events, he offered to us the opportunity of having him make a presentation to us of the same kind that he loves to make to secular groups. The more secular the group, the happier he was to give his presentation.

So we had a private audience in his executive suite in the real estate management office, and the two of us asked questions, and it was, to me, a very enjoyable and profitable time. I'm mentioning that for this reason.

This is his approach. He started with us, as he said, and I do this with every group. The first thing I say is this. I want you to know my prejudice. I believe the Bible. In fact, I am born again, and he went on to tell a little bit of how he was saved, and he said, so I want you to know that's the prejudice, the viewpoint with which I approach this whole subject.

But then he pointed out that your basic assumptions, your viewpoint, affects how you understand facts. So his response to an evolutionist to whom he's speaking was not to say what you believe is ridiculous and what I believe is the only logical thing.

His approach was this. Now, I can understand where you're coming from and how you interpret this data. Let me just show you how I interpret that data from my viewpoint. Now, you see, the Bible is totally reliable when it comes to science, but it is not given to us to be a scientific textbook.

If scientists credited what's in the Bible, they would have a head start in their work. But it's given to us as totally reliable in every subject. And therefore, all we have to do, starting from the viewpoint of the Word of God, understand the facts that are around.

They can be understood. That was his whole point. They can be understood, explained with good reason and perhaps better reason by the viewpoint of the Word of God and of faith. And as was mentioned this morning, an evolution.

Genesis as a Pattern of God's Progressive Purposes

Ultimately, in every purpose, God has the man in view. So our brother reminded us of this on several occasions. But actually, when you're looking through Genesis chapter 1, this is not an allegory. This is a factual account, but it is also an illustration of the ages.

That is, by whom also he made the ages. The ages are all formed around God's purpose for a man. So we have been reminded of the different ages of God's dealings. I think this is probably a different statement.

I think if you take covenants, which express God's way of dealing with men on earth and God's promises, agreements with men on earth, I think you can follow illustrations from the six days, the seven days of Genesis.

When you look at the everlasting covenants referred to relative to man's accountability to God, that would be with Adam, Noah, Abraham, then the covenant with Moses. I would link together probably the Palestinian covenant and the covenant to David, and then the new covenant with Israel and Judah.

But if you take those covenants, I think you can find illustrations of the progress of God in connection with them. Actually, interesting to me that you can trace likewise God's progressive dealings to the book of Genesis.

If you select seven men in the book of Genesis that are the main characters, and you begin to follow Cain, righteousness, separating light from darkness. Did I say Cain? I meant evil. And you move to Noah, separating that which is above from that which is beneath.

I better not go through the whole thing. But you will eventually come through Abraham and Isaac and Jacob until you come to Joseph, the man that has given the place of rule in Egypt. And again, we're reminded that God is moving onward to his purpose relative to the Lord Jesus Christ himself, if I might coin words greater than Joseph.

I think we have been reminded from 2 Corinthians chapter 4 that you have salvation suggested to us in the words of the God that commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts with the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

From day one, the light to shine, to the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, day six. And you have God's dealings in salvation. God moving progressively in the soul to bring the soul to consciousness of right and wrong and consciousness of God and so on.

You can move right through the whole scheme until finally salvation is the revelation of Christ to the soul, the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Paul longed that Christ might be formed in the Galatians.

So I wonder if you don't have in creation a picture as well of the progress of God's dealings internally, spiritually with every believer that Christ might be increasingly seen in your life and in mine by the work of the spirit of God.

So there may be much more our brethren want to suggest, but there are some seeds that I see in Genesis chapter 1, embryos of God's work unfolded in later parts of the word of God. I was thrilled when Brother Joe mentioned that this was the subject for these Bible readings.

Human Dignity, Marriage, and the Purpose of Creation

Now, as much difficulty as it may present in the minds of some, it's thrilling to me that we are actually going to the most fundamental things that we believe, looking at their source and finding afresh that the foundation is secure, that the very fact of God's sovereignty and supremacy in creation and his superintendence of the creation that he has made, his purpose in creation, nothing in this world, despite the cosmic accident that we are in the mind of the, I like the word evolutionist.

Well, we call it evolutionist, but it sounds better evolutionist. Despite the fact that we're a cosmic accident, we have every reason to believe from the word of God. We are here with a divine purpose.

There is a dignity to man. There is a responsibility that man has to creation and that creation serves to man. The relative responsibilities of male and female, the institution of marriage. I'm only in the chapters we're dealing with and the very basis of society and the purpose of intelligence and language and all of that is involved in the fundamental issues that we are dealing with, even in the verses that we'll be looking at together this afternoon.

We are looking without question at the fact that man stands unique from the animal creation. That is not a wish on the part of men to elevate themselves to be a different kind of animal. That is revealed to us by the word of God.

In fact, something very interesting, you know, from reading through the book of Genesis, you have this phrase repeated often, this is the book of the generations of. I think there are 11 of those markers which divide the book into 12 parts.

And it is sometimes suggested that they are the signature of those responsible for the oral or perhaps written tradition that came into the hand of Moses. And of course, we understand Moses is the compiler of the book of the truths of the book of Genesis.

That's not taking away from inspiration. That's true in the case, probably of Ezra and others. But. Then whose signature is this that we have read in verse four of chapter two, who was there to give account of the life of Adam?

Well, Adam was who was there to give account of the life of Noah. Well, Noah was and Isaac and so on. Whose signature is this that seals chapter one through chapter two, verse four? I don't know how to express this.

My brethren can iron out the wrinkles in what I'm saying. There's something unique about this section of the word of God in a unique sense. We believe every word of God breathed, but a unique sense. This is God's own testimony that can come alone from God.

As to the origins of the universe, this in some special sense. It's all inspired, it's all God breathed equally, but in some special sense, this bears the imprimatur of God. God is telling us this is how I worked and this is what I had in mind.

And so, interestingly enough, and verse thirty one at the end of that verse, the evening and the morning were the sixth day. You don't know this from reading the authorized or an English version, but every other time it is the evening and the morning were first day, second day, third day, fourth day, fifth day.

The evening and the morning were the sixth day because this is the day that God had in mind. This is what all the other days are moving toward. So we'll begin our consideration. I'm going to just use the outline that was suggested, which for me is not the usual pattern, but I think there are some very valuable things in the outline.

So we'll just look first of all at divine counsels. Do you have a copy of the outline? And distinct creation, man's distinct creation, distinct from the beast. Dominion and dignity conferred upon him.

Image and likeness we'll discuss. A definite climax of creation. This is what God had in view. And then the distinct command to be fruitful and multiply. And God's assessment of all. It was very good.

Once we have dealt with that, then we'll look at the first seven verses of chapter two as well. So we'll begin the discussion. Looking at verse 26, this most remarkable view that we get into divine conversation.

Let us make man. I was asked the question just for help. Could you define for us the difference between creation, creating, forming and making? Maybe I would have thought in general terms. And our brethren may be able to point out some specifics where this does not work.

But the word create in the voice in which it is used in Genesis chapter one. Is invariably used in the word of God with God as the subject, God created. This is something that God alone can do. And we were reminded of the word ex nihilo, out of nothing.

That from nothing, God creates. So I do think that in general terms, that is the emphasis of this word. Whereas the word made seems to be taking what exists. For the most part, it seems to be taking what exists and forming it.

So God makes the earth in the sense that he prepares it for the existing elements. He prepares now for man's existence. And fashioning is the word that is used now, that you refer to, down in verse seven.

It is the Lord God fashioning man. Because it is the dust of the ground, isn't it? It is not creating. It is taking what you have suggested, something that was originally there, in verse seven. The word create is only used three times, isn't it?

In that Genesis one passage. Of the earth itself, the beginning, and then the wheels, and then the man himself. Yeah, the word itself, I hesitate because the word itself is used more than three times, but just in those three issues.

You have it, for example, what we're saying is in verse 27, you have the word used three times, do you? What is the difference now between image and likeness? Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.

I could say what John said to the angel, O sir, thou knowest. Is image representation? I think so. The idea of representation. But likeness is the character. I would take it. You do have the word, man is the image and glory of God, in 1 Corinthians chapter 11.

I think that's taking us back to God's purpose relative to man. But man stands to creation as God's representative. So that God has one who has a relationship to creation as God has a relationship to all.

That is, man was intended to have dominion. So I think that that's, don't you? That's what you're saying. That's what I'm saying. That God intended man to have this place of dignity and responsibility.

And in a unique sense, that was given to Adam. Psalm 8 makes it clear that in a unique sense, that was given to Adam. Adam lost it. Hebrews 2 makes it clear it belongs to our Lord Jesus alone. Is that why you have these are the generations of the heaven and the earth?

Because this man is linked with heaven and earth. In verse 7, you mentioned the first of the generations. You would say that while man may have lost the resemblance, the likeness, he's still a representative God and responsible because even in 1 Corinthians 11, the head covering.

Because man is in the image of God. So that representative and that responsibility still exists. And one more thing I would ask you, that while Adam had that exclusively, that from there on after the flood and Nebuchadnezzar, it diminished.

In other words, after Noah, it was limited, not to the fullness that Adam got it. And then in Nebuchadnezzar, again, but limited. He was given dominion, but it was limited. But when our Lord came, full dominion was his again.

But what Adam had dominion over, our Lord proved in his ministry that he had dominion. Would you say that? As a man, he has full dominion over the fish and the fowl and the beast of the field. And the illustrations are thrilling in the Gospels where the Lord exhibits that power.

The Image of God and Humanity's Moral Accountability

Just to go back to the first, I would say in 1 Corinthians 11, we are looking at man relative to woman. And therefore, the image of God is brought in. He has a responsibility there as a representative in that relationship.

Our brother Crawford mentioned something that he didn't. I wish he had gotten. He says it affects the world morally. Now, what the evolutionist does in dethroning or seeking to set aside God, he comes to Romans 1.

We get image and likeness again. But he does not make image and likeness of God. He brings it down to what man had dominion over in the first place, creeping beasts, so that God gives them up to practice what is in our world today, immoral.

Man with man, three times he was given over. Same thing, twice given over and once given to. But the point is this, that when man departs from this Genesis 1 and when the schools do, then we can, as our brother said, get people acting like beasts.

But worse yet, they create a God that suits them, four-footed beasts and creeping things. And they go to the smallest thing because that's where they are. They are at the lowest stage. So it's a sad commentary on even today that man has formed their own image of God after their own likeness and they act like that and God says, go ahead.

That's it.

And they're without excuse. If you link the passage you're referring to in Romans 1 and 20 with the 2 Peter 3 passage, I've always felt that those words, this they willingly are ignorant of, are very condemning to mankind.

And of course, as you know in Romans chapter 1, that which may be known of God is manifest unto them for God has revealed it or declared it unto them, even the invisible things of him from the creation of the world, so that they are without excuse.

So actually man could know God in a limited sense as the great creator with his power and wisdom and might, but they are willingly ignorant and they are without excuse.

Now this word image, Mr. Vine points out that it's not only representative, but it's also manifestation as well as representation. Now we see that more clearly when it's use is brought to Christ for the future.

The Lord said in John 17 in his prayer, I have declared unto them thy name. That's the function of the lip. But then he said, I have manifested thy name. That's the function of the life. So I take it representatively, Adam was to be a representative of God in the world.

And as you say, Psalm 8 shows clearly, he's pointing on to the day when God will change the world into a garden and the man there will not only represent God, but will manifest God. And that's exactly what the Lord Jesus did.

Would it be right to understand that made in form are related to the body and creation to the soul and spirit?

A brother Norm this morning suggested these words are used interchangeably, created and made. But I wonder, I mean, the word of God always does have some reason for a variation. So I wonder if the created aspect is something that exists in man.

I don't want to just get too far ahead at the moment, but something about man that distinguishes him from all the creation that went before. Yeah, I think I think that's where we are. And in addition to that, let me go to the next word that our brother question.

And that is likeness. I think this is related to that question, too. That likeness actually involves a capacity that man has that no creature has, no other creature has. That capacity is a capacity to relate to God.

That while God is spirit, God is a God of reason. God has given man the capacity to reason. Brethren, reason can be abused, but reason is a capability given that we might know God. Don't be too hard on logic.

Be hard on logic with wrong assumptions, but not on the capability to reason. Man is able to relate to God because God is a moral creature. God has made man to be a moral creature. And so God, in that sense, God has instilled into man something different from the material world that exists.

A capacity tragically ruined by sin, but yet by redemption reclaimed. That we may have a relationship with the Almighty. And would it be true to say that it's not only related to reason, fully subscribed to reason, but it's also, man has the capacity to relate to God that the beast doesn't have.

If happily they might feel after him. God has put God consciousness into the human being that is not in any other form. Isn't that spirit, brethren?

Isn't that that man is a spirit being? Absolutely, yes. I had thought, and not denying anything that has been said so far because I believe it, but I had thought that the thought of image was that man is made a spiritual being.

Therefore, he can understand that there is a God who made him, who controls him, who has authority over him. And the animal can't do that in that sense. And the likeness is really moral.

The different authorities flip-flop on those two words. So I don't know the answer, but I regard at least the two truths are involved in image and likeness. And add to that, add to that the ability of language.

God uses this wonderful way of revealing himself. In the beginning was the word. There is one unique full manifestation of God. God reveals himself to us by words. And we have the capacity uniquely in all of creation, the capacity to relate to God with language.

There's a very important point in that, Brother Oliver, as you well know. Human philosophies say that the animals began to grunt and other animals began to understand their grunts until that finally evolved into language.

Now, nothing could be further from the facts than that for this reason. Language is much more simple today than it was in the past. If you take any one language, take the Greek language. Classical Greek is so superior to Koine, the Greek of our New Testament.

Koine is so superior to modern Greek. Whatever happened, there are primitive languages that literally had thousands of verb forms. So the boys and girls should be glad they don't have to learn languages like that.

Now, what has happened? Language has become much more simple. It was much more complicated. Why? Is not the Lord the Lord of language? When he gave language in the beginning, it was pure, it was perfect, and it has been degraded.

And we know that even with our poor English. It has been badly degraded. So actually you have the very opposite. You have really a retrogression instead of an evolution.

Christ as the Perfect Image and the Divine Councils

So, we're reminded of this. There is a dignity infused in this creature that was the object of all of God's creation. Man. Now, let me just... Can I ask you a question? Who is the image of the invisible God?

Colossians. Represent. Would that link? Now, here's one that was supposed to do that. Commune with God, represent, and so on. And now comes, I'm not talking, speaking about Hebrews, speaking about Colossians.

So, now here comes one that does perfectly. Bear that. I thought maybe Colossians one may even go beyond what Adam was intended to be. Oh, no. No question about it. But I'm just saying that's the thought.

I see the same thought. Absolutely. Let me go back to the first point in the outline now here. Divine councils. My brother didn't just pick up on this for me. So, I began to be impressed at one point a few years ago.

That there's something very rare about these divine councils. These exchanges among divine persons. We do have a number of times where the Lord, the Son, speaks to the Father. Now, I'll be glad to have help on this.

I can only find in the Word of God maybe 12 times where you have the Father speaking to the Son. I take this to be Father to Son here. It's God. But I take it to be Father to Son. In the roles of the Godhead, the Father is the one who purposes.

And the Son is the one who works that purpose out. The Spirit was there too, wasn't it? Absolutely. This is among divine persons. But I'm interested to know if my brother and I have followed that line of thought.

Or they just think I'm all wet. In terms of communications from the Father to the Son. Well, the plural pronoun, us, would support that, wouldn't it? God said, let us make man. And often, certainly, I'm sure many of us have linked that with what was said this morning.

About the Trinity in the fourth word of verse 1. Yes, so it is divine counsel, as you say. And I take it that there was, we can't understand it, it's beyond us. But there was deliberation between divine persons in this matter.

And there has been down the centuries. And as you say, so often the Son is the subject of those counsels. As well as the perpetrator. And as is the Holy Spirit. But it's always the purpose of God.

But it's even called the Counselor, isn't it? Exactly. Isaiah 9 and 6, He is the Counselor. Yes, absolutely. And that refers to eternity, I'm absolutely certain. Divine counsel is in eternity.

Just to abbreviate what we're talking about, the point at least that I see in this. Whenever you have these statements of Father to Son. God speaking to God. These are critical expressions. It is not that God reaches a point and He says, oh, you know, I think we should, I'm sorry to exaggerate it this way.

You know, I think we should make man. I think what you're finding in Genesis chapter 1 and verse 26 is this. This is something that is part of eternal counsels, which never had a beginning. Now is the time to affect this aspect of eternal counsels.

See, you have that in chapter 3. Again, God speaks to Himself relative to redemption. You have that relative to dealing with Adam and Eve. In chapter 11, in confusing the languages, God has divine purpose there.

And you have that when you come to presenting the Christ to the nation. Thou art my Son, in thee I am well pleased. You have that in connection with His assuming the place at the Father's right hand. The Lord said unto my Lord.

You have that in connection with His priesthood to be assumed. Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. In fact, you have that in the Garden of Gethsemane. According to Psalm 102, interpreted in light of Hebrews chapter 1, where the Father says to the Son in His deep agony.

Thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. Divine communications at crisis in human history. God's eternal counsel is being affected. In the book of the Acts, Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken.

So it's a determinate counsel in eternity, and then it transacts in time. But it was no surprise, just like it pleased it. That's the proper reading they tell me, the Godhead. That in Him should all fullness dwell.

So in that counsel, when He came, that was what was pleasing to the very Godhead itself.

Right? I mean, you can see that. The determinate counsel wasn't an afterthought. That's it. That's it. Right.

By the way, we are willing, are we, to allow God to have determinate counsels? Excuse me, brother. Determinate counsels. Next subject. A distinct creation. I think we may have dealt with this. David, why is the change, if you don't mind me asking you for help, let us make man, and then let them have dominion?

Male and Female as a United Responsibility

Well, now, there's a little difference of view on this, but I'll just give you my view. I thought actually God views male and female. So that I thought, let them. God is entrusting to a unit, male and female, this responsibility.

And you'll see that distinguished further in chapter two. I don't want to anticipate where you're going to be. Okay? But I think, now this is not to talk, address the difficulty of believers who are single.

By divine choice. Sovereign overruling. But to recognize this, that in God's view, male, female, a unit to whom responsibility is entrusted. Not the man without the woman, or the woman without the man.

Not that they have equal places in God's purpose, but united. They have a united purpose from God. Is that the picture that's moving onward? That's what I see. To Christ and the church. As you and I discussed privately, what we are looking at in day six is now amplified in chapter two.

Through your section. But what we're looking at here is God made them male and female. Them. It's strange that in verse 27, I'm sorry. Okay, go ahead brother. And you're not seeing it in the next verse anyway, again.

It's exactly the same thing, isn't it? God created man in the image of God to be him, male and female to be them. So you can see all that spinning work.

Well, it's most interesting to even add to that in five and two. He called their name Adam in the day when he created them. I wondered, now you answer this brother David, I'm not saying this dogmatically.

But Adam was a procreator. Something that angels have never been. Angels are individual creations. But man's a procreator. In other words, God was going to use man. I don't know. We're going to jump on the way ahead now.

But when God breathed into man the breath of life and man became a living soul. That was one single act. Never repeated. So where did he get her soul?

There is. In tracing the word create. It is used at times relative to subsequent individuals. That reminds us that God superintends this procreation. That's right. But I think we need to understand that God does not give a fallen soul to each person.

But rather, the fallen soul comes through Adam by natural procreation. Absolutely. So that, brethren, see what we're working on? The soul comes at conception. So does the fallen nature. That is why the emotional part of a person bound up in his soul very often has a resemblance to his procreators.

There's a parental likeness to the emotional makeup of a person. That's not all environment. That's just a side light on the subject. But we are looking at the fact that this work of procreation, which is related to creation.

God superintends. But the soul is communicated with life at conception. You said you were going to speak up.

I'm so delighted. Now's the time. OK. You haven't used this word yet, but it's headship and principle in this passage.

OK. And that is part of this distinct creation. Yes. Now, in terms of all of creation, God gave them a place. But you'll find later on that that was given to Adam. But do you see the tremendous instruction in that headship that belongs to Adam?

Is not invested in Adam alone, but Adam as a unit with Adam and Eve. So the man is not complete without the woman. It's not good that the man should be alone. Here is one that will fill out the man. Dear brethren, be careful that we do not treat women kind as subservient to men.

Male kind, male unkind. But there is a completing, a necessary interdependence.

Is that also in view with creation? The physical creation that God had made. He created the man and the woman as a unit together. But they were subdued as creation. They were to bring it to its fruitfulness and fulfillment.

Now, I don't know if I'm cross-leaping, but... No, that's okay.

We will look, maybe we should move to look at that. But we will look at God's, the responsibility and trust of the man. It is invested in man as the responsible element. But here in Genesis 2, it is man and woman together with that responsibility.