The Beginning of Life

GOD MADE EVERYTHING



He created it out of nothing
When we make something we require the basic materials first. For example, we take wood and nails and make from them what we have planned. God is not under the same constraints. The Hebrew word bara in Genesis 1:1 is used only of God's creative activity and never of man's work. It means making something completely new. "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God; so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear" (Heb.11:3).

This has two consequences. Firstly, since all things owe their existence to God, matter cannot be eternal as some scientists teach. They suggest that the universe will end in a Black Hole only to begin again at some future point with another Big Bang. But the Bible tells us that the cosmos had a beginning, before which there was nothing but God. Big Bangs from Black Holes are wild speculations. Secondly, because God made all things from nothing He is independent and not part of the universe. Unlike Him, the universe is neither eternal nor divine. There were those in Paul's day: "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen" (Rom.1:25). Similarly many today follow the New Age philosophy and worship nature.

He created all things by His Word
This demonstrates the power of God. Unlike us, God simply speaks and it is made. Paul says creation demonstrates to all mankind the divinity, eternity and power of God: "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Rom.1:20).

Further we are reminded of the place of Christ, who is the Word of God, in creation. Paul states: "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist" (Col.1:16-17). In Him and through Him the plan of God becomes a reality. The healing miracles of the Word made flesh are works of re-creation. The blind see, the lame walk and the deaf hear. He speaks and it is done. Nothing is impossible for Him. His miracles are the evidence that He is Messiah and that God's redemptive plan is being worked out in Him.

He created it all very good
This implies that the universe conformed exactly to the divine plan and was without defect. No sin or death could be found and no nature red in tooth and claw. The Bible teaches that since creation there has been deterioration not progress, devolution not evolution. The condition of the world today is worse, not better, than when life first appeared.

GOD MADE MAN
We are told in Genesis 1:24-27 that having made all land animals according to their species, the climax of God's creative work was man. In Genesis 2:4-25 we have a more detailed account of the creative work of that sixth day.

Man has his origin in God's creative work
Evolutionists claim that man appeared only after a long process of evolution and so is descended from the "lower animals". They see no basic difference between man and the animals. Yet no one, not even those who advocate this theory, wants to be treated as an animal. Men are not willing to face up to the logical outcome of holding such views, and when they do try to be consistent the result is a Hitler. The Bible says man was made by a deliberate divine act: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.... So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them" (Gen.1:26-27). Man was not an ape upon which God stamped the divine image but a special creation.

We are given more details of man's creation in Genesis 2:7, where we are told: "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". The primary emphasis of "formed" is on the shaping of man's body. The word is used of a potter moulding clay (Is.29:16). It here implies both the skill and the sovereignty of God in taking the dust of the earth and moulding it into the shape of a man. Creation endues man with purpose and worth. Genesis provides the only satisfactory answer to man's present despair and hopelessness.

Man was made in God's image and likeness
In Genesis 1:26, the pause for deliberation and consultation in the Godhead indicates that something of great significance is about to occur. Man is to be made in the image of God. This distinguishes him from all other animals. Man is the crown of God's creation. He is unique. It is difficult to know what difference, if any, is intended between image and likeness as they appear to be virtually the same. The emphasis is upon the perfect reflection of God's image and goes beyond mere similarity.

The divine image is difficult to define, but it must involve: (a) Man's intellect and reasoning powers, (b) His moral qualities and his conscience, (c) His spirituality and fitness for fellowship with God and, (d) Man's immortality, in that he is made for eternity. At another level the divine image can be deduced from what Christ restores to us in salvation: knowledge, righteousness and holiness. In conversion we put on "the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him" (Col.3:10), and, "after God is created in righteousness and true holiness" (Eph.4:24). Although man, by his fall into sin, largely lost this image, there is a sense in which it is still retained. "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man" (Gen.9:6). "Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God" (Jam.3:9). Like the ruins of a great city devastated by war you can still see the evidence of man's past glory.

The method by which God imparted life to man suggests intimacy. He "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul". There was face to face interaction in the act of giving life, not just creating from a distance. We can compare this with John 20:22 where the risen Christ breathed on the disciples and gave the Holy Spirit as the life principle for His new creation, the Church.

That man is made in the image of God has wide ranging significance. (a) It reminds us that man is not a mere animal. As the image bearer of God he is to be treated with dignity. Recognition of this fact must be made in the areas of human rights, and in penal and social reforms. (b) Further, man has moral responsibility. He is answerable for his actions before God and man, despite the behavioural psychologists who would suggest that he cannot help himself. (c) It reminds us of the sanctity of life. To kill a man unlawfully is not like putting down an animal. It is an attack on God's image. Man is also different because death is not the end. Abortion and euthanasia are evil. (d) Further there is sexual equality before God because both male and female were made in God's image. This is not to deny the God ordained functional headship of the man and subordination of the wife. Yet both men and women will share in the goal of redemption, the restoration of God's image and fellowship with his Maker.

Man has affinity with creation
Although man is unique and different from the animals he has affinity with them and with the rest of God's creation. He was made on the same day as the animals and from the same materials as they were, the dust of the ground. The fact that there are biological and physiological similarities between man and the rest of creation ought not to surprise us. These things are not evidence of evolution but of a common creation. Man was shaped for his environment not by it. It is sin that has put them at odds with each other. Only redemption can reverse this situation. "For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God" (Rom.8:19-21).

This affinity with the rest of creation calls for humility in us. Firstly, we are the higher species only because God made us so. There is no place for arrogance, pride, cruelty to animals or spoiling of natural resources. Secondly, the fact that God used such unpromising material as dust with no potential for life in itself is a great encouragement when considering man's salvation and facing the deadness of men's hearts in evangelism. The same God who was able to make man from the dust can make new men through the Gospel. Thirdly, it reminds us of our mortality: "Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return". Fourthly, it removes any grounds for teaching racial inequality. All people have a common ancestry.

We are reminded of the profound depth of Christ's humiliation and the wonder of our exaltation. In Christ, the "dust of the earth is on the throne of the universe" (Rabbi Duncan). This is true both of Him but also of all who are in Him: "And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph.2:6). It is God's intention to raise our bodies from the dust at the resurrection on the last day. We ought not to defile them. We ought to offer them as living sacrifices to God (Rom.12:1).


Any comments or questions please E-Mail me or Rev William Macleod the editor.

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