The Foundations of the Faith

Studies in Genesis 1-11

Sermon Number Four: The Doctrine of Man (part 1)

Jim Bordwine, Th.D.

Introduction

In the second sermon in this current series, I noted that one issue which has occupied every civilization is the question of origins. It would be impossible to calculate how much has been written on this topic since the beginning of history; and it would be impossible to say with certainty to what degree this particular quest for understanding has influenced the developments of individual societies and the human race as a whole. Perhaps nearly as much has been written and said and debated in reference to a second important subject, which is man himself. This question, “Who is man?”, sounds so simple, yet reflection upon this question reveals that it is one of the most profound we can ask. As we are well aware, there is far from unanimous agreement regarding an answer.

As Christians, we know that this question and all other fundamental questions about life and purpose are answered definitively in the account of creation. Included in the record of how this world came to be is the explanation concerning mankind’s beginning. From a Biblical perspective, man as a being, man as a being with purpose and responsibility, cannot be known apart from the revelation provided by the Creator. It is in this revelation that we learn how man came to be, what man is intended to be and how man relates to the rest of his existence. As we are going to see, a tremendous amount of information can be gleaned from the simple statements which are made concerning man’s creation.

Before beginning our examination of those texts, however, let me note quickly that, from the Bible’s perspective, man has a four-fold state of existence: man in the state of innocence, man in the state of alienation, man in the state of grace and man in the eternal state. These states correspond, of course, to man before the fall, man after the fall, redeemed man after the fall and man after death. Naturally, at this point in our series, we are concerned with man in the state of innocence or man as he came from the hand of God.

01. The Presentation of the Doctrine

In the opening pages of Genesis, there are two primary passages which, together, constitute the Biblical doctrine of man. In Gen. 1, after the fifth day of creation, the text says:

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule 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 And 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.” 29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit 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 moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so.

Later, in the second chapter, we find what most believe to be a restatement of man’s creation:

7 Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.

As we consider this record of man’s creation, I will follow the same outline used previously. We will see how the doctrine of man is presented here in Genesis, then we will see how the doctrine develops in the rest of Scripture by looking at a few representative passages and, finally, we will consider the application of what we discover. Under the first point, which is the doctrine of man as it is presented here in Gen. 1 and 2, I want to list three chief facts about man which can be learned from these two passages.

The first and most obvious fact about mankind to be revealed is his origin. I talked about origins, in general, when I spoke about the doctrine of creation. Now, we are looking at a particular part of the creative activity of God and this part has to do with man. Based upon the testimony of these verses, man did not exist—in any form—until God, the Creator, made him using the same power and wisdom which He utilized in the creation of everything else. I think that it is imperative that I stress further that the Scripture leaves no room for an explanation of mankind’s origin other than that he was immediately made by God.

Man’s immediate creation by God is emphasized in the second account found in 2:7. Man did not develop, but, as already stated, was brought into existence by the direct, uninterrupted action of the Creator: “the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” These words are not ambiguous, they are not confused and they do not lead to a misunderstanding. The term used here, which is rendered “formed” (yatsar), describes the work of a potter who carefully and purposely fashions his vessel as it pleases him. No process is implied, no external forces or environmental factors are mentioned. God determined to make man and God made man. This must be stressed, of course, because of the wide-spread belief in and support for the theory of evolution.

Of interest is the report that God “breathed” the “breath of life” into man who then became “a living being.” Some might read this and assume that man is here distinguished from the animals because he became “a living being.” However, the Hebrew phrase used here does not support that notion (cf. 1:24 where nephesh is used of animals; 7:22). The writer is emphasizing the manner of man’s creation at this point (as I just noted with respect to “formed”); he is emphasizing the direct involvement of the Creator, as I said. This act already has been identified as unique in 1:26 where God says that He will make man in His image. This—man as the image-bearer of God—is what makes man unique in all of God’s creation, not the fact that he is a “living being.”

Therefore, this is the second important fact revealed about man. The statement regarding man as an image-bearer, which comes as God determines to create man, is not repeated for any other part of creation or any other creature. God said: “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...” (v. 26) The word translated “image” (tselem) refers to “resemblance” and the word translated “likeness” (damuth) basically means the same thing (e.g. “similitude”). Much as been written about this phrase. In summary, this statement means that man would bear certain characteristics of the Creator. This statement does not mean that man would be God, it means that man would be representational of God. Typically, this is explained in the sense of attributes or qualities which man would possess. Man would be a thinking, knowledgeable being; he would be a spiritual and moral being, as well. There are attributes possessed by man which are found in perfect and infinite form in the Creator. Man is clearly distinguished from the animals by the nature of his design.

Verse 27 of the first chapter continues the narration of man’s creation and we are told that God did, indeed, make man in His own image and that “male and female He created them.” Details about this matter are given in 2:18 ff. For now, let me note that both males and females are said to be image-bearers of the Creator. Later in this series, we will examine what the creation account has to say about the functional differences between males and females. This is, of course, an area of Biblical teaching which bears on several of the most important aspects of life, as later revelation demonstrates. At this point, however, what is in view is not functional distinctions, but essential dignity. Based upon the testimony of v. 27, we can say confidently that the Bible does not teach that males have a greater “worth” or honor than females.

The third significant fact revealed about man in these accounts has to do with man’s purpose or, we might say, his relationship to the rest of creation. All else was made and in place when man came into being; the Creator made man and then explained how this creature would relate to the rest of creation. In 1:26, God declares that man is to “rule 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.” And, in v. 28, God blesses man, made male and female, and commands them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the first of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Let me comment briefly on those two important words: “rule” and “subdue.” The KJV of 1:26 has a helpful translation: “let them have dominion.” This term conveys the idea a bit more clearly. The term translated “rule” (radah) means “to subjugate” and is used to describe the conquering and subsequent control of one nation over another. The word “subdue” (kabash) means “bring into subjection” or “keep under.” This word is sometimes used to describe the managing of a territory or country. Together, these terms teach that God intended man to take control of the rest of creation. The implication is that man would serve under God, but over the rest of the world.

The assignment to subdue the rest of creation stems, I believe, directly from the fact that man is made in God’s image. It is God’s nature to rule all things and have all things serve Him and His purposes. As God’s image-bearer, man was to share in this honor as he exercised the dominion granted to him by the Creator. The rest of creation was subject to man’s authority as the image-bearer of God.

I want to call attention to one of the key elements in the carrying out of this mandate. God told the male and the female to be fruitful and multiply so that they could accomplish the assignment given to them. This, of course, implies the centrality of the family in God’s purposes for mankind. The task of subduing and ruling would require cooperation and reproduction. As I stated, a more detailed explanation of this arrangement is given in 2:18 ff. However, here in the record of man’s creation, we have the beginning of that most important teaching of the Bible which has to do with male-female relationships. Whatever is said here serves as the foundation upon which a doctrine develops throughout the rest of Scripture.

02. The Development of the Doctrine

Under this second point, I want to consider a few representative passages which will illustrate how this doctrine of man develops in the rest of the Bible. To put it another way, I want to show how the three basic facts about mankind, which are recorded here in Gen. 1 and 2, are expanded upon to produce a full view of man and his responsibilities. The foundation for an understanding of who man is and how man is to function is provided in the three facts about man just covered. Let me add that by no means is the following all that could be said about the development of the doctrine of man. This is little more than an introduction to the subject.

I will trace the development of the doctrine of man using those three basic facts which we gleaned: man as a created being, man as an image-bearer of God and man as a ruler of creation under God. What are the most apparent developments in the doctrine of man when it comes to the first fact, man as a created being? In an earlier sermon, I mentioned the notion of accountability. When we read that God created everything that exists, one conclusion which we must reach is that everything is, therefore, accountable to Him. This idea is particularly significant for man. The accountability of most of creation is one which might be described as “dependence.” Man, of course, is also accountable in the sense that he must, by his design, depend on God for life, but there is another dimension to man’s accountability which I want to explore and it is related to the fact that he is an image-bearer of God.

Later, I will have more to say about the development of the idea that man is made in God’s image—remember that this is the second of those three facts which can be gleaned from the account of man’s creation. At this point, I want to restate something said earlier in connection with man as the image-bearer of God, namely, that one of the implications of man being an image-bearer of God is that man is a moral being. I think that this means that man’s accountability as a created being rises above that of the animals who exist and continue according to the pleasure of God. The nature of man’s accountability extends to the moral realm. Therefore, in terms of what he believes and how he behaves man is accountable to God. This culpability is of a different and more specific nature than that of the rest of creation.

The first and clearest development in this aspect of the Biblical doctrine of man comes just a few verses after the passages in which man’s creation is reported. In the second chapter, we also read: “16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.’” I will comment only briefly on these verses at this point since I plan to look at the doctrine of the fall as a separate subject later in this sermon series.

Notice the two elements contained in these verses: first, there is the command or word of God; second, there is the promised consequence for disobeying the command or word of God. This is an extremely clear illustration of what man’s moral accountability before God means. God speaks and there is only one proper response from man and that response is obedience. In this example, God comes as the One whose will is declared and whose will is to be done and man appears as the one who must do the will of God or face judgment. This short little section encompasses what it means for man to be accountable to God as implied by the fact that man is a created being.

We know that throughout the rest of the Bible, this issue is the issue between God and mankind. It is always a matter of God giving His word or His law or His stipulations or His commandments and man being called to obey those pronouncements. When man obeys, he continues in God’s favor, but when man does not obey, he succeeds not in throwing off the rule of God, but only in bringing misery, temporal and, in some cases, eternal, to himself. God cannot be dethroned; man can never take God’s place as the law-Giver or as the source for philosophy or ethics. Genesis 2:17 states the matter as plainly as it can be stated: “in the day that [you disobey] you shall surely die.” Man came to exist, came to life, in the presence of God and was, therefore, absolutely accountable to God, as I’ve said. This is life and this is the only way in which life can continue. The violation of this arrangement means the end of life or death, as the text says so bluntly.

Another stunning statement regarding this issue is found in Deut. 30:

15 “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; 16 in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it.”

As Moses neared the end of his ministry, he spoke to the nation of Israel regarding their duty and what awaited them should they obey the LORD and he warned them what would be the outcome should they disobey the LORD who delivered them from Egypt. In this striking passage, Moses speaks plainly, yet forcefully. He describes the way of obedience as “life and prosperity” and the way of disobedience as “death and adversity.” The key, of course, was the people’s response to the commandments, statutes and judgments of God. It would be difficult to put things more clearly. This is the same type of communication we find in Gen. 2:16, 17. Walk with God and live, walk against God and die. In both passages, the death threatened is more than mere physical death, it is spiritual death or death in the ultimate sense. This is the warning that runs through Scripture as God repeatedly calls His people to keep His word. And the reason that this is such a prevalent theme is that this is how it must be between God, the Creator, and man, the creature.

Man was not meant to function apart from God’s will before the fall, so his attempts to function—that is, analyze and understand this word, determine right from wrong—after the fall are certainly doomed. This fact, too, is revealed to man in simple terms. Man is a created being and is morally dependent upon his Creator for instruction in proper thinking and conduct. Consider, for example: Pro. 14:12: “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death”; or, Jer. 17:9: “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?”; or Pro. 3:5: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” These kinds of references run into the dozens, if not hundreds. Scripture warns us that our wisdom is death because it is not the Creator’s wisdom and only His wisdom preserves.

The reasoning of man, when done apart from God’s word, can never lead us in the right direction, never. The first man was bound to look to his Creator for knowledge and understanding; he was bound to listen to the voice of God and do as instructed. Only then could the first man continue in peace with the Creator. This is why the holy book declares: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge...” (Pro. 1:7) and “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Pro. 9:10) True knowledge and true wisdom cannot be attained apart from God. What is attained apart from God is falsehood and the philosophy of death.

In time, the history of mankind showed, as God warned, that disobedience would not only kill man, but also enslave him this side of the grave. So, our great Savior came to give Himself as a payment for the disobedience of generations of the elect. This has not relieved God’s people of the duty of moral accountability, however. In fact, union with Christ highlights that accountability more than ever. In Christ, the fundamental requirement in the creature that he be morally accountable to the Creator is reintroduced. This time, in the context of mercy and grace and eternal life, the saved sinner again begins hearing about his moral accountability. Why? Because he still is a created being and is still bound by the will of his Maker. The difference now is that the penalty for disobedience has been borne by Another and we now have the Spirit of God who aids us in our attempts to demonstrate this most basic notion of accountability. But we never escape the implications of our having been made by God; we never reach the point where that fact about our origin becomes inconsequential.

Therefore, we find passage after passage urging us to holiness, urging us to know and do the will of God as it proper for those who came from His hand. Writing to Christians in Corinth, Paul announced that the thing which really matters in life is “keeping the commandments of God.” (1 Cor. 7:19) In another place, the apostle states that God’s will for us is conformity to His holy standard (cf. 1 Thess. 4:3). Then, of course, we have the elementary statements by John: “1 John 2:3 And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected.”

Paul, once again, wrote in the epistle to the Romans: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Notice the stress on the duty of believers—our duty is conformity to the will of God, the same as it was for the first man and the same as it has been for every man since. This particular implication of the fact that man is a created being is, as I indicated earlier, at the heart of man’s existence before God. Everything about our existence is affected by the fact that we are created beings and, as created beings, we are morally answerable to the Creator. This never changes throughout man’s experience.

You’ll recall that I mentioned three important facts are revealed about man from the early Genesis account: he is a created being, he is an image-bearer of God and he has been given a specific task. I have not yet spoken about how the second and third facts about man develop in the rest of Scripture. That will have to wait until the next sermon. For now, let me conclude with a few words of application based upon the fact that man is created being who is morally answerable to the Creator.

03. The Application of the Doctrine

It is easy to determine what is the most obvious application of the fact that man is a created being: he did not develop from a lower life form and he is not developing into an higher life form. Man as a created being has dignity and purpose; this fact has never been more relevant than it is today. As we know, evolutionary theory has wide-spread acceptance. Even among some professing to be Christians there is “theistic evolution. Nevertheless, the Scripture is plain: man was made by God, directly and immediately. This is the teaching of the Bible and this is the view which those who profess to believe the Bible must defend.

The other area of application based upon what has been said about the doctrine of man thus far has to do with his accountability as a created being. This study of our creation as human beings provides us with a good opportunity to examine our conceptions of obedience and authority. To whom do we answer? Who has the right to tell us how to live and how to raise our children and how to plan for the future? The answer, of course, from a Biblical perspective is: only the Creator. So now is a good time for us to restate in our homes our commitment to the Word of God as the only standard by which we will live; now is a good time to impress this notion upon our children so that they will go through life looking to the Creator for direction. This part of our existence hasn’t changed since that day when God took dirt and made the first man and it never will change. Peace comes when we acknowledge this duty to be accountable to God and then seek to perform the duty.

TO BE CONTINUED...