The Creation of Man
How did God create us? How did God make us like himself?
How can we please him in everyday living?
- The use of the word man refers to the whole human race – Genesis 5:1-2
- Why was man created?
- God did not need to create man, yet he created us for his own glory
- God does not need us or the rest of creation for anything, yet we and the rest of creation glorify him and bring him joy.
- If we are created to bring God glory then we are important to God himself!
- What is our purpose in life?
- To have life more abundantly – John 10:10, Psalm 16:11
- “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him” – John Piper
- If God made all things then he deserves the glory for all things. The great things that you do is HIS creation! – Romans 11:36, Mark 12:30
- Man in the image of God
- Out of all the creatures God made, only one creature, man, is said to be made in the image of God. – Genesis 1:26
- The Hebrew words literally mean “similar“, not “exact”
- Out of all the creatures God made, only one creature, man, is said to be made in the image of God. – Genesis 1:26
- The progression of God’s image throughout time
- The fall: God’s image is distorted but not lost
- Redemption in Christ: A progressive recovering of more of God’s image
- Christians become more like Christ – Colossians 3:10
- At Christ’s Return: Complete restoration of God’s image. – 1 Corinthians 15:49.
- God did not need to create man, yet he created us for his own glory
- Specific aspects of our likeness to God
- Moral aspects:
- We are creatures who are morally accountable before God for our actions.
- An inner sense of right and wrong that sets us apart from animals
- Spiritual aspects:
- We have not only physical bodies but also immaterial spirits, and we can therefore act in ways that are significant in the immaterial, spiritual realm of existence.
- A spiritual life that enables us to relate to God as persons, to pray and praise him, and to hear him speaking his words to us.
- Immortality; we will not cease to exist but will live forever.
- Mental aspects:
- We have an ability to reason and think logically and learn that sets us apart from the animal worlds.
- Our use of complex, abstract language sets us far apart from the animals.
- An awareness of the distant future, a life beyond our physical death. This makes people want to get right with God.
- Art, music, and literature.
- Complexity of emotions.
- Relational aspects:
- Depth of interpersonal harmony in human marriage, family, and church.
- In marriage itself. As men and women we have equality in importance but difference in roles.
- Man is like God also in his relationship to the rest of creation. We rule over the creation!
- Physical aspects:
- God is spirit, but does things resembling our physical bodies – John 4:24
- Example: ___________________________________________________
- Moral aspects:
Application
- According to Scripture, what should be the major purpose of your life?
- As you think about the pattern of most of your days, do you think that God delights in you and rejoices over you?
- How does it make you feel to think that you, as a human being, are more like God than any other creature in the universe?
- How does that knowledge make you want to act?
- What does the fact that Jesus became a man rather than some other kind of creature say about the importance of human beings in God’s sight?
- Do you think that God has made us so that we become more happy or less happy when we grow to become more like him?
- Do you think an understanding of the image of God might change the way you think and act toward people who are different than you? People unattractive to the world?