Sunday: God Created Man and Woman
One of the perennial questions humans have asked is, Where do I come from? In the first two chapters of the Bible (in fact, all through the Bible) we have been given the answer to what many would consider the most important question a person can ask.
Image © Review & Herald Publishing from GoodSalt.com
After all, only by knowing where we came from are we off to a good start in knowing who we are, why we exist, how we are to live, and where we are ultimately going.
Skim through Genesis Chapters 1 and 2, but focus especially on Genesis 1:26-28. What great differences appear in the creation of humanity as opposed to everything else seen in the texts? What is it about humans that stands out from other parts of this creation?
- Man and woman were created last of all the creatures. They had the whole visible creation in front of them to study and care for.
- God’s mode for creating man and woman differed from that of the other creatures. Up to this point the divine command had been
Let there be
(light, firmament, water, fish and birds, animals, et cetera). Now the command was turned into consultation:Let us make man. . .
The three persons of the Godhead-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-consulted about it. Though these two chapters deal with the creation of the earth and the creatures on it, there’s no question the main focus is on the creation of humanity itself. - Man and woman were created in God’s image and likeness, something not said about anything else that was created at that time. Though the text doesn’t say what it meant to be made in the image and likeness of God, it must mean that humans in some way reflected the character of their Creator. Because humans have a moral capacity not seen in other creatures (butterflies might be beautiful, but they don’t struggle with questions of right and wrong), to be made in the likeness and image of God surely means that to some degree humans must have reflected His moral character.
- Man and woman were to have dominion, to represent God on earth, and rule over the rest of creation. This calling entails responsibility.
Humans are introduced in the Bible in the first chapter, but not in isolation. We exist, but in relationship to God. What does this tell us about how central God should be to our lives and why we are not really complete
without Him? See also Acts 17:28.
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John states "God is Love" - for love to exist there must be another.
The Triune God creates humans in His image - male & female - and then tells them to be fruitful & multiple - create a family.
I believe that the family is to show us what love is and to help us understand the closeness of the Triune God and the self sacrificing love.
We have a predicament about god creating man in His image. When God said, "Let us" make man in our image, was the Holy Spirit included? Yes, according the Bible. But the Spirit of prophecy is in serious disagreement with the Bible. Here are some quotations:
"Before the fall of Satan, the Father consulted His Son in regard to the formation of man...and to make man in the image of God" - 3SG, p. 36, 1864.
"And I saw that when God said to his Son, Let us make man in our image, Satan was jealous of Jesus. He wished to be consulted concerning the formation of man" - 1SG, p. 17, 1858.
"But when God said to His Son, "Let us make man in our image," Satan was jealous of Jesus" - EW, p. 145, 1882.
In all these references we find no mention of the Holy Spirit, and the consultation was only between Father and the Son. Therefore, according to Ellen White, man was not created in the image of the Triune God. Since we adventists believe in the authority of both the Bible and Ellen White, how are we to explain this serious contradiction? Which one do we reject - Bible or Ellen white?
Both are correct. The scriptures were inspired by the Holy Spirit as were the Testimonies) and John 16:13 "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak ..." Note it says that He will not speak of Himself and I believe that that means two things - He will not speak of His own accord and He will not focus on Himself as much as the rest of the Godhead. hence we know the Spirit least of the three.
Thank you for your comment, Christopher.
However, your conclusion is not justified by the evidence you provided. Just because Ellen White did not mention the Holy Spirit in connection with the creation of humanity does not prove that she did not believe that the Holy Spirit was not a member of the Godhead.
(To explore this in greater depth is outside the scope of this lesson.)
What is clear is that in order for John's statement in 1 John 4:8 to be true, there needs to be more than one person included in "God." What is equally clear is that both male and female were created in the image of God. Gen 1:26 also indicated that both male and female were given equal authority over the rest of creation.
It is the man who was made in the image and likeness of God. "For a man ought not to have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; for indeed man was not created for the woman's sake, but woman for the man's sake." 1 Cor 11:7-9
According to Genesis God created human beings - male & female - in His image. At creation God said : everything was good and very good but after He had created Adam he saw it was not good, only after He created Eve and they were one, was it very good.
In 1 Cor 11 Paul says the order of creation is not what is important, what is important is that "ALL THINGS ARE FROM GOD"
Shirley I agree with you on your interpretation. The passage you reference is, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen3:26). I think to most people that text is troublesome because it says He made Adam both male and female. Maybe we should take that to mean all mankind.
What gets me to thinking most is why God chose to make two sexes instead of being sexless or like most invertebrates having both sexes within one individual? It also raises the question if God is at all sexual.
It's fairly clear within Gen 1:26 even in older translations that the "man" really means humanity: "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Newer translation make this clearer by saying "Let us make humans in our image." But even the KJV is pretty clear when it says that He created "them." But it becomes even clearer in Gen 1:27: "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." The text explicitly says that both male and female were created in God's image.
It is a relatively modern thing to interpret "man" as always meaning a male. During KJV times, it was common to use "man" to stand for humans or humanity. And the traces are still evident in the English language.
The Creator formed the man (male) from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7, 8), issued a commandment (Genesis 2:16, 17), and gave him the responsibility to name the lower creatures before He formed the woman (Genesis 2:20). It might seem like the formation of woman was an afterthought (Genesis 2:21, 22). It was all planned before (Genesis 1:26-28).
The Creator’s actions were deliberate. He gave Adam a chance to see and feel the need before he satisfied it. As the animals were brought before the progenitor of the human race (Genesis 2:19) he noticed a pattern of male and female and a spirit of companionship, and it became clear to him God was not finished (Genesis 2:18).
The Creator made a distinction between genders and roles which He later took steps to enforce (Deuteronomy 22:5). When God solemnized the first marriage there was no doubt what God intended, and this will remain the blessed and sanctified pattern until marriage has run its course and is no longer necessary (Mark 12:25).
Notwithstanding available alternatives the faithful still serve a particular God, and not another.
1). Both Adam and Eve or man and woman reflect two polar opposite characters of God as we see in the Decalogue preamble in Exodus 20.
2). God's Mercy is being reminded to the Israelite before the revelation of His Justice part of character The Decalogue.
3). Mercy should always come first to a person so he/she can appreciate the Justice part of God. the Israelite were saved by the blood of the lamb months before the delivery of the Decalogue at Sinai.
4). God in the Holy Writ is being portrayed both a feminine and masculine character, The Father and Mother like an Eagle towards her offspring or Mother Hen as Jesus referred to once. But in the Loving Father and Prodigal Son God is portrayed both Father and Mother character.
5). So man or husband in nature would always fight for the adherence to Justice or for his family to follow the letter of the law;
6). Woman or wife will always be understanding and will always stand ready to forgive their children.
7). Women and Men are different in Function or Role but are equal before God and no second class citizen.
8). We cannot fathom nor figure out how God looks like for Isaiah stated that He holds Universe in the palm of His hands. Just imagine from one star to another star is measured in light years and as we know now through science or Astro-Physics that the observable Universe is 13.5 billion light years so it is immeasurable and then we have the other universe that have the Angelic host, but still these 2 cosmos cannot contain Yahweh the Transcendent God or Elohim the Trinity, so no wonder the SOP stated these 2 science of our studies in Eternity would be the science of the Cross and Science of Nature that is the Cosmos and the other 99 Adams that did not fall.
One thing I am sure of as David the heavens declare the glory of God and as Saint Paul stated Ephesians 3:18 we should have the power to understand how broad and long, how high and deep is Christ's love but SOP stated that as eternity lasts we cannot fathom nor exhaust God's Grace for us and Christ's Mercy towards us. I cannot wait to learn at the feet of Jesus and all the knowledge in front of me now and then in the Millennium and Eternity. Praise God for He is Just and Mercy and it is shown in our Mother and Dad, Are we as parent showing this two sides of a same coin of God's Character to our children? or are you sometime demanded to act like the Merciful Father towards His prodigal son by showing both character of God as a parent? I try to show them both in my parenting and guardianship role to my grand children, and i am still learning believe you me.
I'm curious, where do you get the thought that there are 99 other Adams?
The perennial questions of when, where, how, and to whom i wanted to be born/to were not determined by me. At the dawn of history, i found myself on the planet earth. But when i grew up, i found a book called Holy Bible that explained my origin. The book indicates that i was created by a loving God. That He did not only made me but in His own image. Wow! An opposing view also suggested to me that i came from apes- a theory propounded by someone who was born in the same way as i was born. Should i bypassed the former information and hunt after the theory by my fellow being that i came from apes? Won't i sound stupid? A thorough study and understanding of the scriptures indicates that we have a source- from God. The manner in which God created us is even fantastic and phenomenal. To the other creatures He commanded, 'let there be'. But when it got to our turn, He exclaimed with ecstatic delight 'LET US MAKE'. This implies that we are the crown act of God's creation and so we are special. God loves us so much. Let us therefore pay our ultimate allegiance to Him for He is a merciful, a loving and faithful God.
Humans are made in God's image unlike other parts of creation. God placed us in charge of this world, to care for this world unlike the rest of creation. God is the center of human life, our life, for only with God in our lives are we complete.
The 99 Adams is a metaphor, for the "99 sheep" that didn't wander away.
Humans are introduced in the bible in the first chapter, but not in isolation. We exist, but in relationship to God. What does this tell us about how central God should be to our lives and why we are not really “complete” without Him? See also Acts 17:28.
We are introduced, not in isolation, as the history of the other creatures precedes us and shows us the provision, preparation if you will, that God made for us before the consultation of the Godhead to “Let us make man…". We look around at ourselves and see that His handiwork is indeed great, that we are created in His image, in His likeness with the propensity to love and give love, to be morally responsible, to be caring and kind, and not only on the Sabbath.
If our likeness to Christ does not impress us that much, then as we look around we should grasp the wondrous beauty that meets our eyes. The design, environmental sensitivity, collaborative nature of plants, animals and man, our vast food sources, the mist to quench the land….if all of this is taken away, removed from our lives, we would have a true concept of what we would be without Christ. In everyday terms, take away our essential day to day must haves - water, air, food and ALL of us would die. Have all essentials (a fraction of what God offers) and most of us are happy, harmonious, honest, hilarious, humble, honourable. When our lives lack those essentials, those necessaries, we become like nothing - homeless, hurt, hesitant, heartbroken, humiliated, hopeless, hungry, harried, hardened. Our spirits, if filled with the goodness of the Creator, if we seek to keep the ‘Essential For Life’ in our lives… when we grasp the relevance, the importance of God, we are filled to overflowing… there is no void, no need to cower in fear, no need for hopelessness, no worries, no struggles that can remove our Center, our Core, our Joy, our Peace. Remove the essential [GOD] from our lives and we are less than incomplete, we do not exist.
Father in your name I ask for forgiveness of sins on all our lives. Help us to stay connected to our Life Source, to our Center, to You. Please Father, do not leave us or forsake us… make us complete in You. Amen
Tyler, the LORD creates by His Word unlike us. But what is interesting is that it takes two, male & female, for humans to create another and the LORD said "Let us make humans" - together they agreed to create, just as the man & the woman are to be one, Jesus told us "I and My Father are one"
The LORD is teaching us that for love to exist there must be another one, to say I love you and the other to say back I love you too.
How do you relate the 99 Adams to the 99 sheep ??
Allow me Nathaniel to show you my reasoning from SOP.
1. http://www.whiteestate.org/books/col/col15.html (Page 185) "This Man Receiveth Sinner"[This chapter is based on Luke 15:1-10.]
As the "publicans and sinners" gathered about Christ, the rabbis expressed their displeasure. "This man receiveth sinners," they said, "and eateth with them."…
(Page192) “The rabbis understood Christ's parable as applying to the publicans and sinners; but it has also a wider meaning. By the lost sheep Christ represents not only the individual sinner but the one world that has apostatized and has been ruined by sin. This world is but an atom in the vast dominions over which God presides, yet this little fallen world--the one lost sheep--is more precious in His sight than are the ninety and nine that went not astray from the fold. Christ, the loved Commander in the heavenly courts,
(Page 191) ‘stooped from His high estate, laid aside the glory that He had with the Father, in order to save the one lost world. For this He left the sinless worlds on high, the ninety and nine that loved Him, and came to this earth, to be "wounded for our transgressions" and "bruised for our iniquities." (Isa. 53:5.) God gave Himself in His Son that He might have the joy of receiving back the sheep that was lost.
So I am deducing from (Page 191) ‘stooped from His high estate, laid aside the glory that He had with the Father, in order to save the one lost world. For this He left the sinless worlds on high, the ninety and nine that loved Him, and came to this earth, to be "wounded for our transgressions" and "bruised for our iniquities." (Isa. 53:5.) that in it were similar Adams to ours here on earth that did not sin and of course they have their offsprings.
See some other quotes in SOP on other worlds in the Universe or as I have a theory of many more universes or multiverse.
Ellen G. White Statements Relating to Geology and Earth Sciences, Page 23
http://egwtext.whiteestate.org/publication.php?pubtype=Book&bookCode=EGWSRGES&lang=en&collection=6§ion=all&pagenumber=23&m=1
Redemption was not an afterthought, a plan formulated after the fall of Adam, but an eternal purpose, suffered to be wrought out for the blessing, not only of this atom of a world, but for the good of all the worlds that God had created.—The Signs of the Times, February 13, 1893. EGWSRGES 22.11
Statements Concerning This Earth and Other Worlds
1. Millions of Worlds Are Inhabited—Should all the inhabitants of this little world refuse obedience to God, He would not be left without glory. He could sweep every mortal from the face of the earth in a moment, and create a new race to people it and glorify His name. God is not dependent on man for honor. He could marshal the starry host of heaven, the millions of worlds above, to raise a song of honor and praise and glory to his name.—The Review and Herald, March 1, 1881. EGWSRGES 23.1
2. Ellen White Given a View of Other Worlds—The Lord has given me a view of other worlds. Wings were given me, and an angel attended me from the city to a place that was bright and glorious.... The inhabitants of the place were of all sizes; they were noble, majestic, and lovely.... Then I was taken to a world which had seven moons. There I saw good old Enoch, who had been translated.... I begged my attending angel to let me remain in that place....Then the angel said, “You must go back, and if you are faithful, you, with the 144,000, shall have the privilege of visiting all the worlds and viewing the handiwork of God.”—Early Writings, 39, 40. (Published in 1882.) EGWSRGES 23.2
3. God’s Creative Work Finished—God has finished His creative work, but His energy is still exerted in upholding the objects of His creation.—The Signs of the Times, March 20, 1884. EGWSRGES 23.3
4. Earth Is Small Compared to Other Worlds—How grateful we should be that, notwithstanding this earth is so small amid the created worlds, God notices even us. The nations are before Him as the drop in the bucket, and as the small dust in the balance.—The Review and Herald, March 9, 1886. EGWSRGES 23.4
5. Unfallen Beings See the Controversy in This World—Every eye in the unfallen universe is bent upon those who profess to be Christ’s followers. Here in this atom of a world, an earnest warfare is going on.—The Review and Herald, September 29, 1891. EGWSRGES 23.5
6. Diversity in the Universe Forms a Perfect Whole—The universe contains one great masterpiece of infinite Wisdom in innumerable diversities of His great works, which, in their matchless variety, form a perfect whole.—The Youth’s Instructor, August 19, 1897. EGWSRGES 23.6
7. The World but an Atom in God’s Vast Domain—This world is but a little atom in the vast domain over which God presides.—Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 324. (Reprinted from Sp. Test., Series A, No. 8, 1897.) EGWSRGES 23.7
8. The Plan of Salvation Set up Before the World Was Made—God and Christ knew from the beginning of the apostasy of Satan and of the fall of Adam through the deceptive power of the apostate. The plan of salvation was designed to redeem the fallen race, to give them another trial. Christ was appointed to the office of Mediator from the creation of God, set up from everlasting to be our substitute EGWSRGES 23.8
9. and surety. Before the world was made, it was arranged that the divinity of Christ should be enshrouded in humanity.—The Signs of the Times, April 27, 1899. EGWSRGES 23.8
10. This World a Speck in Comparison to the Universe—He endured the cross, despised the shame. He made it of small account in consideration of the results that He was working out in behalf of, not only the inhabitants of this speck of a world, but the whole universe, every world which God