TITLE: Man and Woman at Creation

TEXT: Genesis 1-3.

Series Theme: By God’s Design

INTRODUCTION:

After 9 months studying Paul’s epistle to the Romans, Joe and I thought it would be a good opportunity to teach a short, topical series before diving into our next book of the Bible together.

The past two summers, we have spent our time together in the Psalms, but this year we thought it best to take several weeks to look at the following topics through a biblical lens asking the question: What is God’s design for ________ ?

Manhood

According to God’s Word, what is a man? What responsibility and purpose was man given in creation? What is manliness By God’s Design?

Womanhood

According to the Scriptures, what is a woman? How and for what purpose was woman created? What does it mean to be a godly woman?

Marriage

What is the origin of marriage? What is the purpose of marriage? Is marriage a biblical concept or a social norm?

Singleness

Is singleness wrong? Is it God’s design for everyone to be married? How can a life of singleness be honoring to the Lord?

These are some of the questions we are hoping to be able to answer over the next several weeks as we look a different passages of scriptures that directly address these topics.

Please be prayerful for Joe and myself as we teach through these topics for the first time at COTV.

Pray for each other, that God’s Word would reshape our understanding of these topics instead of letting the world or the United States or social media shape the way we think about these things.

Pray for all of us to have an open mind that is willing to receive both encouragement and correction concerning these topics.

PRAYER

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Man and Woman at Creation

TITLE: Man and Woman at Creation

TEXTS:

Genesis 1.26-31, Created in God’s Image

Genesis 2.18-25, Created as Perfect Partners

Genesis 3.1-19, The Fall of Man and Woman

Today we are going back to the beginning of time when God created all things. He alone existed, and then He spoke all things into existence.

Light and Darkness

Heaven and Earth

Seas and Land

Day and Night

Plants and Animals

And in His infinite wisdom, He established certain things to be a certain way according to His Word.

Romans 11:33–36 ESV

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Then God made MAN and WOMAN.

We are going to see that all of creation including mankind has been tainted, stained by sin….. BUT that still does not diminish the purpose for which all things, including you and me, were made.

ILLUSTRATION: Made for one purpose, but now used for another purpose?

Bubble Wrap

In 1957, this was originally created to be a 3-D, textured wallpaper. When this obviously did not before popular, it was soon after discovered to work exceptionally well for packaging material.

In the early-1940s, the Slinky was designed to help dampen sensitive equipment on US Naval ships during WWII. Little the the designer know, he would soon be marketing the Slinky as a new popular toy that would magically walk down stairs.

These things were created for a specific purpose, but soon they began to serve a different purpose altogether.

Westminister Shorter Catechism, Question 1

“Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

MAIN IDEA:

By God’s Design, man and woman were created in His image, for His glory, to enjoy Him forever. We were created equally, but we were given distinct roles, in His wisdom, as perfect complements to one another.

Mankind Made in God’s Image

Genesis 1:26–31 ESV

26 Then 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 birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So 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 have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

By God’s Design…

1. Man and Woman were created in the image of God.

The sixth day was the crescendo, the pinnacle of God’s masterful work of creation when He finished by making mankind.

The Creator of all things, the Alpha and Omega, the Almighty God had set the stars in the heavens, naming them all (Psalm 147.4), and yet this was not the climax of His creation.

“Let us make man…”

This is our first clear indication of the Trinity. The Triune God (3 persons, 1 God) was present and active in the creation story.

Even the name used in v.26 for God (Elohim: Rulers, Judges, Divine Ones) is plural, point us to the 3 persons of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All of which were present and active in Creation.

God the Father - Genesis 1:1 “1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

God the Son - John 1:1–3 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Holy Spirit - Genesis 1:2 “2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

The Hebrew term used here for man is actually “Adam” which also serves as a generic term for mankind (supported by v.27)

We see there was a clear distinction between the forms of life on the earth. “Vegetation was produced from the land, but living creatures were made by God himself.” (BKC)

Even further, there was something uniquely special about humans compared to other living creatures.

“Let us make man in our image after our likeness.”

What does it mean to be made in the image of God or to be made after His likeness?

Firstly, the Hebrew words used here mean “of resemblance” meaning certain things about humans, and no other part of creation, resemble or reflect our Creator.

This does not mean that we look like God, because God is Spirit and does not have a human form.

Being made in God’s image means we are designed to reflect who God is and what He is like. We are designed to reflect our Creator. We share a Likeness with our God.

Be Imitators of God

Ephesians 5:1–2 ESV

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

With this command for us as believers to imitate our God, this means there must be some aspects of our God that we have a capacity to reflect. these are called Communicable Attributes.

Incommunicable Attributes (things we do not share in)

Self-Existent, Eternal, Infinite, Unchanging, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent.

These things reveal why we owe Him honor and praise.

Communicable Attributes (things we share in)

Life, Love, Holiness, Justice, Goodness, Righteousness, Wisdom

As humans, we have a capacity to reflect these attributes of our Creator.

ILLUSTRATION: Who do kids look like? Who do they act like?

As people, we naturally reflect our earthly father and mother in some ways if we came from them biologically. Our DNA, which is really what defines everything about us, is a mixture that is inherited from both our parents.

What if you are adopted? Even so, you are going to reflect the mannerisms, preferences, behaviors, likes, and dislikes of your parents.

When it comes to newborns or infants, people often say “Ooh look…Bobby has her eyes or his nose.” Usually I just smile and nod since I do not see anything that they are talking about.

APPLICATION:

“Being in God’s image means that humans share, though imperfectly and finitely, in God’s nature, that is, in His communicable attributes (life, personality, truth, wisdom, love, holiness, justice), and so have the capacity for spiritual fellowship with Him.” - Allen P. Ross, “Genesis,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary.

Regardless of who is it, even the most immoral person, has the same inherent dignity and is worthy of honor and respect as an image bearer of God.

By God’s Design, “our lives are intended to image who he is, what he does, and why he created us.” - Exalting Jesus in Genesis (CCE).

Why were man and woman created in the image of God?

Let’s jump down to v.27 quickly so we can see that this includes both man and woman, Adam and Eve, sharing in this purpose together.

Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

SIDE NOTE: I imagine you will hear this multiple times across this short series, but it is best to be clear from the start. It probably does not shock you that the official position of COTV is that there are only two genders. In our current culture, it is not our aim to establish a political stance with such a statement but more so to simply to state a biblical fact from the Word of God. The Scriptures are clear, and we confidently proclaim this truth in love to the world around us.

Both (male and female) were created equally in the image of God, AND they were both blessed by God in these ways.

HAVE DOMINION (v.26, v.28)

The wording here simply means to RULE or to REIGN.

Adam and Eve alone were uniquely given this responsibility above the rest of all that God had created? WHY??? Because, there is nothing else like mankind in the universe!

Of all the great glories of God’s creative work, from one galaxy to the next, from the depth of the oceans to the highest mountain on earth, to the most majestic angels in heaven, there is nothing else like human.

This is not an exalting of ourselves, but instead this is a high praise to the one and only God who made us special, set apart from the rest of His creation by design.

So…they were blessed with the honor of ruling and reigning on earth above all creatures and life of the sky, land, and sea.

Taking Dominion, Also in Hebrews 2.

Psalm 8:3–9 ESV

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 9 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

The dominion he called them to would be for their good and for His glory.

Commenting on Gen 1.28.

“To take dominion meant to take responsibility, to care, to lead, to cultivate.” - The Titus Ten, J. Josh Smith

BE FRUITFUL and MULTIPLY and FILL THE EARTH (v.28)

This verse begins the second blessing of the Scriptures, and the Creator commands the creature, mankind, to grow in number. Fill the earth with more lives just like yourselves.

Both a blessing and an obligation. It was for their good and according to God’s design for the human race to grow, fill the lands, and exercise the dominion He had given them.

SUBDUE IT (v.28)

Put simply, man and woman were blessed with working and keeping the creation God had given them.

This is best seen with a quick glance over at Genesis 2.

Work and Keep

Genesis 2:15 ESV

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

Different biblical translations offer similar words here:

CSB - “…work it and watch over it.”

NASB - “…cultivate it and to tend it.”

RSV - “…till it and to keep it.”

Regardless the translation, the message is clear: God’s design for mankind in this world included work.

Adam and Eve were tasked with exercising their dominion by working the garden and caring for His creation. God blessed them by giving them work!

In all that God had provided for them, it seems their work was also not designed to be toilsome or difficult, but they would be nurturing and cultivating the life on earth and all that it yielded.

ILLUSTRATION: As a parent, it is a heavy burden to love your child?

I’m not saying parenting is easy, and it is not a perfect comparison. But when you are blessed with a little baby boy or girl, to provide for them in little ways or big ways, to care for them and love them “to the banana moon and back” like my Leo says is miles away from even being considered a burden in my life.

To nurture them, comfort them, guide them, and provide for them is one of the greatest blessings I have been given.

In a similar way, this blessing of working and keeping God’s creation was not burdensome or difficult before the fall.

APPLICATION:

Since all people are image bearers of God as their Creator, this should shape how we interact with one another. It needs to shape the way we view the world. It needs to shape the way we view our community. It needs to shape our commitment to Gospel mission and the ministry of reconciliation we have been given to call other image bearers back to God.

By God’s Design, we were created to reflect our Creator. In what ways are we not doing this?

Yes, men and women were both given the blessing of dominion, but just as Adam was held responsible for the Fall of Mankind, we also bear the primary responsibility to lead out in working and keeping in our homes and in the church body.

God looked at His creation and said “it was very good”.

Thus…it was God’s design for Men and Women to be created in the image of God to reflect the person and attributes of God as they walk in accordance with the blessing of God to care for all that God has given them for their good and His glory.

Genesis 2:18–25 ESV

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 19 Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

By God’s Design…

2. Man and Woman were created equally but distinct from one another.

In Genesis 2, the author takes us back into the 6th day of Creation, and we see additional details regarding the creation of mankind and the Garden of Eden. And we saw earlier that the Lord God tasked them with working and keeping His creation.

Along with the blessings He had given them, we see that God also gave them a singular commandment.

God’s Commandment

Genesis 2:16–17 ESV

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

God’s first command to mankind concerned life and death, good and evil. Along with His many blessings, God placed them in the Garden also to be obedient servants. Similar to the Law given to Israel in Deut 30, obedience to the commandments of the Lord would result in life and blessing.

God’s creation was perfect, and the garden He provided would be the place in which their obedience would be tested.

APPLICATION: Are the commandments of the Lord a burden to us?

It is important that we see that God’s command for Adam and Eve from a specific perspective: God was not limiting their enjoyment in life in the Garden.

By God’s Design, true life in relationship with our Creator was never a freedom to do whatever we want.

To obey the Lord’s commands is to declare: “Yes Lord, only you know what is good”

Psalm 19:7–11 ESV

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Something Was Missing (v.18)

From Genesis 1.1 till now, we have only seen the Lord create and say “it was good” or “it was very good”, but here the Lord says “it is not good for man to be alone”

Don’t misunderstand this here: The Lord God did not get to a point in the creation of the world, and then have to go back a fix and error. He also did not create something that was not good.

God in His infinite wisdom is using the author to show us the origin of woman’s creation, and a specific purpose of her creation. It was not until man’s perfect partner was created that the Lord pronounced all of His creation to be very good.

What does it mean for woman to he “helper”?

Man was incomplete without a companion, an equal by his side. a perfect complement to help him in fulfilling the tasks of filling the earth, multiplying, and taking dominion over all the Lord had created.

For woman to be defined as “a helper fit for man” is far from being a demeaning term. The creation of woman as man’s helper in partaking in the Lord’s blessings and fulfilling the Lord’s commands solved Adam’s inadequacy to do this alone.

“Woman was made by God to meet man’s deficiency.” - MacArthur Study Bible, p8

In fact, this descriptor of “helper” (also meaning corresponding to him) is also used in the Scriptures to describe God as the great refuge, the great helper in times of need.

Psalm 33:20 ESV

20 Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.

Psalm 70:5 ESV

5 But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay!

Psalm 115:9 ESV

9 O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.

Just like man, the Lord breathed the breath of life into woman when she was created from man’s side. She too was made in the image of God. She shared in the same nature as Adam. What Adam lacked, Eve supplied. And what Eve lacked, Adam supplied.

Perfect Partners designed for each other and for the glory of God.

What an honor it is to share the same descriptor of our God as one who comes to help in a time of great need. Man alone was insufficient to fulfill the commands of the Lord. Nothing else in creation could bring the companionship and help that woman was designed to bring.

Marriage Defined (v.24)

Here we see a quick snapshot of God’s Design from the beginning as the first human institution, MARRIAGE, was established. With woman designed to be the perfect helper fit for man, now man has a new primary responsibility above all other human relationships.

Man is still called to honor his parents, but he is now called away into a perfect union with his wife.

“Hold fast to his wife” is his command

This means to cling, to stay close, or to be joined to.

This phrase carries to idea of a permanent joining, and indissoluble union. One that cannot be broken.

Jesus Asked about Divorce by the Pharisees

Matthew 19:4–6 ESV

4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

ONE FLESH, this means the marital union was complete and whole with the two people. Thus, permanent monogamy was and continues to be God’s design for marriage. Marriage is not a societal construction that man invented, no marriage is a blessing from God that even those farthest from him spiritually today enjoy the fruits of His design.

Naked and unashamed?

This simply shows the reader that at this time in history before the fall of mankind via sin, Adam and Eve were at ease and peace with one another without any fear of exploitation or potential for evil, things that are the fruits of sin in our world today.

Exalting Jesus in Genesis The Sixth Day of Creation (1:24–31)

As God finishes his work of creating the universe, he declares the goodness of the glory it displays. And in it there is no sin, no death, no sorrow, no sickness, no failure. God has established his kingdom, raised up its rulers, and called them to reflect his image as they take dominion over it.

Genesis 3:1–19 ESV

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. 8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” 16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” 17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

3. Who man and woman were designed to be has been distorted by sin.

We do not live in the same world that Adam and Eve were given originally. Yes, it is the same Earth in general, but everything we see and know today is a tainted, distorted version of what God designed it to be in the beginning.

What happened at the Fall?

Eve was deceived. The serpent, which John identifies as Satan (Rev12.9, Rev20.2), twisted the Word of God and promised they would be like God, divine enlightenment if you will, knowing good and evil. Instead of clinging to the One who is good, who provided the very breath in her lungs, she bought the lies of the great deceiver, and she sought goodness and knowledge apart from God.

APPLICATION: If you do not know the Word of God, how will you defend what is true when the world twists and distorts the Scriptures?

Adam failed to lead. Yes, Adam and Eve were both made equally in God’s image, but based on what we see in Genesis 2, the commandment of the Lord to abstain from eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was given to Adam at first. Yes, Eve was deceived, but she gave some of the fruit to her husband who was with her, and he ate as well.

APPLICATION: Take the Word of God seriously. The Scriptures that we read are not a self-help book to be skimmed along your way in life, but the truths they contain are a matter of life and death in this sinful, fallen world.

God’s Word was questioned, altered, and cast aside. Satan easily cast doubt on Eve’s position when she did not recount the command of the Lord accurately and even added to it. Eve’s failure began when she took her eyes off the command of the Lord and gazed upon the tree to see if what the serpent had spoken was true.

“The woman sinned because she acted independently of her husband, disdaining his leadership, counsel, and protection. the man sinned because he abandoned his leadership and followed the wishes of his wife. In both cases, God’s intended roles were reversed.” - MacArthur Study Bible, p.10

How does this affect God’s design for man and woman?

In summary, the presence of sin will now cause struggle in the relationship between a husband and his wife.

The woman will now experience great pain in bringing forth children, and a sinful nature will be passed along to them. And now the woman’s natural desire will be to subvert her husband’s God-given leadership in the family.

The man will now labor hard in pain to bring forth fruit form the earth for food. And now the man’s natural desire will be to lord his leadership over his wife instead of sacrificially leading out of love.

APPLICATION:

Because of sin, mankind’s ability to reflect their Creator is distorted and in our own efforts this is unrepairable. Praise God than the God-man, Jesus, perfectly reflects his Father in all things.

It was only Him who could redeem Adam’s failure in the garden through perfect obedience to the Word of God.

It is only Him who could willingly endure the wrath of God the Father against sin on the cross and then be raised on the third day, defeating sin and death, bringing eternal life an joy to all who believe.

It is only Him who can and will crush the head of the Serpent once and for all on the day of the Lord when He returns in the same way he left, but this time bringing final judgment to the world.

GOSPEL

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 2:4b–7

God’s breathing the breath of life into man transformed his form into a living being (lit., “a living soul”). This made man a spiritual being, with a capacity for serving and fellowshiping with God. With this special Creation in mind, the reader can see the significance of the Fall. Since the Fall, regeneration by the “inbreathing” of the Holy Spirit is essential in order for people to enjoy fellowship with God.

MAIN IDEA:

By God’s Design, man and woman were created in His image, for His glory, to enjoy Him forever. We were created equally, but we were given distinct roles, in His wisdom, as perfect complements to one another.

This is what has been distorted by sin, but praise God that He has not left us in our sin. He is making all things new, and one day we will be with Him in glory when everything is restored back to the way He meant it to be.

Colossians 1:15–20 ESV

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.