Columbiana County Jail 01/02/2026
Columbiana County Jail • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 3 viewsNotes
Transcript
Genesis 1:26-31
Genesis 1:26-31
26 And 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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
The creation week we have been studying is reaching its climax with the creation of human beings. This verse is very amazing in its implications.
God decrees, “Let us make man in our image,” using a Hebrew word (e’nu) which is unmistakably plural. So this brings us to our first question and amazing point.
Why does God speak of Himself as more than one person? We know that God was not referring to Himself and the angels. Why? This is very unlikely given how Scripture describes angels. These beings are presented as servants and messengers, not creators or rulers.
The explanation is that God is speaking as the Trinity. So this brings me to an interesting question to answer. What is the Trinity? The most difficult thing about the christian concept of the Trinity is that there is no way to completely understand it or explain it. Why? God is infinitely greater than we are , therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. But we do understand and know we should trust the Bible, which teaches that the Father is God, Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. At the same time, the Bible also teaches there is only one God. So the one God exists in three Persons.
It is possible to understand some facts about the Trinity and some of the relationships the different Persons of the Trinity have to one another. But ultimately, how can a single Being exist in three distinct Persons is incomprehensible to us. However our inability to understand does not mean the doctrine of the Trinity is untrue or unbiblical.
Here is some of what God’s Word says about the Trinity.
There is one God.
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
4 As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.
20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
So, a belief in the Trinity is not a belief in three gods.
2. The one God exists in three Persons
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
26 And 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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
16 Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, there am I: And now the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me.
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; Because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.
A common Old Testament name for God is Elohim, a plural noun. While the use of plural words is not an explicit argument for the Trinity, it does denote an aspect of plurality in God. The name Elohim, being plural, definitely allows for a tri-unity.
Look at this verse again.
16 Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, there am I: And now the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me.
In this verse, we have three persons referenced: the Lord (Yahweh), the Spirit, and the speaker (“me”), who in this context is the Messiah (Jesus Christ).
3. The Persons of the Trinity are distinguished from one another in various passages.
1 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
“LORD” is distinguished from “Lord”.
7 I will declare the decree: The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; This day have I begotten thee.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, And ye perish from the way, When his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
2 Surely I am more brutish than any man, And have not the understanding of a man. 3 I neither learned wisdom, Nor have the knowledge of the holy. 4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?
we learn that the Lord has a Son.
16 Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, there am I: And now the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me.
The Spirit is distinguished from the “Lord”.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; And take not thy holy spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with thy free spirit.
The Spirit is distinguished from “God”
6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: The sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. 7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee With the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
God the Son is distinguished from God the Father.
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
In one of His prayers, Jesus speaks to the Father about sending the Helper , the Holy Spirit. So Jesus did not consider Himself to be either the Father or the Holy Spirit. Was He talking to Himself? No. He spoke to another Person in the Trinity - the Father.
4. Each member of the Trinity is God.
27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
The Father is God.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
The Son is God.
3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
The Holy Spirit is God.
5. There is subordination in the Trinity.
The Holy Spirit is sent by the Father and the Son, and the Son is sent by the Father. This hierarchy, if you will, does not negate or diminish the deity of the Trinity. It is something else that our minds struggle with and can not fully understand concerning the infinite God.
Look at this concerning the Son
42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
36 But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.
21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
Look at this concerning the Holy Spirit
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
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: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
6. The individual Persons of the Trinity have different roles
The Father is the ultimate source or cause of the universe
6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
divine revelation
1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
salvation
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Jesus’ human works
17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
The Father initiates all of these things.
The Son is the One through whom the Father does the following works.....
the creation and maintenance of the universe
6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
16 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: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
divine revelation
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 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: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
salvation
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
The Father does all of these things through the Son.
The Holy Spirit is the means by whom the Father does the following works.....
creation and maintenance of the universe
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
13 By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; His hand hath formed the crooked serpent.
30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: And thou renewest the face of the earth.
divine revelation
12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 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: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
salvation
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
and Jesus’ works
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; Because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
The Father does all of these things by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The reason I went into so much detail is simple. This is the first real reference towards the doctrine of the Trinity in one verse in the Bible. I wanted us to cover this and get reference verses to get a better understanding than we had before. Remember this class is about discovering the truth together. It is not about you getting told what to believe. I want you to see it. Let us move on.
Next, this verse mentions man being made in God’s image, after Their likeness. What does this mean?
Without question, this statement does not mean that God created humans to resemble Him physically.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Rather, this seems to support the idea that God endowed humans with a certain kind of awareness, one which animals and fish were not given. In other words, humans would possess the capacity for reason, morality, language, personality, and purpose. In particular, the ability to use morality and spirituality are unique to human beings among God’s creations on the earth. Like God, we would possess the ability to experience and understand love, truth, and beauty.
Humans are made in God’s image in another way, as a model or a representative. God is the Maker, and all of creation belongs to Him. He is the Lord over it. However, in the moment of creation, God gives mankind the responsibility to rule over all other life He has made on the earth. In that sense, humans would stand as God’s image. God’s representatives, on earth as we rule over and manage all the rest of creation.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
As we have seen, the blueprint of chapter one in Genesis is God speaking His intent, then creating. In the previous verse, God decreed what should be made and why. Now God makes the first of all human beings. This verse is written with a poetic structure. First God created man in His own image. In the image of God man is created. God creates both male and female.
We have discovered one meaning of being created in the image of God is mankind’s unique capacity for moral and rational awareness. What does that mean? God made humans to be inherently different from animals. He built into us some of His own qualities. What can that be? We share with Him the experience of personality, truth, beauty, meaning, will, and reason. These attributes allow us to relate to God in ways other created beings can not. We also discovered that humans were meant to stand as the image of God’s authority on the earth as we rule over and subdue the rest of His creation.
that we were made by God, in the image of God, is what gives all men and women deep value. That point is echoed throughout the Bible. James points out that we ought not curse human beings because they (meaning we) are made in God’s likeness.
9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
Those who bear God’s image should not be treated disrespectfully or discarded easily. Here is an example to think about. It is not surprising nor illogical to see that cultures which reject the idea of man’s creation in the image of God are cultures which terrorize and abuse other human beings.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
After creating humans as male and female in the previous verse, God pronounces His blessing on these first two humans who are made in His image. Built into that blessing is the capacity to reproduce new generations of human beings and the command to do so.
God basically gives four instructions. Be fruitful means to bear fruit or have babies. Multiply means as each new generation has more kids and they will have more kids. Replenish the earth means to populate the earth. subdue the earth and have dominion over creation means to have authority and management over all the other creatures.
These commands frame many important aspects to honestly think about. One crucial point to note is that commands to reproduce and multiply came prior to the fall of man. Putting it bluntly, God created man with the capacity for sex and sexual reproduction, and intended us to utilize those abilities. What does this mean? Well, sex therefore is not sinful in and of itself. Of course, we need to understand that like all good things , sex has a proper context, that would be marriage.
God only created two human beings. His intention was the rest of us would come from them, one generation after the next. Humans first responsibilities would be to fill up the earth with people and to care for the earth as God’s representatives.
29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
So we have discovered that God formed humankind on the sixth day of creation and decreed our first purposes on the earth, now God describes what we are to eat. We are to eat the herbs from the plants and the fruits from the trees created on day three. As the case with every other living creature created by God, these plants and trees were designed to reproduce themselves (through their seeds), one generation after the next.
This is an interesting point though, notice that God does not instruct humans to use animals for food at this point in history. It is very clear that in the beginning, God does not explicitly offer the animals to the humans for eating.
There are two schools of thought here. Some Bible scholars believe that there was no animal death before the fall of man and sin entered the world. I am on that camp of thought based off of certain verses on death.
I believe this was the consequences of humanity’s actions.
17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, And they that dwell therein are desolate: Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, And few men left.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
first animal death
21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
I believe death entered creation due to sin and the fall of man. This affected all living things not just humans .
The other school of thought is other believe in the natural process of predator-prey did occur, but human beings were not subject to physical death until after the fall. I reject this school of thought based off of what the Bible states about death.
Regardless of such debates, what is clear is that God provided for the humans made in His image and their offspring to be fed by providing plants and trees that would reproduce themselves. In addition, humans would learn to access the seeds of those fruits and vegetables to grow more and more food for themselves, generation after generation. God has been providing for mankind from the very beginning.
30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
Here is even more proof to my point earlier. These words are very similar to the previous verse, in which God expressly makes it clear that humankind could make use of every seed-bearing plant and tree for food. Now He says the same is true for the animals, birds, and creeping things. It is all but impossible to miss the fact that, in this moment, God does not expressly offer animals as food for humans or other animals. Later, we will specifically change His instructions to man about what other parts of His creation were available for food.
This is often interpreted to mean that all creatures God created were initially plant eaters or herbivores. This is my personal belief.
There is another school of thought that states that this is a less literal and more general sense. They claim the self-sustaining plants are the core source of food for the animal kingdom.
In other words, the specific food being eaten is not the lesson of this verse, but the fact that God is the Provider.
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
That is who He has been from the very beginning. In His own way, by His own will, He provides food for man and beast.
31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
On each day of this creation week, God recognized what He made as good. Now, having created mankind to populate and rule over this world, God declares what he has made as “very good”. The balance of nature, the process of reproduction, and the supremacy of mankind are all part of this “goodness”. As such, Genesis chapter 1 not only credits God as Creator, and dispels other religious myths, it also establishes His stamp of approval on the natural order.
On every day, at each step along the way, God declared what He would make, and then He made it. He succeeded in creating the perfect vision of what He, in His absolute perfection, decided to create. After six days of creation, the universe not only existed, but it was flawless in beauty, in function, in purpose, and in potential. God saw all of it and declared it very good.
