In the Beginning God

Genesis 1:26–27 (KJV 1900)

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.

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

Genesis 5:1–2 (KJV 1900)

1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;

2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

Matthew 19:4–5 (KJV 1900)

4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,

5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,

Mark 10:6 KJV 1900

6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.

Isaiah 43:7 (KJV 1900)

7 Even every one that is called by my name: For I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

James 3:9 (KJV 1900)

9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

  1. God Created Human Beings

WHY did God create us?

Let’s take the first truth: that human beings have been created by God. I think this begs for an explanation. WHY did he create us? When you make something, you have a reason for making it. But does the world as we know it give an adequate answer to that question? The Old Testament speaks of man bringing the world under his dominion. It speaks of being created to show forth God’s glory (Isaiah 43:7). It speaks of the earth being filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.

Isaiah 43:7 (KJV 1900)

7 Even every one that is called by my name: For I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

2. God created us in his image.

Male and Female He Created Them in His Image

Surely this must have something to do with why we are here. His purpose in making us must have something wonderful to do with the fact that we are not frogs or lizards or birds or even monkeys. We are human beings in the image of God, we alone and no other animal.

But what a mess we have made of this awesome dignity. Are we like God? Well, yes and no. Yes, we are like God, even sinful and unbelieving there is a likeness. We know this because in Genesis 9:6 God said to Noah, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image.” In other words, even in a world where sin abounds (with the likes of murder) human beings are still in the image of God. They may not be killed like mice and mosquitoes. You forfeit your life if you murder a human being. (See James 3:9.)

Genesis 9:6 KJV 1900

6 Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

James 3:9 (KJV 1900)

9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

3. God Created Us Male and Female

The third truth in these verses is that God created us male and female. And this too points to Christianity and begs for the completion of Christ. How? In two ways at least. One comes from the mystery of marriage. The other comes from the historical ugliness of male-female relationships in sin.

Genesis 5:1–2 makes the same point: “This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man [Adam], he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man [Adam] when they were created.” So the clear teaching of Genesis is that human beings, both male and female, are utterly unlike all other creatures because humans alone are in the image and likeness of God—both male and female.