Creation (Part Two)

These are my notes for our Bible study at the Normandy Apartments tomorrow night.

"So God created man in his image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27).

Please read Genesis 1:26-2:25.

These are some implications of humanity's creation:

1. God is relational. "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness..." God's use of the plural in referring to himself suggests the doctrine of the trinity. (See Genesis 1:2 and Colossians 1:15-20.) In his nature, God exists relationally. We have been designed to relate to him and to each other.

2. People are special to God. We bear his image. Whatever else that may mean, it means that we have a special connection to God, a connection not shared with plants and animals.

3. All people are related to each other, because we are descendants of Adam and Eve. We are related to the richest man in the world and to the AIDS orphan who is barely surviving in Africa. We are related to the Swedish supermodel and to the Chinese prisoner. We are related to the Olympic gold medalist and to the comatose woman in the nursing home. Since we are related to each other, we should consider how we treat each other.

4. People are responsible to care for the world's animals. We are to rule over them not as selfish tyrants, but as righteous kings and queens. Their interests will not take precedence over human needs, but they will be considered. (See Proverbs 12:10.)

5. Men and women are similar, but not the same. God separated masculinity in men from femininity in women as a part of his "very good" design for humanity.

6. God has blessed sex between a husband and a wife as a part of his "very good" design for humanity.

7. God has blessed the roles of father and mother as a part of his "very good" design for humanity.

8. Men and women complement each other in marriage. Neither is complete without the other. Each has a role in building up the other. (Ephesians 5:33 provides good advice in this area.)

9. Marriage was designed to provide security for both the husband and the wife. They can stand before each other completely naked, open, and vulnerable, but without shame.