The Creation of Man
In the Genesis record of creation, God spoke everything into existence with one exception. In Genesis 2:7 we are told that, “the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” This is significant for several reasons. First, God created man in a way that was special and unique from the rest of creation. From the beginning, man was set apart to be different and in fact to have dominion over the earth (Gen 1:26). He was formed from the dust which indicates an interdependence between man and the earth. Man will work the land and the land will produce food. God also takes what might be seen as the lowest thing in creation, dirt, and breathes life into it. He takes what is worthless on its own and give its worth, purpose and meaning. Everything in Genesis 1-2 indicates six literal days of miraculous creation culminating with the creation of man. The account is not by any measure Hebrew poetry in form or language and is therefore meant to be taken as an accurate depiction of the work of God. It is important for subsequent theological doctrines that Adam and Eve be historical people.
The Imago Dei
God, as he planned to make man in Genesis 1:26 said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Much debate has gone into what this means. Scripture does not explicitly spell this out, but it can be inferred from a few different things. Man, in the image of God, is both different from other living things and shares some commonality with God. So then we should ask how we are different from animals and how we are similar to God to ascertain an understanding of the Imago Dei. First, we have a spirit. God gave us a spirit which is different from that of the animals. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:39, “For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.” Animals are living beings but do not possess a soul which will live on through the rest of eternity. God designed us to live forever. He gave us a free will to make decisions. He gave us autonomy and authority to rule. He gave us emotions and the ability to think and reason. He gave us morality; the ability to know right and wrong. Looking ahead to the incarnation, we have physical bodies, as does the Lord Jesus Christ. God made our flesh so that he might later become flesh himself. The creation of man is different and unique from everything else in creation.