The Creation of Man

On the sixth day of creation, God made all of the land animals.  One of them, the human he made differently than all the others although they are very similar.  Genesis 1:26 describes the decision to make man.  “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.”   Man was to be made in a special way so that he resembled Go in some ways and would have the ability to oversee and manage the other animals.  Genesis 2:7 describes man as being formed of the dirt, somewhat like a little child making a mud figure.  “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”  The soul is the part that makes an animal alive, what some call the life principle.    

Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”  Some have taken this to mean we resemble him physically.  This is unlikely because John 4:24 tells us, “God is a Spirit…,” and in Luke 24:39, Jesus made the point that the fact he had a physical body indicated he was not just a spirit.  “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.” 

While man is physical, he has a spirit, and it appears that it is the spirit that made man like God.  As a result of sin, that likeness has been damaged, and Ephesians 4:23-24 commands, “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”  Ecclesiastes 3:21 makes it clear that the spirit of man is different from that of the animals.  “Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?”   Colossians 3:8-11 supports the understanding that the spirit of man, his attitudes and mental capabilities are the the things thast make man like God.  “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.  Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.”  If man was to be manage the other things God had created, it was necessary that he have mental abilities beyond what the other animals had. 

Genesis 2:8 tells us, “And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.”  When he placed man in the garden, he was responsible for taking care of it according to Genesis 2:15.  “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.”  Genesis 1:28 describes man’s responsibility toward the earth.  “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.” 

The environmental groups are correct that man has a responsibility toward the earth and the various species of animals and plants.   Unfortunately, as a result of sin, mankind’s attitudes and thought processes are no longer as much like those of God.  People become concerned about protecting one part of the environment without understanding how the different parts are related.  As a result, even efforts to preserve the environment or individual species frequently wipe out other species in the effort to protect another, and conflicts arise between environmentalists and those who are trying to survive. 

For example, efforts to protect the Komodo dragon have resulted in the extinction of nearly thirteen thousand species of other animals and plants.  Efforts to protect the spotted owl by stopping logging operations have resulted in forest fires destroying thousands of acres of habitat for both the spotted owl and other animals.  Efforts to maintain higher water levels to prevent extinction for the snail darter have resulted in reduced water availability for farming and cities, while interfering with the natural breeding cycle of the snail darter, with the result that the population is declining even faster than before they tried to save them.  In the rush to save them, environmentalists ignored the fact that the snail darter only reproduces during periods when the water level is low.  While we have the capabilities, too often we tend to see only a small part of what is involved.  This is true in everya rea of our lives, from politics and finance to raising our children.