Genesis 1

We humans who today enjoy the abundance of God’s provisions—sky, water, land, vegetation—need to remember that all creation belongs to God and that we owe to Him our thanks and praise for all that He has done for us.

14–19 On the fourth day God created lights—that is, the sun, moon and stars. He had already created light back on the first day (verse 3), but now He organized that light into stars and planets and set them in motion to serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years (verse 14) and to give light on the earth (verse 15). The sun is described as the greater light and the moon as the lesser light (verse 16).

20–23 On the fifth day God created the sea creatures and the birds. The sea creatures include every living and moving thing that lives in water (verse 21). Though only birds are mentioned, we can infer that He also created all manner of flying insects as well. This creation story in Genesis is not meant to give a comprehensive scientific account of God’s entire work; rather it focuses on the highlights of creation.

God blessed these living creatures of sea and sky. He blessed them with the ability to reproduce and increase in number. As with the creation of vegetation in verse 11, God created these sea-and-sky creatures according to their kinds (verse 21).

24–25 On the sixth day God created all the creatures dwelling on land, starting with reptiles and animals, each according to its kind (verse 24).

26–27 Then God reached the climax of His creative work: the creation of man.⁴ And at once we notice some important differences between His creation of man and His creation of other living things. First, God created man in his own image (verse 27). We humans, in contrast to other living creatures, bear the image, the likeness, of God. This can be understood on different levels, the most important of which is spiritual. Our human spirits are like God’s Spirit in that we can respond to God in faith and worship. Also our minds, though finite, bear a likeness to the mind of God. God has given us a knowledge of His will; He has taught us to live in HOLINESS and RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Bearing God’s image also means that we represent God on earth; we are His agents, His instruments for carrying out His will. In ancient times an ambassador carried the seal or image of his king, and thus was authorized to represent the king in foreign lands. So too, bearing God’s image, we represent Him on earth. What a great privilege and responsibility He has given us!

God has also given us, as His representatives, the rule over all the earth, including all the living creatures of the earth. We exercise this “rule” on God’s behalf; we are God’s stewards, whom He has created to take care of His earth. This means that we humans must not abuse or show cruelty to other living things;⁵ it also means we must protect and preserve our natural environment.

To best understand what it means for humans to be created in God’s image, we need to recall that when God decided to come to this earth two thousand years ago He came in the form of the man Jesus Christ, who was the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15) and the exact representation of his being (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus is the ultimate and perfect example of what it means for man to bear the image of God. The first Adam bore that image, but then it was marred because of SIN (Genesis 3:1–6). Jesus, the last Adam, has restored that image to us (1 Corinthians 15:45–49), and made it possible for us to be renewed, recreated, in true righteousness and holiness (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:24).

Because we humans are created in God’s image, we have unique value and worth. This worth is not something we produce; it comes from God. And because we have this worth we can legitimately value ourselves as God’s highest creation. That means we must also value other humans; this is the basis of our respect for human life, for other people’s rights and welfare. This is why we must oppose oppression and prejudice of all kinds: we are all equally made in God’s image and we all have equal worth. Indeed, this is the basis of modern democracy.

God said, “Let us make man in our image” (verse 26). What did God mean by “us” and “our”? It is unlikely He was referring to ANGELS, because verse 27 states that God created man in his own image—singular. Rather, in light of the New Testament revelation, it is likely that God was referring to the other two persons of the Trinity—the Son and the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the Hebrew word for God used here, “Elohim,” is itself plural, suggesting the multiple aspects of an infinite God (see Genesis 3:22).

Likewise, the singular man in verse 27 has two aspects and becomes plural in the last part of the verse: male and female he created them. From the beginning God created both man and woman in His image, to be equal before Him, and to share equally in His blessing (verse 28).

28–31 God blessed them. God’s attitude to His creation is one of pleasure, of blessing. He has created us in order to bless us, to meet all our needs, and to give us a deep sense of joy and purpose. A major part of His blessing comes in the form of our posterity, our descendants; notice that God immediately associates His blessing with our being fruitful and increasing in number (verse 28). One of the major promises that God gave to Abraham was that his descendants would become great in number (Genesis 15:5; 17:2).

Although God expressed this blessing of fruitfulness as an imperative—“Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth”—it is not to be understood as an ordinary command but rather as a form of well-wishing. The meaning is: “May you be fruitful and increase in number. . . ”⁶

God said, “. . . fill the earth” (verse 28). According to some Christians, God’s expectation that we humans should be fruitful and “fill the earth” means that all forms of contraception and family planning are wrong. Others say, however, that many areas of the earth are already “filled” and that people are suffering, in part, because of overpopulation. It is best to understand verse 28 as a broad generalization, applicable in particular to mankind’s early history. Each person today needs to seek God’s guidance as to what extent he or she is individually responsible for “filling the earth.” However, one thing we can say with certainty: God has ordained sexual intercourse between male and female, and it is one of the things He has called very good (verse 31).

In verses 28–31, we see how carefully God has planned for the well-being of both humans and animals. With respect to humans, God has given us companion-ship in the form of husband and wife, parent and child. He has given us authority and responsibility as His representatives on earth. He has given us all the food we need for our bodies, including—from the Flood onward—fish, fowl and meat (Genesis 9:3). He has given us His image, His character. In all this, we can see the benevolence of God toward humankind. For God so loved the world . . . (John 3:16).

For further discussion on the subjects of the earth’s beginnings and of man’s creation in God’s image, see General Articles: Creation, Evolution, or Both?; In the Image of God.