Genesis 1:26-27 “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. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
What we see in the above verses is a basic summary of the creation of human life which took place on day six of the creation week. This creative act will be dealt with in greater detail in Chapter 2. As we will see in our look at the next chapter, man was created first, and then woman. Here, the summary states, “male and female created He them.”
Note carefully the wording of the first part of Verse 26: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, and in our likeness....” One of the cardinal doctrines revealed in Scripture is that of the Triune Godhead; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The great “Shema,” which is the center of the morning and evening prayer of the Jewish faith, is taken from Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one LORD.” Biblical Christianity is monotheistic, believing in only one God, but also maintaining that God is manifest in Three Persons. (See Matthew 3:16-17; John 10:30; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Romans 1:20) Paul’s great proclamation of this truth is a glorious affirmation of this article of our faith; “For in Him (Jesus Christ) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” (Colossians 2:9)
It is most interesting to note that this doctrine of the Triune Godhead is affirmed in the very first chapter of the Bible, on the sixth day of creation, when God created man: “Let us make man in our image....” Please note the following passages:
Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 1:2 “...And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
Genesis 1:26 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness....”
Job 26:13 “By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.”
Psalms 33:6-7 “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.”
John 1:1-3 “ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
Other passages could be provided which reveal the entire Godhead being active in creation, thus adding proof to the belief in the Trinity. Another point of interest concerning this cardinal doctrine is the Hebrew word translated, “God” in Genesis 1. It is the word, “Eloheem,” which is found in plural form. While Moses, the man of God used to pen the first five books of the Bible, was certainly not polytheistic, he did pen this word when referring to God that created all things. The Triune Godhead created the heavens and the earth, and created man in His image; “Let us make man in our image....”
Like his creator, man was created a triune being, a trichotomy, or a tripartite being. Man was created with a body, a soul and a spirit. Paul spoke of this trichotomy when he wrote to the Church of the Thessalonians saying, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23) The body of man was formed by the hand of God from the ground. God breathed into his body the breath of life and man became a living soul. Man’s spirit gave him the ability to know, to love and to commune with his Creator. Incidentally, that part of man, his spirit, died when he sinned against God. Salvation for fallen man was made possible through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When salvation is granted to a believing soul, the Holy Spirit “quickens,” or regenerates the believer. This is that “everlasting life” provided to all believing souls through Christ’s substitutionary death and resurrection, and the Holy Spirit’s regenerating power. Therefore, we see that the Lord Jesus’ work was designed by the eternal Godhead to redeem the whole being of the saved; body, soul and spirit. Consequently, it is our Lord’s will the whole being of the redeemed “be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” On God’s part, this is guaranteed, but it is the duty of the redeemed to live lives that are blameless before the world. May God help is to do so!
Pastor Steve Smith