Insights From Genesis 2
And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
7 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. Genesis 2:5-7
In Genesis 2:7, we find God creating humanity in God’s image.
God creates humanity in a way that is very different from the way God created the physical world.
In Genesis 2 we find God creating humanity through a very different means: breath.
The term breath in Hebrew can also be translated Spirit. God does not merely speak humanity into existence, but actually forms the human and breathes life into his nostrils.
God, with great intentionality, acts. God breathes God’s spirit into humanity in a way that separates us from animals and God’s other creation, which God speaks into existence.
God’s unique role for humanity also sets us apart from the rest of creation.
God gave humanity a role in God’s creation.
We are the caretakers of God’s world.
According to Psalm 8:3-9, God placed humanity slightly lower than God’s self in the created world.
Another way in which humanity is unique among God’s creation is that God determined humans
had the need for relationship (Genesis 2:18-22).
God in God’s self is a relational being. God exists as the Trinity- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God created humanity in God’s image, therefore God created
humanity as relational beings as God is relational.
Humanity was created first to relate to God and
secondly to relate to one another.
In summary,
(1) We are created by God to relate to Him;
(2) God has given us productive work as the means of providing our basic need for food;
(3) God has made us to be morally responsible to Him.
(4) God has provided the institution of marriage for our good.
