Belle Plaine church of Christ Understanding the Story of the Bible #2. The Beginning of Man

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1 Belle Plaine church of Christ Understanding the Story of the Bible #2 The Beginning of Man (The Scriptures quoted in this study are from the English Standard Version, 2001 Crossway Publication, unless otherwise indicated. However, you can study these lessons with any translation. Please study these lessons with your Bible and a pencil and paper. When you come to a Scripture listing, please stop and turn to the Scripture and read that entire Scripture quotation from the Bible.) Read Genesis Chapters 1 Through 3 The Bible is God s Word and tells the story of His dealings with man from creation until 60+ years after the crucifixion of His Son, Jesus. This period was about 4,000 years. The Bible also records what God is going to do in His dealings with men in the future, until He sends His Son back to gather His children into His presence for eternity. In the Bible God tells men how to live to have the best life and states that after this life there will be a judgment. The Bible tells men about this judgment and the standard by which men will be judged. That standard is the Bible. Therefore, men should read and study the Bible. The first book in the Bible, Genesis, begins with the story of God creating the world and everything in it. The word Genesis means the beginnings. God told the story of creation to a man named Moses who recorded it so men could read it today. Moses was not the first person created, and did not live until about 1,500 years after the creation. Moses account is not the account of an eyewitness to these events. His account is what God told him to write. God telling men what to write is called inspiration. Inspiration means breathed by God. All the Bible writings are inspired by God (2 nd Timothy 3:16). In time, the story recorded in Genesis covers more than 2000 years of history. The events that mark the beginning and end of the book of Genesis are creation and the Children of Israel going into Egypt. Even though the Bible contains history, it is not intended to be a history of all the actions of all men during that period of time. The Bible begins with the story of God creating man and teaching them how to live and telling them what He wanted them to do. You will gain a better understanding of the history of the Bible as you study through these lessons. Understanding The Bible - Lesson Two Page 1

2 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, (Genesis 1:1). The word beginning means the start of this world, the world of man. Since the Bible says that God created the heavens and the earth, God existed before this world, the world of man. The Bible says God is the creator of this world, the world of man and everything in it. The Bible does not attempt to prove these facts, it just states them as fact. Also, the Bible does not attempt to prove that it is the Word of God. It assumes that you believe in God and you believe the Bible is His Word. There are studies that deal with those issues, but they are not the purpose of this study. Genesis Chapter 1, verse 1 through Chapter 2, verse 3, records the order of the creation in the world of men. Please stop and read this section again. (Chapter and verse divisions were not included in the original writings but were added by men hundreds of years later to help in the study of these writings.) Man was not created and placed in this created world until the 6 th day of creation, (Genesis 1:24-30). Notice God s observation about His creation, it was good (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31), as you read the creation account. Everything that God created was good. God did not create evil. Genesis Chapter 2, verses 1-3 says God completed His creation in six days and then He rested on the seventh day. You will learn the significance of God resting in later studies as God will refer men back to His actions in Creation to teach a lesson about life (Exodus 20:9-11). Since we are seeking to understand God s dealings with man, let s turn our attention to the creation of man. Please pause and read Genesis 1:24-31 again. God created man on the sixth day of Creation. The sixth day is the day God created the creatures that were to live on the earth and apparently man is the last of the creatures of earth that God created. Note that in creating the creatures of the earth, the Bible says that God created each creature after its kind (1:21, 24 & 25). This seems to say that man s theory of evolution, man evolving from one kind to another, to another, to another, until it was a man, is certainly not taught in the Bible. Look at what is said about God s creation of man: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness... 1:26 Understanding The Bible - Lesson Two Page 2

3 let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. 1:26 And God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion... 1:28 Consider the second statement first; let them have dominion over... God made man to be over all other living creatures on the earth, over creatures over the earth in the heavens and over creatures in the waters of the earth. The Bible says that God made man the most significant creature of His creation, giving him dominion over all other creatures. Let us make man in our image, after our likeness... God made man in His image, in His likeness. The Scriptures do not make this statement about any other creature. Man, and man only (used here to indicate male and female), was created in the image of God. What does that mean? We may not understand everything until we get to be with God for eternity but there are some things that we can understand about our creation. The Bible says that God is Spirit... (John 4:24). If God is Spirit and we are created in His image, we must have a spirit. 2 nd Corinthians 5:1-5 says that God has given men physical bodies to house the spirit while we are on earth so apparently the purpose of our body is to house our spirit while on this earth. The Bible never says that God has a physical body like a man. In John 3:6-8 Jesus said that men must be born again and says the new birth must be a birth of the spirit because a birth of the flesh only makes a person flesh. (You will understand why a person must be born again when you study sin and how it brings spiritual death which separates men from God.) So, one thing about being created in the image of God is that man has a spirit. That is a part of what makes him like God. Please go back and read Genesis 2:4-24 before you continue this study. You have learned that the overall account of Creation is recorded in Genesis 1:1 through 2:3. Starting in Genesis 2:4, the Bible goes back to give us more specific details about the creation of man, the most important of God s earthly created creatures. Several things are said in these verses which provide more information about the creation of man. Understanding The Bible - Lesson Two Page 3

4 2:7 man was made from the dust of the ground and God breathed into this form He had made, the breath of life and this form became a living creature, which is called man. 2:18-24 God created woman because it was not good for man to be alone; none of the animals were suitable helpers for man. Woman was created as a companion and helper for man to make him complete. He was not complete when He was alone because God said It is not good that the man should be alone. Woman was not made at the same time as man. She was taken from man. 2:24-25 God s plan for man was to reproduce and fill the earth. His plan was for man to take a woman, with whom he would become one, and reproduce. Man was to leave his family of origin and join himself to woman and reproduce and form another family. 2:8-9 when God created man, He placed him in a beautiful garden and provided for his physical needs, food, etc. 2:15 God told man to work and keep this garden. 2:9 two trees in that garden are named. One was called the tree of life and the other was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 2:16 God said that man was allowed to eat the fruit of all the trees of the garden, except the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 2:16 God told man he would die, suffer a consequence, if he ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 2:19-20 the dominion that God gave man over all the other creatures, included naming them. Man took this action before God created woman. Man was made from the dust of the ground and God breathed into this form He had made, the breath of life, and man became a living creature. The Bible teaches that God made man, the physical form and then He breathed life into that physical form and brought it to life. Man did not evolve from anything; God made him complete and full grown. We do not know how old Adam was when God created him (by that I mean the amount of physical development and knowledge he had), but we do know that he was capable of understanding and Understanding The Bible - Lesson Two Page 4

5 having a meaningful conversation and relationship with God and he was able to reproduce (Genesis 2:18-26 & 4:1). God created woman because it was not good for man to be alone; none of the animals were suitable helpers for man. Woman was created as a companion and helper for man to make him complete. He was not complete when He was alone because God said It is not good that the man should be alone. Woman was not made at the same time as man. She was taken from man. No where in the Bible does God say I made woman after I made man because... but there may be some clues in the Creation account that will help us understand God s reasoning. God told the man It is not good that man should be alone, (2:18). God said that man alone was not good before He created woman. Since we are told in Genesis 1:27...in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them, and then it is recorded in Genesis 1:31 And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day, we must assume what is recorded in Genesis 2:3-25 took place on the sixth day of creation. After God created the male of the species He told him that his being alone was not good. Then He brought all the animals of the creation before this man to see what he would call them (2:18-20). After man had seen and named all of the other creatures, the Bible says...but for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. Apparently, God wanted the man to see that being alone was not good and He wanted him to see that nothing in the other created creatures was a suitable helper for him. God did not make woman inferior to man; He made her to complete man, to make him good. Since God created woman from man, it seems God wants man to understand that the man and the woman are one. God s plan for man was to reproduce and fill the earth. His plan was for man to take a woman with whom he would become one and reproduce. Man was to leave his family of origin and join himself to woman and reproduce and form another family. Since He is God, He could have made as many people as He wanted to make but the Bible story, from after the time God created man, teaches that God wanted man to take control and be responsible for the creation. This seems to be an indication that God wanted man to join Him in the work of creation. The story of God s creation teaches that when God created man He created him with the freedom of choice, so man had a choice of whether he wanted more men, and if he did, he needed to obey what God told him. Understanding The Bible - Lesson Two Page 5

6 When God created man, He placed him in a beautiful garden and provided for his physical needs, food, etc. The story of God s dealings with men as recorded in the Bible is a story that demonstrates how God provides for man what he needs and what is good for him. God created man and placed him in a beautiful garden where it is said everything good for food and pleasing to the eye was available (2:9). God wants to bless man and give him what is good. God told man to work and keep this garden. God did not intend for man to be idle. He gave him a meaningful work. How man kept the Garden was going to have a direct bearing on the quality of life he lived. Two trees in that garden were named. One was called the tree of life and the other was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God said that man was allowed to eat the fruit of all the trees of the garden except the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Since the Bible says And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food (2:9), we know that these two trees were pleasant to the sight, good to look at, and good for food, just like all the other trees. Other than that, and that they were told they were not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we do not know anything else about the trees. However, the fact that God told them not to eat of the one tree says that God gave man choice. God could have made it so that man would not have been able to eat of this tree since He is God. However, this shows that God created man with freedom of choice. We will discuss this in more detail in the next lesson. The dominion that God gave man over all the other living creatures included naming them. Man took this action before God created woman. It is evident from God s design for man to be over all of His creation that God created man with some amount of knowledge already stored in his mind. Unlike little babies, who have information input and learn as they grow, Adam and Eve were created with some amount of knowledge that was not gained from life experiences. The Bible s record of Creation is a wonderful story and teaches that as God created and began to deal with man, He loved him and provided for him. He could have made man anyway He wanted, but He made him in His image. He could have placed him in any environment, but the Bible describes the place where God placed man as a beautiful garden, pleasing to the sight and having everything good to eat. He could have made man as a robot, having to do exactly what He Understanding The Bible - Lesson Two Page 6

7 programmed into him, but He didn t. He created man with the ability to make choices about his life which we will discuss in detail in the next lesson. There is a lot more that could be said about what is recorded about creation but here is something for you to think about until your next lesson. In your further Bible studies, you will learn that God has other beings, spirit beings (angels, four living creatures, etc.) that He deals with in another realm. Scripture seems to teach that these beings were in existence when our realm, the world, was created. Since God deals with other beings, spirit beings, in another realm, why did God make you with a physical body and place you in a realm different than the one where He deals with these other spirit beings? If at any time during these studies you have questions about your relationship with God, please contact me, Glenn Redmond, at butchredmond@gmail.com or belleplainechurchofchrist@gmail.com and we will be glad to discuss your questions and concerns or put you in touch with someone who can assist you with your concerns. Understanding The Bible - Lesson Two Page 7

8 Understanding the Story of the Bible #2 Lesson Questions & Study Sheet 1. Who did God use to record the Book of Genesis? 2. When used of God, what does the word inspiration mean? 3. What are the two major events that mark the beginning and end of the Book of Genesis? 4. What does the Bible teach as the reason man exists? 5. What was unique about the creation of man? 6. How does the account of creation as recorded in Genesis 1 disprove evolution? 7. What was the position God gave man at creation? 8. What does the Bible say God did with man at creation? 9. Why do you think God did not create woman at the same time He created man? Understanding The Bible - Lesson Two Page 8

9 Understanding the Story of the Bible #2 Question Answers 1. Who did God use to record the Book of Genesis? Moses 2. When used of God, what does the word inspiration mean? This word means God breathed. God told the writers of each book what to record, He inspired, breathed it. 3. What are the two major events that mark the beginning and end of the Book of Genesis? Genesis starts with the Creation and ends with the descendants of Abraham living in Egypt and the death of Joseph. 4. What does the Bible teach as the reason man exists? Man exists because God created him. 5. What was unique about the creation of man? Men, humans, are the only thing created in the image of God. 6. How does the account of creation as recorded in Genesis 1 disprove evolution? It says God created it and says that everything that reproduces after its kind. 7. What was the position God gave man at creation? He placed him over all the Creation and told him to have dominion over all created things. 8. What does the Bible say God did with man at creation? God placed him in a beautiful garden where everything was pleasing to the sight and good for food. He placed him in paradise. 9. Why do you think God did not create woman at the same time He created man? It seems like God wanted the man to know that there was nothing else in the creation that was a suitable companion for him. bellplainechurchofchrist@gmail.com and request lesson #3 and it will be e- mailed to you or mailed to any address you give. Understanding The Bible - Lesson Two Page 9