Genesis 1 gave the bare-bones account of the creation of man. This devotional reading looks at more information on Adam’s creation.
Nuggets
- Humankind is accountable to God because He is our Creator.
- God gave humankind the breath of life, creating a dual existence.
- Humankind has a living soul.
- In His Word, God is not only showing us what is sin and wickedness, but He is also showing us purity and goodness.
Moses continued adding more details to the creation story in Genesis 1. It does not make Genesis 1. Genesis 2 just adds more detail.
Let's Put It into Context
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Devotions in the Celebrating Creation’s Story series
Formed from Dust
“Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground” (Gen. 2: 7 NLT)
Humankind is accountable to God because He is our Creator.
We again learn about how the man was created. Don’t make this a rally cry for feminism.
Bradford told us what it really means. He wrote, “Adam is a Hebrew word that means ‘man’ or ‘human.’”
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Yes, Adam was a biological man. However, God created humankind, not just a man. There is nothing sexist about the word mankind in God’s eyes.
We are given a little more information about how humankind was created. Instead of just saying the words and we came into existence, God put a little work into it.
When I think of formed, I think of the potter and the clay. “And yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand” (Isa. 64: 8 NLT).
God got His hands dirty making us. He had to take care, so we didn’t come out lopsided.
Even Abraham knew we were nothing without God. “Then Abraham spoke again. ‘Since I have begun, let me speak further to my Lord, even though I am but dust and ashes.’” (Gen. 18: 27 NLT).
That is the degradation we need!
Think degradation isn’t the right word? One of its synonyms is mortification. That is a churchy word.
Mortify means to place a death penalty on our sins.
Ooo, baby. We do need to do that!
We were made from dust. Yes, the earth was made from God, but the dust was part of the earth.
Still, God formed us. He was more involved in our creation.
On the flip side, we are fearfully and wonderfully made. “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous — how well I know it” (Ps. 139: 14 NLT).
Gibson brought up a good point. Does formed from the dust disqualify us from being created in His image? He and I don’t think so.
Gibson supported his belief. He wrote,
“In the first account, when man’s place in universal nature was to be set forth — man as he issued from his Maker’s hand — was it not appropriate that his higher nature should occupy the foreground? … But now that we are going to hear about his fall, about his shame and degradation, is it not appropriate that the lower rather than the higher part of his nature should be brought into the foreground, inasmuch as it is there that the danger lies?”
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The first — in His image — is about the pattern used. The second — formed from dust — is how we were formed.
The Breath of Life
“... He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils ...” (Gen. 2: 7 NLT)
God gave humankind the breath of life, creating a dual existence.
The way I interpret this is that the dust was formed into a lifeless body. Yes, God could have made it animate.
He wanted something better.
God breathed life into us.
The point is, God made us special. God put more of Himself into us. We are not only made in His image, but we also possess His breath.
Because we have God’s breath within us, we have life.
Ferguson said that was important. He wrote, “Man is a link between the material and the spiritual — the visible and the invisible — the temporal and the eternal. His is a compound nature.”
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That dual existence comes with expectations. That makes us accountable to God as He is our Creator.
Humankind also became a servant in God’s plan. He could — and did — visit them in the Garden of Eden.
No, we have no record of their discussions. But at family dinners, don’t we sit down and talk about our day. We talk about our plans, hopes, and dreams.
God would have shared with Adam and Eve — slowly — their part in His plan.
Became a Living Person
“... and the man became a living person” (Gen. 2: 7 NLT)
Humankind has a living soul.
Exell said that what God breathed into us was our souls. Our immortal soul is what makes us a living being (nephach).
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So, yeah. Our souls are our living beings. That is the part of us that is immortal.
Humankind had this life breathed into them by God and were created in His image.
But we are living entities that have free will.
Let’s walk through what Ferguson had to say. He wrote,
“A state of trial is one of the conditions of all created existence. Give to the creature whatever freedom we may — let him be ever so conscious of his own subjective independence as a free agent — it was not possible that he should be ignorant of the fact that there is one Supreme Will, to which every other will must be subordinate. The moment that he lost sight of this primordial truth, he was in danger of entrenching on the Divine prerogative, and of losing both his life and his happiness. While due regard was had to the freedom of his will, yet everything within him and around him was calling up the fact of his dependence. This dependence was the condition of his being; but the law to which he was called to conform involved nothing above his capacity or power of fulfilling.”
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A state of trial: Ooo, baby. Life is trial after trial. But that is how we grow in our relationships with God.
Whatever freedom we may: Two things. One freedom is our free will. We have the freedom of voice. But we chose wrong, so God designed a plan to restore our freedom — freedom from sin.
His own subjective independence: We each have to choose for ourselves. We don’t have our parents’ faith. We don’t have our spouse’s faith. We make the choice ourselves.
Not ignorant of the fact that there is one Supreme Will: I scratch my head when I hear people say there is no God, especially no Sovereign God. Haven’t they seen creation? Humankind? How intricately our systems go together?
In danger of entrenching on the Divine prerogative: Ooo, baby. What we choose to disbelieve in and disobey Sovereign God, we are choosing eternal torment. “And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20: 15 NLT).
Everything calling up his dependence: Yes, we are dependent on God whether we think we are or not. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15: 5 NLT).
Condition of his being: We have talked many times about how our spiritual condition is the most important. That is the condition of our being.
The law to which he was called to conform involved nothing above his capacity or power of fulfilling: Wait! What???? Doesn’t it seem like following God’s laws is too hard? There are so many times we mess up. But, “… He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand …” (I Cor. 10: 13 NLT) means we can handle anything when we have God calling the shots. There is nothing He can’t handle.
What is important, then? We are called to develop a pure moral character.
How do we do that? “And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today” (Deut. 6: 5-6 NLT).
Wait a second. To what is the and hooking these verses? “Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone” (Deut. 6: 4 NLT).
Sovereign God is our Creator and Ruler. Period.
Yes, we are still made in God’s image, but we have lost our likeness to Him. That is what sin did.
But God sent His Son to pay our debt for sin. Our relationships with God can be restored.
In a previous devotion, we talked about animals had instinct. Humankind has reason.
But Evans noted that being able to reason — and therefore be rational — is why we can be held accountable. And God will hold us accountable.
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I know. Many today don’t want to be held accountable, especially to a God they do not see.
But they will be.
Making the Connections #1
We look at those verses in I Corinthians and may get confused. “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body” (I Cor. 6: 19-20 NLT).
Isn’t our bodies — ie., flesh — sinful?
Well, yes; but our bodies house our souls. Our souls are to seek Him.
Making the Connections #2
I like how Haines described this life as probationary. It isn’t just temporary.
It is preparing us for eternal life. That is what the definition of probationary is: relating to a process of testing or observing the character or abilities of a person who is new to a role or job.
God is testing us in this lifetime to prepare us for a new role.
Haines put it this way. He wrote,
“… the life we are to live hereafter is to receive its character and destiny from the life we are now living on the earth. Every word and every act is a seed for eternity, and daily, as our time on earth is hastening to its close, we are laying up treasures of immortal joy in heaven, or preparing for ourselves a cup of woe in the world of despair.”
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It’ about character. It is daily.
It is about our total life. We have to surrender our whole lives to God.
It is about where our treasure is. “Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Mt. 6: 20-21 NLT).
Making the Connections #3
In His Word, God is not only showing us what is sin and wickedness, but He is also showing us purity and goodness.
But you know where that is most evident? In the Old Testament, in those boring chapters in Exodus and Leviticus.
Still think the New Testament is the only book we need to be concerned about in God’s Word? Wrong.
The writers of the New Testament books remained good Jewish men. They just knew that all in the Old Testament — what they called the Tanahk — was fulfilled by Jesus, not abolished.
How Do We Apply This?
- Seek God.
- Worship Him.
- Submit to the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
- Set our hearts above.
- Be comforted with the fact that God provides.
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Father God. You have given us so much. You not only gave us a physical life, You have also given us a spiritual life. We are sorry that humans chose our physical life over our spiritual life. We want You to repair our spiritual condition so that we are more like You. Amen.
What do you think?
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