The first chapter of Genesis contains such a wealth of material that, I suppose, a library would not be able to hold all the facts and wisdom recorded here! Even though it is packed with so much infor­mation that scientists are not able to digest or com­prehend all that is given here, we must remember that it is written for the common believer — it is revelation!

When God had created the heavens and the earth, the earth was waste and void and the "days" of the first chapter will now reveal how He has made a "cosmos" out of a certain "chaos". These "days" of creation have been the object of much speculation over the years. Some believe that they were all long periods of time. Others believe that the first three days were such long periods because sun and moon had not yet been created but that the second group of three days were indeed days of 24 hours. Others believe that all the days were 24 hours in length. There is indeed room for difference of opinion because the term "day" is used in various ways in the Scriptures. When the Scriptures later speak of the "day of the Lord", no one would restrict this time to a period of 24 hours. However, we believe all the days of Genesis 1 were 24 hours in length. The law of Moses seems to give solid proof for this posi­tion when it commands men to work six days of the week because the example of God is to be followed when He created the world in six days. (Exodus 20:11).

The manner of creation is also described in terms which every believer is readily able to understand. "And God said..." is the way in which it was done. He speaks and it is (Psalm 33:9). This is His creative speech. So He brings forth out of nothing. It is not a trial and error method, Man must try various ways before he makes something right. God speaks and it is and He looks on it and declares it to be good or very good. He who would detect every flaw im­mediately places His divine approval upon everything He has made. That He proclaims it to be good means that it perfectly fulfills its purpose.

Of the plants and other living creatures it is said that they are to bring forth "after their kind". The variety of His creation is maintained and the proc­ess of evolution is cut off at the root. The one kind of plant or of animal does not change into something else. Grass brings forth grass; apple trees, apple trees; and cows bring forth cows.

There is an orderliness in creation which is remarkable for its perfection. The things created on the one day pave the way for the things created on the next. First the darkness is dispelled to the extent that it will not have dominion. God creates light before He creates sun, moon and stars. He divides the waters above from those below and then the waters from the dry land. Now there is the proper state in which vegetation is able to flourish. God now creates sun, moon, and stars. Let astronomers not lose themselves in the speculations concerning the enormous amount of time it takes for the light from the distant stars to reach the earth and, therefore, conclude to an enormous age for the earth. No, He is speaking in revelation to His people! The seas and the air are filled with their inhabitants on the fifth day. He creates in such abundance! The glory of the Creator is seen everywhere. He makes all things good.

The last day of creation is devoted to the making of land creatures and man. All the variety of land animals appears. The whole creation is now populated and the stage is set for His greatest crea­tion. All things are in readiness for His greatest handiwork.

The creation of man is introduced in a far dif­ferent way from that of the creation of all other things. God takes counsel with Himself and decides to make man. This man is also to be distinguished from all other creatures in that he is to be made in the image of God! The term "image of God" as it is used here in this first chapter of the Bible is quite clear. God is the "original" of which man is to be the "copy". Man is hereby placed in a class by himself. No other creature has been made in the image of God — not even the angels. He is to be made "in our image, after our likeness". We see no essential dif­ference between these two terms used because they are used interchangeably later. The very fact that God first takes counsel with Himself before He makes man already reveals to us that something momentous is about to take place.

Although the term "image of God" is clear as it is used in this chapter, it contains such a wealth of thought that we need much of the rest of the Bible to make clear to us what is the depth of its meaning. Various books have been written on the subject and in a short outline we can only point to some of the most important elements found in this expression. What does it really mean that man is the image of God? Is he like God, and if so, how? Is he the image of God only in the spiritual part of himself? Has he lost this image when he fell into sin? Different answers have been given to these questions. Man will never be as God, even though he is His image. Satan later tempts man with this false idea. The im­age of God in man is considered to refer only to the spiritual element in man by many. However, then man is not the image of God because he consists of body and soul. Man, body and soul, has been made in the image of God! The fact that God does not have a body does no detract from this truth. Christ was his perfect image and we certainly may not exclude from this the body in which He came. Some believe that the image of God was lost by man when he fell into sin. This is an error. Genesis 9:6 bears testimony to the fact that the image of God is still very important even though the fall into sin had already occurred and the awful consequences of sin had been revealed. No, the fall spoiled the image of God, but it did not remove it. Christ has to come to restore the image of God in all its beauty — which He does.

It is so important to have the right conception of the image of God in man because without it we are not able to understand man's place in the creation of God nor the meaning of redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ. Man is placed in office by his Creator. He has great responsibilities in the created order. These responsibilities have not been given to any other creature. His kingship is evident in the place assigned to him by the Creator. He is to have dominion over all creation. He is therein to speak the word and carry out the assignments of His God. He is to bring the praise and worship of all created things to their Maker. He is to be the voice of all creation. This is the image restored through the work of Jesus Christ. Man's dominion is not com­pletely gone even in this age but it will be restored perfectly.

The question is often asked: What is man? The answer often given is that man is a rational animal. He is distinguished from the animal by his rationali­ty or his intelligence, but he is like the animal in many ways. The Bible gives a different answer: He is the image of God! Man can, therefore, not be understood except in relation to his Maker! The unbeliever cannot understand man, nor life, nor its purpose. He is always wondering: Where did I come from? What am I doing here? and Where am I going? The whole teaching of the Scriptures is the direct opposite of the teaching of evolution. Man did not start at the bottom to work himself up to the top; but, he started at the top and fell to the position in which he now finds himself. Man was indeed created with a dignity which he has never recaptured. In all of his life he was to reflect Him of Whom he was the image. Instead, man has declared his independence of God — and then, of course, no longer knows who he is.

After God had taken counsel with Himself to make man in His image, He did so! He is able to do whatever He desires. His counsel shall stand. Now there is added "male and female He created them". This was, of course, also true of the other creatures He had made because He also told them to multiply, but these words were not added after their creation. Some have even come with the fanciful interpreta­tion that the original man was both male and female in one person. This scarcely demands an answer and the wording of vs. 27 will not allow it. Here the words already point forward to marriage among human beings. It seems to me that these words also give further explanation of the concept "image of God". Certainly every individual human being is made according to that image. Yet, how can this im­age come to full expression in an individual? The image of God comes to fullest expression in the union of male and female, in marriage! It raises marriage to the highest level, as will become clear in the study of chapter two.

When man is placed on the earth at his creation he enters into a world which has been declared good by the God Who made it all. He is placed in a world in which he has definite tasks to perform. The perfect man in a perfect world is not without work. He is alone here and must, therefore, be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth. God does not want this earth to be peopled by so few. He has made animal life in abundance, but creates only one male and female of human beings. He wants the earth populated. He has given sufficient, and far more than sufficient, provision for multitudes of men. Man is also called to subdue this perfect creation! No other creature has the intelligence which man possesses, and no other was made in God's image. The others will, therefore, know neither purpose nor goal, and man is to give direction to all created things. To what a beautiful work he is called! He is to see to it that God is glorified everywhere.

Besides, man is to have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the face of the earth. What a task! We say how could man ever do this? Yet, that is his task and God does not ask the impossible of man at his creation. He is to have dominion not for himself to do with them as he pleases. All creatures must bring praise to the One Who made them and man is to see to it they do it! All creatures must and do recognize man as their superior, for he is made in the image of the Creator. In man is every creature to see the Creator reflected.

The first man is, evidently, to be a vegetarian. God gives him every herb and the fruit of every tree as food. This is the diet also given to the animal world. No mention is made of meat of animal or bird or fish as being given to man for food. Man will have an abundant food supply. The whole earth brings forth for him and his God is always generous in His gifts. Later we read of animals and birds and fish as proper food for man, but not in this first chapter.

The gaze of God now goes over all that He has made in the six days of creation and He looks upon it with approval. Several times we read at the end of a creation day that he saw what he had made and that it was good. Now, when man, the crown of creation, has also been made, He declares it to be "very good". Each item in creation was good in itself but the full harmony of all the parts is now seen as well as the things created on the sixth day. God rejoices in the work of His hands. He is pleased with the whole creation and especially with His image — man. How sad that the time is not far off when God will say that it has repented Him that He has made man on the earth!

So God made all things that exist. He made man good and after His own image. No one may ever charge God to be the author of sin. This first chapter of Genesis is of crucial importance for the understanding of all that follows in the Scriptures. He who fails to understand this first chapter or sees it as something different from the history of creation will be in real danger of falsifying man's fall into sin and his redemption.

Questions for Discussion:

1. How important is it to know the length of the "days" of creation? Does modern science con­flict with Scripture teaching? What is the prop­er relationship between God's general and special revelation?
2. What was the purpose of creation? Does God need creation?
3. Is today's unbeliever still the image of God?
4. How important is the first table of the law for the proper view of the image of God?
5. Verse 28 is often called "the common mandate". Does this common mandate still have impor­tance for us after the fall, and, if so, what im­portance does it have?
6. What does it mean to you that you are the "image of God"?