Expert: Thurman C. Petty, Jr. - 3/19/2010

Question
I am currently working on a project for my grade 9 LA class. We have to make up an essential question from the statement, "I am human because I belong". For my question I have chosen to compare and contrast religious and scientific theorys that contribute to the belifes that make us human. I was wondering if you could give me a second profesional opinion on religious views. Give me a little info on the bible, how God created humans. And what did he do that makes us human. Thank you for your time.

Answer
Dear Martin,

Thank you for your question. Actually, many books have been written on this subject, and to really explain it would take many pages. But I will do the best I can to explain what you need in the space we have here.

God created humans on the sixth day of creation week. Here’s the record from the Bible:

Gen 1:26  Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
Gen 1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Gen 1:28  God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
Gen 1:29  Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

From these verses we gather the following points:

1. God created man in His own image—meaning that man would have a perfect character without flaws and the freedom to choose his own activities.
2. God created man in His own likeness—man would look like God.
3. God created mankind in both genders—male and female.
4. God gave humans the job of taking care of the earth—rule, govern. But God did not GIVE the earth to man. God was still the owner; humans were, we might say, the managers. But Adam and Eve would be like a king and queen, and all their children . . . into the billions . . . would be their subjects. The main difference between that and what we know as royalty and subjects would be that there would have been no sin—no selfishness, no corruption of any kind. The “royalty” in God’s plan would be powerful, but benevolent, wanting to help people, rather than “use” them.
5. God blessed them. God’s blessing, though invisible, would be similar to money in the bank—it supplied all the needs that humans would ever have. God’s blessing showed that He loved the people that He’d made—love that’s like a mother and father have for their children. After all, we are God’s children, because He made us.
6. God gave them the direction to have lots of children, and thus to fill the earth.
7. They were to subdue the earth: grow food, build houses. It could include extracting minerals, etc. from the ground, but would not include the destruction of the earth like we have done in modern times.
8. God supplied them with all their food. Notice that it was a totally vegetarian diet: fruit, nuts, and grains. God did not give them vegetables to eat (these were for the animals) until after they sinned. (Gen. 3:18)

The next thing God did for humans was to give them a day of rest:

Gen 2:2  And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
Gen 2:3  And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

When we compare this with the 10 commandments, #4, we see that God intended it for all humans:

Ex. 20:8  Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Ex. 20:9  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Ex. 20:10  But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
Ex. 20:11  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Going back to Genesis. In Chapter 2 the Bible explains just how God made humans:

Gen 2:7  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.

Picture God kneeling beside an area of clay—that He had made on the 3rd day—and forming a statue of a man, perfect in every detail. It doesn’t say, but I imagine Him making all the organs as well, putting them into place, and covering them over with skin. That’s just my imagination.

At any rate, God make a giant mud man, then He bent and blew into his nose (did He kiss the statue—man?), and man was suddenly alive. The word “soul” is translated “being” in other versions, you know, like human being. So man doesn’t have a soul—some conscious self inside of his body—I say man does not have a soul: He is a soul. We could talk more about that if you want to. (Send you question to my personal e-mail because I’m going on vacation.)

God made woman a little differently:

Gen 2:18  The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." . . .
Gen 2:20  So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.
Gen 2:21  So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh.
Gen 2:22  Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
Gen 2:23  The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman, ' for she was taken out of man."

Notice a few points here:

1. God didn’t want man to live alone, so he made him a companion.
2. Instead of making the woman out of dust/clay like He did the man, God put Adam to sleep, performed the first surgery and removed a rib.
3. From the rib God made a woman.
4. When God brought the woman to Adam, he gave her the designation “woman” like he had named all the other animals (verses 19, 20). Later we find that He gave her the name “Eve.”

We find too, that God performed the first marriage on the 6th day:

Gen 2:24  For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

The positions of father and mother had not yet come to be, but God made provision for future marriages as well.

One very important point we need to look at here: God created one man and one woman, and then married them to each other. That was God’s plan. God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.

Unfortunately, humans sinned, and lost their positions as rulers of the world. This was preempted by Lucifer/Satan/the devil. So he is in control of the world now, even though humans have apparent control.

Now notice the following points that we get from this Biblical record:

Humans did not come into being by chance, and life didn’t come about in a mud hole billions of years ago. The Bible says the God created the earth, everything in it—plants, oceans, animals, birds, fish and other sea creatures, insects, amoebas, and man in 6 literal 24-hour days. Then He rested on the 7th day, and commanded that all men everywhere rest every seventh day as well.

Many people say that this is a myth. But I believe that it’s the most intelligent description of the beginnings of the world in which we live. Think of the implications:
1. Man, instead of being an insignificant being that came about by chance through billions of years of violence and death, was, instead, made in the image of God, for the purpose of taking care of God’s world.
2. This understanding makes all the difference in the world as to how we view ourselves. We were specifically made for a purpose, to joyfully serve the God who made the entire universe.

And most importantly: Even though Adam and Eve “blew it” by sinning, and lost their positions as rulers of the world, God had a plan for getting them back.
1. He came to this earth in the form of a man—He actually became a human being. (If God could create the earth He could certainly make Himself one of His own creatures. It’s mind-boggling, and I’ve never been able to understand it—but it’s true) He came in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth, Who lived and worked, healed, preached, and even raised the dead on several occasions.
2. But the leaders didn’t like Him because He refused to obey their petty laws, and His perfect life revealed that they were vile sinners.
3. So they nailed Him to a cross and hung Him up for all the world to see. He died on Friday, the 6th day of the week, rested in the tomb on the Sabbath (just like He had rested on the Sabbath after Creation), and raised Himself to life again on Sunday, the 1st day of the next week. (The name Sunday didn’t come into use until much later.)

So, not only did God create us humans, but after we had sinned—rebelled against Him—He came and bought us back by giving His own Life. That means that we were created at the beginning, and, can I say, recreated by God, when He died for us on the cross.

And best of all, Jesus promises to come again some day and raise all the people who believed in Him and have died, round up all the people who are still alive and believe in Him: And take them all to live with Him in His capitol city—the New Jerusalem—somewhere on a giant planet out in space.

John 14:1  "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me.
John 14:2  In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
John 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

There’s so much more, but this is a sketch that will probably be more than you need.

I know that you’ve been taught that you’ve descended from a tadpole, or something like that. But just think of the beauty of the truth: You’re descended from a man who was created in the image of the God who created the entire universe. And God came to this earth as Jesus about 2000 years ago, and died so that you may one day live with Him in His kingdom.

Read your Bible. It’s the greatest Book ever written. It’s filled with stories of real people in real time, some of whom were good and some bad. But over all, you’ll learn about Jesus—The God who created you and saved you.

Thanks again for your question.

Thurman C. Petty, Jr.
PettyPress@gmail.com
Check out my web site: www. PettyPress.com (20 e-books; 42 Bible lessons; and much more)