The Creation of Man.

Young-earth creationists aren't too concerned if a zebra and a horse have a common lineage or if a lion and a tiger share a common ancestor. The real problem comes when we discuss the origins of man. Immediately defenses go up and emotions start to rise. Naturalism insists that man is no more evolved than any other primate. Man is then considered no better than, just different from, any other animal. Creationists hold that man is a special creation, and is above the creatures of the Earth. What does Scripture say on this issue?

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Gen 1:26-27).

“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” (Gen 2:7).

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” (Psa 8:4-9).

What wonderful verses! Interesting, full of challenge and mystery. How shall we begin to understand these passages? One thing that should be immediately clear is God created man. Whenever the Bible makes a statement 3 times, as it does in verse 1:27, it is to make sure we take special notice. Something very profound is being said and God wants to make sure we don't miss it. Of the other works of God's creation we read “and God said, Let there be or Let the earth or again let the waters...” These are statements of authority. But in man's creation we read And God said, Let us make... This is a statement of affection.

Man was to be a creature different from all that had been hitherto made. Flesh and spirit, heaven and earth, must be put together in him, and he must be allied to both worlds. And therefore God himself not only undertakes to make him, but is pleased so to express himself as if he called a council to consider the making of him. Actually, this was the council of the Holy Trinity, as the Fathers of the Church explain.

Regarding the order of man in creation, man was made last of all the creatures, that it might not be suspected that he had been, in any way, a helper to God in the creation of the world. That question must be forever humbling and mortifying to him.

Man was made the same day that the beasts were, because his body was made of the same earth as theirs; and, while he is in the body, he inhabits the same earth with them.

The relatively new field of genetic research shows that the genetic difference between apes and man is possibly as little as 1%. If this figure holds up in future research it will certainly make the case for a common ancestor very strong. If this conclusion should prove to be true it is humbling and may bruise our ego, but it should not cause us great concern for long.

Looking closely at Scripture we see the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground. Traditionally this has been taught to mean literal soil, but in light of God's earlier creative efforts this might not be the case. Genetically there is not much physical difference between apes and man, but the real difference between man and apes is actually infinite because the difference is spiritual in nature.

We are told that God created man in his own image so what we must do is determine what this means. If the dust of the ground God used to form man was a primate ancestor that the earth brought forth, so be it. For God's image is not the body, God is Spirit and as such has no body as we understand that term.

It has been suggested that it is our minds that separate us from the apes. From our minds we gain the ability to think; to reason; to speak; to write; to design; to build, to pray, to believe; to distinguish moral evil from moral good; to create art; to compose music; to write literature and poetry; to ponder truth, beauty, love, humor, and every other intangible thing that is part of the human experience. Compared to animals of a similar size and body mass, we are not strong, we are not fast, and we have no special physical abilities — we can't leap like a panther, climb like an ape, or fly. We would not make it without clothing and shelters constructed to protect us from the elements. And yet, humans have used their intelligence and tools (which they have also designed and constructed) to survive and thrive in every climate on the planet, from the hottest deserts to the highest mountains to the densest jungles, to the frozen Arctic. We have learned to survive in and explore even environments that will not sustain our lives, like the ocean floor and outer space.

Some see human morality as the difference between man and animals. Human morality, the sense of right and wrong, goes far beyond instinct. We have a sense of “the greater good.” It is not enough that our own children are safe and fed, we are moved to feed other hungry children — whether they are in our own city or are suffering from a famine on the other side of the world. A fireman who rushes into a burning building to save an elderly man isn't doing it for the money. He does it because he recognizes the preciousness of life, even if the man he rescues is old and sick. A herd of musk oxen would run away from a predator, leaving the old and sick of the herd behind with no remorse.

These things are true and add to our understanding of what it means to be human. But who we are is more than a primate with intellect and a high moral standard. The question remains, what does it mean to be created in God's image?

The clue to answering this question is found in 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.” The initial reaction to this verse is that it is saying God made man alive, and this is true, but it has a much deeper meaning than just bodily life. The breath that God gave man was the immortal spirit. Man was created different; he was created to have eternal life with angels in heaven. Man was created to have a personal relationship, even friendship, with the Creator of the universe.

The other creatures of the Earth are purely physical in nature, brought forth by the earth and the waters, but man's spirit is directly from God. We are by design spiritual beings. We can deny there is a God and reject any form of communion with Him, but the desire for Him remains. To fill this vacuum we create our own gods in the form of idols; we create money, theories, facts and figures, rules and traditions. Still, we remain spiritual beings, unique special creations of a loving God.

The idea that man is considered no better, just different from any other animal is just plain wrong. It robs man of the glory and honour God has crowned him with. It robs God of the praise He is due for the creative work of His hands. God blessed man with a spirit and gave him dominion over the other creatures of the earth. Not so we could be little gods over them but rather to be caretakers of the earth. To this I agree with the psalmist “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!”