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Weekly Devotional 8-11-25 Adam, Eve, and Humanity Created in God’s Image, In His likeness.
“1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. 6 Then God said, ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.’ 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.
9 Then God said, ‘Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear’; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth’; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day.
14 Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth’; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
20 Then God said, ‘Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.’ 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’ 23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
24 Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind’; and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” (Genesis 1:1-28)
We note from the account of creation that only man (Represented in Adam) was created in the image, the likeness of God. What does that mean? From Genesis 2:7 we read that God formed Adam from the dust of the earth and breathed the breath of life into the created body and Adam became a living being. Accordingly, Adam was unique among all God’s creations, having both a material body and an immaterial soul/spirit. The Spirit was the immaterial aspect of Adam by which he could relate to and commune with God. God does not have a body, He is spirit (John 4:24) thus Adam being created in the image and likeness of God is not found in his physical characteristic but in his immaterial soul/spirit. This set Adam apart from all other created beings fitting him for dominion (1:26b and 1:28b) over them as God intended. As God had dominion over all creation Adam was given dominion over all creatures of the earth.
As to Eve we read that she was not formed from the dust of the earth but from a Rib of Adam. Consider Genesis 2:18-23 “18 And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” 19 Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. 21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 23 And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.”
A question arises; how did Eve receive her spirit? The same as Adam or in another way? Nothing is said about God breathing the breath of life into her, yet it is inferred. Adam did not become a living being, although His body had been formed, until God shared His spirit with Him, it would not have been any different with Eve as she was also able to relate and commune with God which necessitated that she was endowed with a spirit. Granted, the above question has been a matter of discussion among Bible scholars for a long time and there is division in their conclusions. Especially, when this same question is asked about their progeny, their offspring, which is all of humanity.
Genesis 2:7 teaches that God breathed into Adam and “he became a living being,” indicating that the human spirit (sometimes equated with breath or life) originates with God. Zechariah 12:1 and Ecclesiastes 12:7 supports this concept.
Zechariah 12:11 “The burden of the word of the Lord against Israel. Thus says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him.”
Ecclesiastes 12:7 “declare that God continues to be the “One who forms the human spirit within a person, and that the spirit returns to God at death.”
In accordance with the above concept Christian scholars have outlined three primary perspectives regarding how Adam’s descendants receive their spirit:
Creationism – This view holds that God creates a spirit (and soul) directly for each individual at conception or birth.
Traducianism – According to this perspective, the spirit (and soul) is generated along with the body from the parents – Seminally passed on.
Preexistence – This position suggests that spirits and souls exist independently prior to embodiment and are joined to each person at birth.
Creationism is the most frequently held position among orthodox theologians, positing that God plays an active role in creating each human spirit individually, rather than through strictly genetic or natural inheritance. In this framework, the spirit is considered a direct creation rather than a product of physical reproduction.
Implications
According to interpretations of biblical texts, each person is regarded as possessing a unique spirit, which is seen as reflecting the divine image and enabling relationship with God. Many traditions also maintain that all humanity inherits a fallen nature, which is understood to necessitate redemption.
In summary, adherents to these views maintain that Adam’s descendants receive their spirit through a creative act associated with each new individual life. While bodies are believed to be inherited genetically, spirits are often described in these theological models as individually created and united with the person at conception or birth. The belief that Adam and Eve were endowed with free will, made choices contrary to their original nature, and thereby altered the “image of God” for themselves and their lineage, is referenced in passages such as Romans 5:12-21. Some theological interpretations hold that, despite the enduring image of God, various dimensions of human experience continue to reflect the effects of sin.
Certain Christian doctrines assert that redemption involves restoring the original image of God within individuals, as referenced in texts like Ephesians 4:24, and is available through grace and faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). Those traditions teach that, through Christ, individuals can become “new creations” (see 2 Corinthians 5:17) reflecting this restored likeness.
For support of these conclusions, I direct you to writers at gotquestions.org and read: “On the last day of creation, God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). Thus, He finished His work with a “personal touch.” God formed Adam from the dust and gave him life by sharing His own breath (Genesis 2:7). Accordingly, humanity is unique among all God’s creations, having both a material body and an immaterial soul/spirit.
Having the “image” or “likeness” of God means, in the simplest terms, that we were made to resemble God. Adam did not resemble God in the sense of God’s having flesh and blood. Scripture says that “God is spirit” (John 4:24) and therefore exists without a body. However, Adam’s body did mirror the life of God as far as it was created in perfect health and was not subject to death.
The image of God (Latin, imago dei) refers to the immaterial part of humanity. It sets human beings apart from the animal world, fits them for the dominion God intended them to have over the earth (Genesis 1:28), and enables them to commune with their Maker. It is a likeness mentally, morally, and socially.
Mentally, humanity was created as a rational, volitional agent. In other words, human beings can reason and choose. This reflects God’s intellect and freedom. Anytime someone invents a machine, writes a book, paints a landscape, enjoys a symphony, calculates a sum, or names a pet, he or she is proclaiming the fact that we are made in God’s image.
Morally, humanity was created in righteousness and perfect innocence, a reflection of God’s holiness. God saw all He had made (humanity included) and called it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Our conscience or “moral compass” is a vestige of that original state. Whenever someone writes a law, recoils from evil, praises good behavior, or feels guilty, he or she is confirming the fact that we are made in God’s own image.
Socially, humanity was created for fellowship. This reflects God’s triune nature and His love. In Eden, humanity’s primary relationship was with God (Genesis 3:8 implies fellowship with God), and God made the first woman because “it was/is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). Every time someone marries, makes a friend, hugs a child, or attends church, he or she is demonstrating the fact that we are made in the likeness of God.
Part of being made in God’s image is that Adam had the capacity to make free choices. Although they were given a righteous nature, Adam and Eve made an evil choice to rebel against their Creator. In so doing, they marred the image of God within themselves, and that marred image is inherited in all their descendants (Romans 5:12). Today, we still bear the image of God (James 3:9), but we also bear the scars of sin. Mentally, morally, socially, and physically, we show the effects of sin.
The good news is that when God redeems an individual, He begins to restore the original image of God, creating a “new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). That redemption is only available by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ as ones Savior from the sin that separates him/her from God (Ephesians 2:8-9). Through Christ, one/we are made new creations in the likeness of God (2 Corinthians 5:17).” End of Transcription.
Hebrews 12:3 declares that Jesus Christ was the express image of God and the brightness of His glory. And it is declared in Romans 8:29 that all who come to God are being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. What a glorious transformation. Sadly, many resist His call, and unless that resistance is overcome (by God the Holy Spirit) they will not experience that conforming and what it leads to, Justification and glorification.
If you are reading this, may I say, it is not too late, while you are breathing, there is still time to turn to Jesus and agree with Him that you (Like all other persons) are a sinner and need Hid forgiveness.
Jesus Himself said “35 I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:35-40).
Blessings!
Steve