God’s Plan for the Redemption of His Creation in Every Book of the Bible 02

Once more in Genesis we will see God's plan for the Redemption of His creation. The culmination of His creative activity concludes with Christ-like completeness.

Here it is in outline form.

GENESIS 1:26 – 31

I. Chapter 1 introduces us to the essentials of creation through the creation of man.
   A. God has not detailed the creation of the universe
   B. The creation of man is not detailed here
   C. It will be detailed in Chapter 2, because He wants us to know about it
   D. Three ways to get things created
      1. Direct creation (the universe and Adam)
      2. Indirect creation (Eve)
      3. Natural generation (procreation)

II. “In His image.” The Hebrew word is tselem: likeness; as in a mirror; a reflection; simileic (the same as “like” in Acts 2).
   A. Man is like God in that he is a trinity
      1. Man is a mental being; a spiritual being and a physical being
      2. Man is self-conscious; man makes his own decisions; man is a free moral agent
   B. Man is to be a multiplier
      1. Every generation thinks it is the one that discovered sex
      2. Every generation thinks the one before it was pure and the one after it is debased…and that is true
  C. Man is to be a subduer
      1. This is a reference to man learning about himself and the universe, such as in a laboratory, an        observatory, etc.
      2. Man is to pass down what he has learned and to build on it
   D. Man is given dominion (the Hebrew is radah: to tread down) over the earth
      1. That is a term used in Scripture to denote both rule and responsibility.
      2. It also implies that before the fall, Adam had the same control over the earth that Christ has.
      3. Scripture also implies that man was a vegetarian before the flood

III. Some things taught or implied by Chapter 1 of Genesis
   A. The word “God” is mentioned 32 times
   B. The Bible is written to reveal spiritual faith
   C. Genesis teaches the Unity, power and Personality of God
   D. Genesis denies polytheism
   E. Genesis denies the eternity of matter
   F. Genesis denies pantheism –
   G. Genesis denies fatalism – the idea that God runs everything like a master puppeteer and “what will be, will be.”
   H. God acts in : order; progress; promptness and perfection

IV. In chapter 2:2 & 3 we are told that God completed His work and “rested.”
   A. “Rest” was not an indication of tiredness, it was a statement of completeness. All that had to be done was done. In other words, “It….is…finished!
   B. When Christ had done all that He had to do for the redemption of God’s most loved creation, He cried out from the cross, “It…is…finished!” It was His statement of completeness.