"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." (Genesis 1:1)If this account of the creation of the world and the making of man is unacceptable to some, or must be interpreted as being only symbolic by others, then we are left only with the theories and guesses of man. No true scientific proof however is possible, for the simple reason that there was no man living to observe what happened."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." (Genesis 2:7)
[Please do not be tempted to rush through this study. Do take time to look up every reference. It's best to leave it until you're not under time pressure.]
Man had an intellect with the ability to choose, a moral nature, the power to communicate and a spiritual quality that transcends instinct and reason.
Genesis 1:26, 27
How did man, from earth, become a ‘living soul?
What does this mean?
(see Ezekiel
37:1-10)
Genesis 2:18-25
How and why was woman made?
If you take the time to ponder these verses, you will find a lot that is often missed as a result of today's tendency toward superficial thinking.
Just a reminder: Towards the end of study no.10 on the ‘Fall of Man’ we listed and underlined several scriptures in which these creation accounts are confirmed by our Lord Jesus Christ and others.
(c) He had language and knowledge of natural history; he named the beasts of the field and fowls of the air (Gen. 2:15).
(d) He was a gardener, not a savage (Gen.
2:15).
The first man and woman lived in a garden, not a jungle as is commonly
supposed!
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| Gen. 3:19 | 2 Cor. 5:8 | 1 Pet 2:24 |
| 2 Cor. 12:2 | Heb. 10:5 | Rom. 12:1 |
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| The Soul | ||
| Gen. 2:7 | Lev. 17:11 | Deut 13:3 |
| Joshua 22:5 | Job 12:10 | Ezekiel 18:4 |
| Mark 8:36 (a verse worth memorising) | ||
| The soul is more important than the body. They are two distinct substances - the body is material, the soul is immaterial. At physical death, the soul is separated from the body. | ||
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| Proverbs 20:27 | 1 Corinthians 6:17 | 1 Corinthians 15:45 |
| Ephesians 2:22 | James 2:26 | Hebrews 4:12 |
| 1 Thessalonians 5:23 | ||
According to the Bible the true Christian is a ‘new creature’- he is something different (2 Corinthians 5:17). He is said to be "in Christ" - no longer "without Christ" (Ephesians 2:12). "Born again" by the word of God, he is now a "partaker of the divine nature"(2 Peter 1:4).
What a tremendous privilege and responsibility we have! Called, possessed, to live after the image and likeness of the God who has re-created us!
We should now see why the non-Christian is unable to recognise divine revelation. (It is not so much a language problem but one of receptivity:- see Daniel 12:8 and John 8:28.) The Christian is able to perceive the virtues he should emulate and the vices he should avoid in the light of God’s commandments. Taken to the highest level, he will communicate with his Maker again. He will walk with God, talk with God and learn to worship the God who not only created him but by grace has re-created him in Christ Jesus.
He can still neglect the voice of conscience: he can ignore it so many times, but - like an alarm clock - he ceases to hear it after a while. On the other hand, he can so sensitise the voice of conscience by meditating upon the standards and requirements of God (in His holy word) that he will discover even greater growth and knowledge in the ways of God.