Genesis 2

Genesis 2:1-25

Genesis 2:1-25II. The Relation of Man to God-Sinless and Sinful (Genesis 2:1-25; Genesis 3:1-24)

1. Man as Sinless and Unfallen (Genesis 2:1-25) Genesis 2:1-25 is not a second and different account of the creation recorded in Genesis 1:1-31, but a detailed account of one part of it, namely, the creation of man. Man is but a part of the general creation in Genesis 1:1-31, his creation being spoken of in connection with that of trees, plants, flowers, birds, beasts, and fishes. Genesis 2:1-25 separates man from all these, and discusses his origin, his nature, and his environment. In other words, in Genesis 1:1-31 you have the account of the creation of man in general; in Genesis 2:1-25, in detail. Here is shown God’ s interest in man as the crowning work of His creation. Four things, especially, are of interest in this chapter: First. Man’ s Origin and Nature. “ 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). From this verse we learn that man is dust inbreathed by deity. When God made the plant, He gave it a body. When He made the beast, He gave it a body and a soul (that is, a certain kind of soul, for the soul of the beast is different in origin, nature, and destiny from that of man. A beast may have will, but not self-will; determination, but not self-determination; consciousness, but not self-consciousness).

When God made man, He gave him a body, as the plant; a soul, as the beast; but also a spirit from Himself, which was the result of divine inbreathing. It was the inbreathing into man of the divine Spirit (or Spirit) that made man a living soul, and it is this very Spirit of God in man which differentiates him from the beast, and that unites him with God. A man without religion is not a man. For what are men better than sheep or goats, If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer Both for themselves and those who call them friend? Solomon says: “ Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole (duty of) man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). A man without religion is not a full, complete, whole man. Any system of education that omits the religious element is not true education. Education has been defined as the “ development of the normal faculties of man.” Greek, Latin, German, French, mathematics, and many other such studies are not absolutely necessary to a normal man. A man may be normal and not be versed in any of these subjects. Religion, however, is a normal faculty of man; and no man is educated and no system of education is truly worthy of the name that does not include the care of the soul. Our modern system of education is incomplete and insufficient in so far as it does not develop the religious, which is a normal faculty of man. Man is body, soul, and spirit; or, more properly, spirit, soul, and body (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 4:12). The body is that which may be played upon by the spirit or soul, and thus a man, in as far as he allows either one of these to predominate over the body, is either “ soulish” or “ spiritual.” Paul speaks of the “ natural” (soulish) man and the “ spiritual” man (1 Corinthians 2:14-15). Adam and Eve were created with sinless natures, but with the possibility of sinning. Our attention is drawn to the intellectual power of our first parent. Genesis 2:19 is very clear in its teaching that man was created and endowed with superior intellectual faculties. Adam had not only the power of speech, but the power of reasoning and thought in connection with speech. He could attach words to ideas. This is not the picture, as evolution would have us believe, of an infantile savage slowly groping his way towards articulate speech by imitation of the sounds of animals. From all this it is evident that man’ s original state was not one of savagery. Indeed, there is abundant evidence to show that man has been degraded from a very much higher stage. Both the Bible and science agree in making man the crowning work of God, and that there will be no higher order of beings here on the earth than man. We must not forget that while man, from one side of his nature, is linked to the animal creation, he is yet supranatural-a being of a higher order and more splendid nature; he is in the “ image and likeness of God.” Man has developed not from the ape, but away from it. He never was anything but potential man. “ No single instance has yet been adduced of the transformation of one animal species into another, either by natural or artificial selection; much less has it been demonstrated that the body of the brute has ever been developed into that of the man. The links that should bind man to the monkey have not been found.

Not a single one can be shown. None have been found that stood nearer the monkey than the man of today” -Agassiz. Second. Man’ s Environment-Eden. Adam and Eve were placed in the garden of Eden, in which everything was in a state of perfection. There was nothing to defile or destroy. Everything was beautiful in its season. This Edenic condition is called “ Paradise.” Its location and boundaries are distinctly stated in this chapter (Genesis 2:9-17).

Just in what part of the world it was located, we may not be able definitely to state at the present. The work of man was to “ dress it and to keep it.” Here, doubtless, was work without weariness, a perfect environment for a perfect man. It may be of interest to note that the first two and the last two chapters of the Bible deal with a perfect condition or existence in which there is nothing to defile, hurt, or destroy. The first paradise was lost through sin; the second is regained through Christ, and can never be lost. The “ tree of life” we read of in the second and third chapters of Genesis is not mentioned again throughout the whole Bible until we come to the book of Revelation, in which is described for us the environment of redeemed and glorified humanity. Third. Man’ s Companion-Eve. Here we have the account of the creation of Eve, the companion of Adam. God’ s thought and purpose for man are indicated here-that purpose is marriage. God made them “ male and female” for the purpose of marriage and the propagation of the race. Do men and women thwart God’ s plan when they do not carry out His intended purpose? God’ s creative purpose for the race is marriage. There are some recognized exceptions to this rule, of course (Matthew 19:3-12), but otherwise the purpose of God is clearly declared. It is of interest to note that woman was taken, not from man’ s head, to be above him; nor from his feet, to be below him; but from his side, to be equal with him and his companion in life. Yet see 1 Corinthians 11:2-11 for woman’ s relation to man. In this connection we should remember that marriage is an institution ordained of God and has come down to us from man’ s state of innocency. The uniting in marriage of man and woman makes them forever one. Our Lord Jesus bases very definite teaching regarding divorce on this passage,|leads us to believe that a second marriage contracted by either one of the parties during the lifetime of the other party constitutes adultery. Nothing but the death of the other partner gives the right to another marriage (cf. Matthew 5:32; Matthew 19:3-9; Mark 10:2-12; Luke 16:18). It is the basis, also, of Paul’ s teaching (Romans 7:1-3; 1 Corinthians 7:10). Fourth. The Dominion Given to Man. In man’ s hand was placed, by God, the scepter of dominion over all things that God had created. This dominion lasted until sin entered into the race. Without doubt the beasts of the field were subject to the will of our first parents. It is a characteristic of the millennial age that the beasts shall be subject to the will of the redeemed (Isaiah 11:6-9). It is interesting to note that our Lord, during His temptation, was “ with the wild beasts” in the wilderness (Mark 1:13), and yet they did not harm Him. All the creation was involved in the fall of man (Romans 8:19-22). Now, instead of the beasts being afraid of man, man is afraid of the beasts. Some day it will be otherwise (Isaiah 11:1-16; Isaiah 35:1-10).