Who are we and why are we here? Are we just highly intelligent mammals of no more importance than a whale or a chimpanzee? Are we just “lucky accidents” of the evolutionary game of chance? Or are we highly valued beings created and designed by a loving God? In our sermon today we shall learn the truth about our creation so that we can know who we are and why we are here. Consider:
- God Made Man (2:4-7). The Bible tells us that we are not mere accidents in a game of chance, but “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps 139:14). In verse 7 “the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” We are not simply highly intelligent mammals, but are highly valued beings created in the image of God (Gen 1:27). This has important implications. Being made in the image of God means that every person (unborn or born; regardless of race, gender or age) is valuable and worthy of love and respect.
- God Gave Man a Home (2:8-14). God demonstrated His goodness by blessing the man with a beautiful home. We read that “the LORD God planted a garden in Eden…and there He put the man whom He had formed” (8). In the garden was “every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food” (9). Plenty of food, an abundance of water, this new home was a blessing to man.
- God Gave Man Responsibility (2:15-17). God continued to demonstrate His goodness by giving man responsibility and holding him responsible. The man had responsibility to care for God’s creation and he must make sure to care for it according to God’s command. Remember in Genesis 1:26 that God instructed man to “have dominion over” everything on earth and this, according to verse 15, required labor: “the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and to keep it.” This labor was not burdensome (see Gen 3:17-19), but inherently fulfilling and productive. God also made it clear that even though the man had dominion over the garden, he was under the authority of God. God’s first prohibition was: “you may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (16-17).
- God Gave Man a Companion (vs. 18-25). God’s goodness is further revealed in His creation of a companion. The first thing God said was not good was: “It is not good that the man should be alone” (18a). God’s grace was revealed in His answer to this problem: “I will make him a helper fit for him” (18b). Next week we will discuss the institution of marriage in more detail, but for now reflect on the goodness of God in meeting our need for companionship.
It is very important that we have a Biblical world-view. The Bible says that we are not accidents, but made intentionally. We are not merely another animal, but the most valuable creatures in all of creation. Let this truth propel us to worship our Creator and to seek a personal relationship with His Son Jesus Christ.
First Baptist Scott City, MO 