THE six “creative days” referred to
in the opening chapter of the Book
of Genesis do not appertain to the
original work of creating the
universe but to the preparation of
our earth to sustain life,
particularly human life. We are
informed that the earth already
existed prior to the beginning of
these “days” of creation.—Gen. 1:2
(A).
These days were in reality long eras
of time during which the gradual
preparation of the earth for human
habitation was carried forward. It
was toward the close of the sixth
“day” that man was created, in the
image of God, and commanded to
multiply and fill the earth. (Gen.
1:26-31) The “image of God” in which
man was created does not mean a
physical but a moral likeness. Man
was endowed with the ability to
reason and to understand God’s
instructions concerning right and
wrong, good and evil. (B)
Being created in the image of God
does not imply that man was endowed
with immortality, nor does it mean
that an “immortal soul” was
implanted somewhere in the human
organism. The expression “immortal
soul” does not appear anywhere in
the Bible. The word soul simply
means a living being. The living
being, Adam, was made up of an
organism animated by “the breath of
life.”—Gen. 2:7 (C)
God’s commission to our first
parents to multiply and fill the
earth reveals that the Divine
destiny for man was that he should
inhabit the earth, which had been
created to be his abiding home.
(Isa. 45:18) Man was created an
earthly being and perfectly adapted
to the home God had prepared for him
in the earth. (I Cor. 15:47) Nothing
was said to our first parents about
being transferred to another part of
the universe.
Man was given dominion over the
earth and over the lower animals.
(Ps. 8:4-8) He was to “subdue” the
earth, meaning that he was to bring
it under his control and make it
beautiful, useful, and productive.
In the garden home which the Creator
provided for our first parents,
there were both beauty and an
abundant supply of life-sustaining
food.—Gen. 2:8,9
It may be assumed that this
marvelous garden home was designed
by God to serve as a sort of working
model for man as he endeavored to
fulfill the commission given to him
to fill the earth with his
offspring, and to subdue it. And it
is not difficult to imagine what the
situation would have been had the
Divine purpose been carried out in
keeping with the Creator’s
arrangements.
As the human family increased in
number, that garden home which God
specially prepared “eastward in
Eden” would soon have been too
small, so its borders would have
been extended as the need required.
This would have continued until the
entire earth would have become one
vast paradise, filled with a perfect
and happy human family enjoying
continuous perfect health and life,
rejoicing in the sunshine of the
Creator’s smile. This was God’s
purpose in the creation of man.
STUDENTS’ HELPS
Questions
In order to understand the plan of
God for human salvation from sin and
death, it is essential to know the
Divine purpose in the creation of
man. Can you answer these questions?
Is it the original creation of the
universe that is described in the
first chapter of Genesis?
Were the “creative days” of Genesis
twenty-four hour periods?
In what sense was man created in the
image of God?
Was man created immortal or given an
“immortal soul”?
What is a human soul?
What was implied by God’s command to
fill the earth and to have dominion
over it?
Explain what the human race would
have experienced had the Creator’s
will been carried out without
interruption.
Reference Material
(A) “The New Creation,” page 18,
par. 1
(B) “The New Creation,” page 39
(C) “The Atonement Between God and
Man,” pages 307,308
Summary of Important Thoughts
Man was created in the moral image
of God, endowed with the ability to
know right from wrong. He was
commissioned to multiply and fill
the earth, which God created to be
his eternal home.