"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).
Try to picture this scene in your mind: God has spent the last six days creating the earth. Throughout the week, He spoke, and it was done. Light, air, land, vegetation, the celestial bodies, birds, fish, animals—all have sprung into existence at His word. Now the world is ready for what is to be its primary inhabitant. God says, "Let Us make man in our image." Does He speak him into existence, as He did all the rest of creation? No. He kneels down in the dirt and patiently, lovingly, shapes and forms a man. One by one, He molds each detail of this masterpiece. He forms him after His own likeness, with the power to think, to reason, to plan, to love—to choose. He fashions the eyes that will perceive fine details and many shades of color, and the hands capable of performing an enormous range of complex tasks. Then, when all is finished, He bends over His creation and breathes into his nostrils. The breath of life—the breath of God—is given to what has until now been mere dust. The man is literally inspired. The perfectly formed lungs inflate for the first time, and then deflate, beginning a cycle that will continue, virtually without interruption, for many hundreds of years to come. The heart begins to beat. The other systems begin their operation. This is no longer an intricate sculpture. This is a living soul. The man opens his eyes and looks into the face of his Creator.
Many people today teach that we are the product of random chance, that we are simply more highly evolved versions of other life forms. But the Bible teaches that we were created. Not only created, but created in a unique way, unlike any other being in the universe. God personally formed us in His own image. That's a subject for deep thought!
Try to picture this scene in your mind: God has spent the last six days creating the earth. Throughout the week, He spoke, and it was done. Light, air, land, vegetation, the celestial bodies, birds, fish, animals—all have sprung into existence at His word. Now the world is ready for what is to be its primary inhabitant. God says, "Let Us make man in our image." Does He speak him into existence, as He did all the rest of creation? No. He kneels down in the dirt and patiently, lovingly, shapes and forms a man. One by one, He molds each detail of this masterpiece. He forms him after His own likeness, with the power to think, to reason, to plan, to love—to choose. He fashions the eyes that will perceive fine details and many shades of color, and the hands capable of performing an enormous range of complex tasks. Then, when all is finished, He bends over His creation and breathes into his nostrils. The breath of life—the breath of God—is given to what has until now been mere dust. The man is literally inspired. The perfectly formed lungs inflate for the first time, and then deflate, beginning a cycle that will continue, virtually without interruption, for many hundreds of years to come. The heart begins to beat. The other systems begin their operation. This is no longer an intricate sculpture. This is a living soul. The man opens his eyes and looks into the face of his Creator.
Many people today teach that we are the product of random chance, that we are simply more highly evolved versions of other life forms. But the Bible teaches that we were created. Not only created, but created in a unique way, unlike any other being in the universe. God personally formed us in His own image. That's a subject for deep thought!
Thank you for sharing that thought.
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