Genesis 1:26  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

The creation of man is unique from all the rest of creation. God took extra time and gives us extra information regarding the detail involved in the creation of man. It is important to be reminded that God created man: “male and female.” Humanity is under attack in our time, probably more than at any other time in history.
Those receiving these devotionals are probably aware of the grotesque photos taken of the sodomite in Ontario who is a teacher in school but chose to corrupt the female image. This person is not being condemned by the school board. He is not being dismissed by the school. Yet, public figures are being told that unless they are “up to date” with their shots, they cannot function in their former capacities.
It is important for us to keep our feet on the ground. We need to be reminded that God created man. We see here that God refers to Himself as “us”. We get some further teaching here of the plurality of the Godhead. The Bible makes it clear that the Godhead consists of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost”. I heard of a cult leader recently who scoffed at the fact of the Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost as He is often referred to. This cult leader mocked this, suggesting that those who believe in the true God believe in ghosts. That person and his false religion are free to scoff at God. He must also understand that he will answer to God one day. That day will come sooner than he expects. It will be a dreadful day for him and those who follow his wicked belief system.
In our text we read that it was God’s plan to make man in His own image. The animals are not made in God’s image. There is much discussion about what that means to be “made in His own image.” The text carries on to state that man is created in the image of God.
Man was created with intelligence. I have never seen a bird use a hammer and a saw to build a house. When you watch a bird building its nest, there is much work involved. Birds scrounge around for the material they want for their nest. They are given the instructions on how to build that nest by God. That design never changes from year to year. A robin’s nest is the same whether it be in Manitoba or Ontario. I assume it is the same where they winter as well. They do not have any cupboards or kitchen appliances. They have never used any outside source of heat to keep warm. Birds are limited in their abilities. They function on what we call “instinct.” That is the way God designed them.
Man was created with intelligence. He did not evolve into an intelligent being. He was created with intelligence. Cain’s descendants built cities. Noah was given instructions to build an Ark and he could follow those instructions and the Ark that he built stood the test of time. It was water tight and strong because God gave Noah the instructions. All that Noah needed to do was to follow God’s instructions. Noah demonstrated not only the intelligence to build, but also chose to believe God and follow His way. Noah knew the fear of God in his heart and he understood the importance of obeying God exactly in the building of that Ark. Noah did not follow the example of Adam. Noah chose to follow God and the result was that Noah and his family rode out the storms and the challenges of that flood successfully. We know that there was much debris floating on the water during the time that Noah was in the Ark. We know that God was well able to steer that Ark clear of all the debris. We know that Noah did not have any steering mechanism on that Ark. It was God that directed it safely through the turbulence of that flood. It was God that brought that Ark to its final resting place in the mountains of Ararat. Noah entered the Ark under God’s direction and he left that Ark under God’s direction.
Man was created with intelligence and with a spiritual nature that was designed to know fulfillment in God. Man also has a will. Adam was not a robot. He did not operate by instinct. He was given clear instructions and he was given the ability to choose to obey God or not. He was given clear warning of what would happen if he chose not to obey, but he still had the choice to either obey or not. Adam chose to disobey God and that was a disaster.
Man also has emotions. Man can express anger and joy and sadness and contentment. Since the fall, all of man’s emotions have been corrupted. They can only be corrected in Christ Jesus.
God was gracious to Adam in giving him not only the opportunity of choosing, but then also of being forgiven and saved when the wrong choice was made by him. All of Adam’s seed are born in sin due to being his descendants. Man does not choose to be born a sinner. However, all of Adam’s seed do have the choice of being forgiven and saved.
Adam and Eve were told to be fruitful and multiply. God never intended for Adam to be alone. He stated that and He created Eve to be that help meet for him. It is the general plan of God for a man to leave his father and mother and to cleave unto his wife. Children are God’s design inside of a marriage. Many children are born out of wedlock, and many of them suffer due to that instability that they start out with. God’s grace and mercy are there and they can be saved, but their parents have put those children into a bad situation from the start.
Not all men will marry. Not all women will marry. It is not a sin not to marry, as long as the person does not “burn” as a single person. We know that there are those who do not marry, but they still sleep around. That is sin. There are also those who do not marry and they indulge in different forms of pornography. There are also married couples that do the same. That also is sin.
We need to understand and be reminded of God’s design for marriage and the family. It is still possible to enjoy God’s blessings in this corrupted world we live in. It all begins with knowing the true God and walking with Him.
Pastor Bartel