Gênesis 1

John MacArthur · Citado em PreceptAustin

Gênesis 1

MacArthur - Herbert Spencer who died in 1903 (AGE 83) said that all that is knowable in the universe can be summed up in five categories: time, force, action, space and matter and he was heralded as a genius. Everything that exists can fit into (those 5 categories) That’s exactly what it says in the first verse of the Bible, In the beginning … that’s time; God … that’s force; created … that’s action; the heavens … that’s space; the earth … that’s matter. It’s all in that verse! (ED: AND SPENCER DID NOT SEE IT BECAUSE HE WAS AN AGNOSTIC AND AN EVOLUTIONIST!) Note that in this passage God is not further identified (as to which member of the Trinity created) which is appropriate for Scripture reveals that all three persons of the Trinity participated in creation: The Father - Ge. 1:1-31; Isa. 40:21-28; Isa. 43:1, 7; Isa. 45:12, 18; 48:13; 51:13; Acts 14:15; 17:24 The Son - John 1:3; Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:3; Rev. 3:14+ The Spirit - Ge. 1:2; Job 26:13; 33:4; Ps. 104:30; Isa. 42:5 Thomas Mccomiskey on bara - "The limitation of this word to divine activity indicates that the area of meaning delineated by the root falls outside the sphere of human ability. Since the word never occurs with the object of the material, and since the primary emphasis of the word is on the newness of the created object, the word lends itself well to the concept of creation ex nihilo, although that concept is not necessarily inherent within the meaning of the word. (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament) NET NOTE - The translation assumes that the form translated “beginning” is in the absolute state rather than the construct (“in the beginning of,” or “when God created”). In other words, the clause in Ge 1:1 is a main clause, Ge 1:2 has three clauses that are descriptive and supply background information, and Ge 1:3 begins the narrative sequence proper. Henry

Gênesis 1

MacArthur puts it simply "the earth was unfinished as to its shape and unpopulated. The material was there. There was time and there was space and there was matter, but it was unformed and unpopulated. The original created elements mentioned in verse 1, time, in the beginning; the heavens, matter … or the heavens space; and the earth matter. God created them, God spoke them into existence but yet they were undifferentiated, unseparated, unorganized and uninhabited. God had not yet shaped them and God had not populated the cosmos. So you have the raw materials mentioned in verse 1 … time, space, matter. They are described, first of all, as unfinished as to shape and unpopulated as to inhabitant." W. H. Griffith Thomas makes an interesting observation on formless and void noting that "the adjectives 'formless' and 'empty' seem to be the key to the literary structure of the chapter. The record of the first three days refers to the heaven and earth receiving their 'form, ' and the record of the last three days to the filling-up of their 'emptiness."'

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MacArthur explains the point Paul is "making is creation and redemption are each works of God. God commanded the light to shine out of darkness at the creation. And the light which shined in a creative way has now begun to shine in a redemptive way. The light of creation has become the light of salvation. The light placed in the heavens has now become a light placed in the heart. The light which was material has become moral. The physical light of the sun, s-u-n, has become the spiritual light of the Son, s-o-n. The universal light has become the personal light. A sovereign God shines the gospel light into the human heart when the truth is preached and God designs to save....What is the light? It is to know who Christ is, that He is God incarnate, that He is the clearest revelation of God. He is the illumination of the truth about God revealed in Christ. (Looking at the Face of Jesus, Part 5) Tony Evans observes that "In revelation, God discloses His truth. Through inspiration, He sees that it is recorded for us. And by the illumination of His Spirit, He enables us to understand and apply it. When you get all of this working in your life, you’re going to grow as a follower of Christ! (1Pe 2:2+, 2Pe 3:18+) In Genesis 1:2 the Spirit hovered over “the surface of the waters.” In Genesis 1:3 God said, “Let there be light.” Light was not present until the Spirit of God hovered. Why is that important? When the Spirit of God hovers and the Word of God speaks, order comes out of chaos. That’s what happened in creation. The earth was “formless and void” before the Spirit and the light came (Ge 1:2). Does your life ever feel formless and void? Ever feel empty, chaotic in your life? Guess how you move from chaos to order? You do so when the holy Word is mixed with the hovering Spirit. That’s not just reading your Bible. That’s asking God to illumine what you read and submitting your heart to it. Then God's Spirit brings order out of chaos." (What Matters Most: Four Absolute Necessities in Following Christ) Related Resource: Illumination of the Bible SHORT EXCURSUS ON THE GAP THEORY - This verse is not describing a "gap" a concept first proposed by the theologian Thomas Chalmers in the 1800's and then popularized by C I Scofield and espoused by J Vernon Mcgee who wrote "Although this view has been discredited by many in the past few years, I believe that a great catastrophe took place between verses 1 and 2." McGee does not discuss how or why it had been discredited, but went on to support his theory by noting that Isaiah 45:18 uses the same word when God said He "did not create it a waste place (tohu), but formed it to be inhabited." McGee goes on to "suggest that there was some pre-Adamic creature that was on this earth. And it seems that all of this is connected with the fall of Lucifer, son of the morning, who became Satan, the devil, as we know him today. I think all of this is involved here, but God has not given us details." Beloved there is absolutely NO Scriptural support for a so-called "pre-Adamic creature" on earth, which is why God does not give us "details." Answersingenesis - For a lucid, well reasoned refutation of the so-called "Gap Theory" see the article aptly titled "A Gap Too Wide to be Crossed." He mentions the "thorny problem" of the fact that thorns have been found in fossils said to be billions of years before Adam! This directly counters God's word in Genesis 3:18 that part of God's curse for Adam's sin was that "thorns and thistles it shall grow for you!" Henry

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MacArthur comments - Day two was a big bang by a big God who instantaneously created the universe. Now we have an unformed earth. We have light. And we have a vast universe. George Wald, Scientific American Journal say "The reasonable view was to believe in spontaneous generation. The only alternative was to believe in a single, primary act of supernatural creation. There is no third position." (John MacArthur sermon Creation Day 3) Richard Dawkins avowed atheist and evolutionist, alludes to a major problem for the evolutionists - "Very big gaps, too. For example the Cambrian strata of rocks, vintage about 600 million years, are the oldest ones in which we find most of the major invertebrate groups. And we find many of them already in an advanced state of evolution, the very first time they appear. It is as though they were just planted there, without any evolutionary history. Needless to say, this appearance of sudden planting has delighted creationists." (ED: AMEN DR. DAWKINS! IT IS A DELIGHT TO SEE THE FOSSIL FINDINGS GIVE STRONG SUPPORT TO CREATIONISM) (See Richard Dawkins "The Blind Watchmaker" 1986 Pg. 229) (See a related article from 2021 which discusses an attempt by evolutionists to explain what is referred to as the Cambrian explosion! ) Dawkins adds a caustic remark that "It is absolutely safe to say that if you meet someone who claims not to believe in evolution, that person is ignorant, stupid, or insane (or wicked, but I'd rather not consider that.)" (NY Times, April 9, 1999). In a Bill Moyers interview with Dawkins listen to his amazing (il)logic! - "Evolution has been observed. It's just that it hasn't been observed while it's happening." (SAY WHAT??? Talk about "double speak!") Louis T More, evolutionist who wrote "The Dogma of Evolution (Princeton: University Press 1925, Pg. 160) said "The more one studies paleontology [the fossil record] the more certain one becomes that evolution is based on faith alone." (ED: FAITH IN GOD'S INSPIRED WORD IS WHAT BELIEVERS BASE THEIR BELIEF IN CREATION UPON!) COMMENT: HE CONVENIENTLY IGNORES THE Cambrian explosion! WHY? BECAUSE HE HAS TO -- HE SIMPLY CANNOT EXPLAIN IT! Sir Julian Huxley, evolutionist "I suppose the reason we leaped at The Origin of Species was because the idea of God interfered with our sexual mores." COMMENT - THIS IS AN HONEST STATEMENT - IF CREATION IS THE RESULT OF EVOLUTION, THERE IS NO GOD AND IF THERE IS NO GOD, THEN THERE IS NO ONE TO JUDGE ONE'S MORAL/IMMORAL BEHAVIOR! Sir Arthur Keith, British evolutionist - "Evolution is unproved and unprovable. We believe it only because the only alternative is special creation, which is unthinkable". Paul gives another reason in Romans 1:18-25+... For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth (E.G. THE TRUTH ABOUT CREATIONS) in unrighteousness (THIS JUSTIFIES THEIR UNRIGHTEOUS BEHAVE FOR IF THEIR IS NO GOD, THERE IS NO JUDGMENT OF THEIR UNGODLY DEEDS!), 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them (HERE IS THE PROBLEM OF EVERY EVOLUTIONIST! THE INCREDIBLE IRONY IS THAT GOD HAS REVEALED HIMSELF TO THEM IN WHAT? IN HIS CREATION!!! THE VERY THING THEY DENY) . 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood (READ THAT AGAIN - CLEARLY SEEN! UNDERSTOOD!) through what has been made (AKA "THE CREATION!"), so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations (E.G. THEORIES OF EVOLUTION), and their foolish heart was darkened (ED: Their persistent unbelief and willful suppression of the truth revealed in creation resulted in God's righteous, judicial judgment. Because they rejected the light they had been given, God gave them over to spiritual darkness, leaving their hearts increasingly incapable of perceiving spiritual truth cf. Ro 1:21, 24, 26, 28. This illustrates a sobering biblical principle: those who reject God's light eventually experience greater darkness.). 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, Who is blessed forever. Amen. William Provine (prof. Cornell University) "Let me summarize my views on what modern evolutionary biology tells us loud and clear...There are no gods, no purposes, no goal-directed forces of any kind." (Origins Research, Vol.16 1/2 ,1994) COMMENT - Paul would say "Professing to be wise, they became fools!" (Ro 1:22) Robert E. Smith, a member of the western Missouri affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union whom you would know to be no friend of Scripture, says “For the past five years I have closely followed creationist literature and have attended lectures and debates on related issues. Based solely on the scientific arguments pro and con, I have been forced to conclude that scientific creationism is not only a viable theory but that it has achieved parody, if not superiority over the normative theory of biological evolution. That this should now be the case is somewhat surprising, particularly in view of what most of us were taught in primary ad secondary school.” He goes on, “In practical terms, the past decade of intense activity by scientific creationists has left most evolutionist professors unwilling to debate the creationist professors. Too many of the evolutionists have been publicly humiliated in such debates by their own lack of erudition and by the weakness of their theory." (John MacArthur Creation Day 3 - Grace to You) Dr. Ralph Girard, professor of biology and dean of the graduate division at the University of California at Davis is reported by the press to have made the comment that the “theory of creation” makes about as much sense as teaching about the stork. He asked if a scientific course on reproduction should also mention the stork theory. The very interesting thing is that the stork theory is not mentioned in the Bible at all, but the creation story is mentioned. His comparison is not quite warranted, because the Bible deals literally with this matter of procreation, and if you read your Bible carefully, you never could have the viewpoint of the stork theory! So what this man says is certainly beside the point but reveals a very antagonistic attitude toward the Bible. (J

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MacArthur writes that "In 2 Corinthians 4:6 the Apostle Paul draws a parallel between the original separation of light from darkness and the conversion of a sinner." (MacDonald) Paul says "is the One who has shone in our hearts” is the same God of creation Who "turned on" the light physically and in this passage turns on the light spiritually. Redemption is as much a divine operation as was creation and it’s as much a creative operation. To have doubts about God's power in creation at least has the potential to engender doubts about God's power in redemption! Creation in Genesis 1 is very important! Spiritual darkness covers the minds of men until God shines in their hearts. John MacArthur explains the point Paul is "making is creation and redemption are each works of God. God commanded the light to shine out of darkness at the creation. And the light which shined in a creative way has now begun to shine in a redemptive way. The light of creation has become the light of salvation. The light placed in the heavens has now become a light placed in the heart. The light which was material has become moral. The physical light of the sun, s-u-n, has become the spiritual light of the Son, s-o-n. The universal light has become the personal light. A sovereign God shines the gospel light into the human heart when the truth is preached and God designs to save....What is the light? It is to know who Christ is, that He is God incarnate, that He is the clearest revelation of God. He is the illumination of the truth about God revealed in Christ. (Looking at the Face of Jesus, Part 5) "LIGHT" - Electromagnetic radiation includes waves that are bigger than the largest buildings and waves that are smaller than the tiniest particles known. Visible light makes up only a tiny slice of this range. GOD COMMANDS CREATION OF LIGHT

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MacArthur points out that "When in the very beginning God said “Let there be light,” it doesn’t say “and it was so,” because that light when it was originally created was just light and it wasn’t yet attached to the stellar bodies, the luminaries, the moon, the sun and the stars. When God first created the earth it was just a mass of elements completely engulfed in water. God doesn’t say “it was so” because that wasn’t its permanent shape" (See note below) Some wonder how could God have commanded light when there were no luminaries, no sun or moon (Ge 1:14-19)? Remember Who God is! Colossians 1:16 says "by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible." Light being visible was created by Christ! He had no need for light bearing bodies. That should settle all speculation and argument. As

Gênesis 1

MacArthur addresses this question in his sermon Creation Day 3 - The question always comes up, at what point were angels created? They're not mentioned in Genesis 1, so how do we know when angels are created? Well, neither Genesis, nor for that matter any other text of Scripture, states specifically when angelic beings were created. What is definite is that they are creatures, and they were created, and they did have a beginning. They are immortal in that once created they live forever, but only the triune God is eternal, without beginning and without ending. Angels are created beings. Now, some have suggested that they had to be created on the 6th day, because it was on the 6th day that God created man, and angels, according to Hebrews 1:14, were created to be ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who will be the heirs of salvation. And since they were created to serve those who were human, and who receive salvation, therefore they would have been created along with them on the 6th day. I find that a pretty weak argument, frankly, because that’s not all angels do. They don't just minister to the saints. In fact, if you go into heaven in Revelation 4 and 5, you find them doing what? Worshiping God. Primarily, and throughout all eternity, they will be worshipers of God. So it would be fair to the purpose of angels, which is primarily to worship God, to associate them in the created order with some point at which they would begin to praise and worship God. They are definitely seen in the book of Revelation, worshiping God at the consummation of history, and it seems to me likely that they could well have started worshiping God at the beginning of history. In fact, there is one passage of Scripture to which we can turn. Job 38:4-7. And it tells us that the angels were present when the foundations of the earth were laid, and were rejoicing over it. So it could well have been that that was day one, if the foundations of the earth means that original formless, void earth that had not yet been shaped and refined into its final form. If it means the foundations in the sense of elements and the components that were there, but as of yet not shaped into their final form, then the angels would have been created at that time. Psalm 104:2-5 speaks of the shining of God’s light during the original creative process and mentions the angels just before referring to laying the foundations of the earth. Now, if the shining of God’s light refers to Ge 1:3 “Let there be light” which occurred on day one, and it was followed by the foundations of the earth, and it means therefore the shaping of the earth that occurs actually on day three, it could well be that the angels were created after that shining light and before the foundations of the earth, meaning the shaping of the earth rather than its unformed character; the shaping which took place on day three. So you can take your choice; but I believe that the angels would have been created by God either prior to the full creation of the earth that is described on the first day of creation, so that they could worship God for doing that, or they were certainly created before the shaping of that earth on day three, when the land was separated from the waters, as we read. Now, the question of when they were created obviously is not important enough for God to include it. What is important is to know that they are created by God. (Creation Day 3) Did Angels Exist Before the Creation Week? (Excerpt from ICR article Time and Creation): Some people imagine angels watching God create everything, starting on Day 1. In order for the angels to watch that moment, they would have had to exist beforehand. Either God made them before the beginning or they have always existed. They could not have eternal existence, for then they would not differ from God Himself, who is the only uncreated, eternal being. Since angels are created, finite beings like you and me, they can only exist in time. And the Bible nowhere says angels existed before Day 1. Could angels have existed in a heavenly time that was ticking before earthly time began? I doubt it. If “the heavens” in Genesis 1:1 include God’s dwelling place as well as the stars’ realm (Genesis 1:15), then it appears angels would have had no place to exist before creation. The Bible does not specify exactly when God made angels, but it gives clues that narrow the options. God asked Job, “Who laid its [Earth’s] cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38:6-7). The sons of God are angels. God must have made them during the creation week after He made the time that allowed them to change into a state of shouting for joy but before He made the earth over which they rejoiced. David Jeremiah - - When did God create angels? The Lord told Job that angels were already on the scene to celebrate when the earth was created. He asks Job in 38:4, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?” Job, of course, wasn’t around, so for his benefit God adds a few details of what that ground-breaking was like: It was “while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy” (38:7). Job wasn’t there when the earth was formed, but the angels were, and having a good time of it too. Therefore angels were made apparently before the third day of the creation week, the day when God gathered waters into seas and the dry land appeared (Genesis 1:9–10). Psalm 104 seems to reflect the same timing for the angels’ appearance. It’s a psalm praising God’s greatness for how he made and sustains all creation. In richly poetic imagery, the opening lines give a broad overview of what God created. The psalm seems to follow the same sequence as in Genesis 1: first of all light, then the heavens and the gathering of heavenly waters, then the land, seas, animals, and man. Coming along naturally in this procession is verse four which reads, “He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.” These lines often are taken as referring to angels. That’s the way the New Testament writer quotes them in Hebrews 1:7. And in Psalm 104, this reference to angels comes immediately before the first mention of the earth in verse five: “He set the earth on its foundations.” Creation scientist Dr. Henry Morris is my good friend and a member of our church, and he believes angels were formed on the second day of creation. He points to Psalm 104 and its implication that angels came as “the next act after the creation of the space-time cosmos and the establishment of God’s light-arrayed throne therein.” Very likely the angels are older than anything in the world as we see it. Has God created any more angels since then? I have no biblical reason to believe he has. And apparently there’s been no reduction in their number either (except for the dismissal of the fallen angels, which we’ll take up later). Nor has there been any increase, since angels don’t reproduce — according to Jesus’ statement that angels don’t marry (Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25, Luke 20:34–36). We have as many angels today as we’ve ever had. (Excerpt from What the Bible Says about Angels ) Related Resources: When Were Angels Created? from Answersingensis When did God create the angels? Gotquestions? Light (0216)(or) is a noun occuring 121 times in the OT most frequently in Job (32x), Isaiah (26x) and Psalms (18x). 1) light 1a) light of day 1b) light of heavenly luminaries (moon, sun, stars) 1c) day-break, dawn, morning light 1d) daylight 1e) lightning 1f) light of lamp 1g) light of life 1h) light of prosperity 1i) light of instruction 1j) light of face (fig.) 1k) Jehovah as Israel's light Gilbrant - As with the cognate verb, the noun ʾôr is employed both literally and metaphorically in the OT. Focusing on the literal, God created light on the first day (Gen. 1:3-5; Ps. 104:2), prior to the creation of the heavenly luminaries, which were given to separate light from darkness (1:18). Both the OT and the NT are clear that the celestial bodies are not necessary to supply light in the eternal kingdom, because the Lord will provide light directly (Isa. 60:19, 20; Zech. 14:6, 7; Rev. 22:5). Frequently ʾôr signified the dawn, when light first appeared in the day (Judges 16:2; 19:26; 1 Sam. 14:36; 25:22, 34, 36; 2 Sam. 17:22; etc.). Also, the OT writers noted that God created the sun, giving light to all (Job 25:3; 31:26; Ps. 136:7). The stars are likewise said to give light (Ps. 148:3). Altogether, the sun, moon and stars give light under the direction of God (Jer. 31:35). In times of judgment, however, the celestial luminaries would cease to give their light (Isa. 13:10; Jer. 4:23; Ezek. 32:7, 8; Amos 8:9). On the other hand, once the Lord's favor returns, the light from these heavenly bodies will be brighter than ever (Isa. 30:26). In the preacher's famous allegory of aging, all sources of light grow dim (Ecc. 12:2). Another light, ultimately attributed to the Lord, shone from the pillar of fire during the wilderness wanderings (Exo. 10:23; Ps. 78:14). Also, the Lord was said to have scattered his lightning around him (Job 36:30; 37:3, 11, 15). In a colorful passage, the song of Habakkuk, in chapter 3, paints the picture of God's glory appearing as the light of dawn (3:4), and lightning shone from his flashing spear (3:11). Two additional literal meanings merit attention. First, light may originate from an oil lamp (Jer 25:10). Next, Job 41:18 states that the leviathan snorted out flashes of light. The noun ʾôr was also employed metaphorically. Like the verb, the noun may refer to the "light of life." Job wished that he would have been like the stillborn infant who never saw the light of day (Job 3:16). Bildad, Job's "comforter," noted that the lamp of the wicked is soon snuffed out (Job 18:5, 6, 18). Elihu, the young counselor in Job, pointed out that God allowed calamity to come upon people ultimately so that the light of life may shine upon them (Job 33:28-30). The psalmist observes that the godless wealthy man, when he dies, will never see the light, possibly a reference to resurrection (49:19). Turning to Isa. 53:11, the Dead Sea scrolls and the Septuagint announce that the servant, after having suffered [death], would once again see the light [of life]. This important OT passage then can be interpreted as prophecying the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The word "light" may be a metaphor for divine favor, well-being, or blessedness. Eliphaz, erroneously charging Job with sin (Job 42:7, 8), noted that once people confess their sins, light shines upon their ways (Job 22:28). Job himself longed for past days when God's light shown on him as he walked through the darkness (29:3, 24). David also asked for the light of the Lord's face to shine upon him (Ps. 4:6). Later, David noted that the Lord was his light and his salvation (Ps. 27:1). In 36:9, the psalmist notes that in the Lord's light (i.e., favor) we see light (i.e., life). Psalm 44:3 credits military victory to the light of God's face. Light, as favor from God, may be parallel to joy (Ps. 97:11). Proverbs notes that the path of the righteous knows the light (of God), whereas all the wicked know is deep darkness (Prov. 4:18-19; see 13:9). Isaiah looked forward to the day when the Lord's favor would return, bringing healing, righteousness and glory (Isa 58:8, 10; see 60:1-3). Amos explains the day of the Lord would bring darkness, not light (Amos 5:18, 20). Micah warns the nations not to gloat over the darkness of Zion, because the Lord would once again bring the light (Mic. 7:8, 9). In Proverbs 16:15, the light of the king's face brings life, a common ancient Near Eastern royal attribute. As with the verb, the noun may refer to an individual's strength or physical well-being. Racked with sin and sickness, David remarks that the light has gone from his eyes (Ps. 38:10). "Light" may be a figure for the right, proper, or correct way. Job admits that he knows of those who rebel against the light (Job 24:13) and want nothing to do with it (Job 24:16). The prophet urged Jacob to walk in the light of the Lord (Isa. 2:5), and pronounced woe on those who exchanged light for darkness (Job 5:20). In the restoration of Israel, God promised that his justice would become a light to the nations (Isa. 51:4). Until that day, however, the people looked for the light of justice, but were not able to find it (Isa. 59:9). Occasionally, the word may contrast that which at one time was unknown, hidden, or secret, but now is made light. Job realizes that God brings the deep things of darkness into the light (Job 12:22; 28:11). Related to that which was once unknown, the prophet Isaiah noted that at one time the people were in darkness, but now a light has dawned (Isa. 9:2). This light would be the Servant, the Light to the Gentiles (Isa. 42:6; 49:6). God is called the Light of Israel (Isa. 10:17). The word may refer to reason or wisdom. Job observed that wicked men grope in darkness with no light (Job 12:25). The psalmist asked for the light and truth from God for guidance (Ps. 43:3). The word of God was a lamp to one's feet, and a light to one's path (Ps. 119:105; see also Prov. 6:23). The preacher notes that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness (Ecc. 2:13). (Complete Biblical Library - Incredible Resource) Or - 108 verses - broad(1), dawn(1), dawn*(1), daylight(1), daylight*(1), early morning(1), light(105), lightning(5), lights(2), sun(1), sunlight(1), sunshine(1). Gen. 1:3; Gen. 1:4; Gen. 1:5; Gen. 1:18; Exod. 10:23; Jdg. 16:2; Jdg. 19:26; 1 Sam. 14:36; 1 Sam. 25:34; 1 Sam. 25:36; 2 Sam. 17:22; 2 Sam. 23:4; 2 Ki. 7:9; Neh. 8:3; Job 3:9; Job 3:16; Job 3:20; Job 12:22; Job 12:25; Job 17:12; Job 18:5; Job 18:6; Job 18:18; Job 22:28; Job 24:13; Job 24:14; Job 24:16; Job 25:3; Job 26:10; Job 28:11; Job 29:3; Job 29:24; Job 30:26; Job 31:26; Job 33:28; Job 33:30; Job 36:30; Job 36:32; Job 37:3; Job 37:11; Job 37:15; Job 37:21; Job 38:15; Job 38:19; Job 38:24; Job 41:18; Ps. 4:6; Ps. 27:1; Ps. 36:9; Ps. 37:6; Ps. 38:10; Ps. 43:3; Ps. 44:3; Ps. 49:19; Ps. 56:13; Ps. 78:14; Ps. 89:15; Ps. 97:11; Ps. 104:2; Ps. 112:4; Ps. 119:105; Ps. 136:7; Ps. 139:11; Ps. 148:3; Prov. 4:18; Prov. 6:23; Prov. 13:9; Prov. 16:15; Eccl. 2:13; Eccl. 11:7; Eccl. 12:2; Isa. 2:5; Isa. 5:20; Isa. 5:30; Isa. 9:2; Isa. 10:17; Isa. 13:10; Isa. 18:4; Isa. 30:26; Isa. 42:6; Isa. 42:16; Isa. 45:7; Isa. 49:6; Isa. 51:4; Isa. 58:8; Isa. 58:10; Isa. 59:9; Isa. 60:1; Isa. 60:3; Isa. 60:19; Isa. 60:20; Jer. 4:23; Jer. 13:16; Jer. 25:10; Jer. 31:35; Lam. 3:2; Ezek. 32:7; Ezek. 32:8; Hos. 6:5; Amos 5:18; Amos 5:20; Amos 8:9; Mic. 7:8; Mic. 7:9; Hab. 3:4; Hab. 3:11; Zeph. 3:5; Zech. 14:6; Zech. 14:7 QUESTION - How could there be light on the first day of Creation if the sun was not created until the fourth day? ANSWER - Play the accompanying video. The question of how there could be light on the first day of Creation when the sun was not created until the fourth day is a common one. Genesis 1:3-5 declares, "And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light 'day,' and the darkness He called 'night.' And there was evening, and there was morning — the first day." A few verses later we are informed, "And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.' And it was so. God made two great lights — the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning — the fourth day" (Genesis 1:14-19). How can this be? How could there be light, mornings and evenings on the first, second, and third days if the sun, moon, and stars were not created until the fourth day? This is only a problem if we fail to take into account an infinite and omnipotent God. God does not need the sun, moon, and stars to provide light. God is light! 1John 1:5 declares, "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all." God Himself was the light for the first three days of Creation, just as He will be in the new heavens and new earth, “There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:5). Until He created the sun, moon, and stars, God miraculously provided light during the “day” and may have done so during the “night” as well (Genesis 1:14). Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Much more important than the light of day and night is the Light who provides eternal life to all who believe in Him. Those who do not believe in Him will be doomed to “outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12).GotQuestions.org Genesis 1:4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. that: Ge 1:10,12,18,25,31 Ec 2:13 Eccl 11:7 Genesis 1 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Related Passages: Ecclesiastes 2:13 And I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness. Ecclesiastes 11:7 The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun. LIGHT AND DARKNESS SEPARATED Note how in the first 3 days, God shaped the creation - Day 1 - light, Day 2 - water, atmosphere, Day 3 - earth, vegetation. Then in the second 3 days God populated His creation - Day 4 - sun, moon, stars; Day 5 - sea creatures, birds; Day 6 - Animals and climaxed with Man. God saw that the light (or) was good (tob)- Good is God's stamp of approval on what He had created which crescendos so to speak to "very good" when He had completed creation! The English Version paraphrases it "God was pleased" which emphasizes His reaction to the light. The Greek word used in the Septuagint for good is kalos which describes that which is inherently excellent or intrinsically good, providing some special or superior benefit. Kalos is good with emphasis (as discussed below) on that which is beautiful, handsome, excellent, surpassing, precious, commendable, admirable. The phrase God saw...good is used 7x (Gen 1:4 Gen 1:10 Gen 1:12 Gen 1:18 Gen 1:21 Gen 1:25 Gen 1:31) Notice God saw the light as good, but did not see the darkness as good! Interesting! And notable that in the New Heaven and New Earth there is apparently no darkness John writing "there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever." (Rev 22:5+) Reyburn - "The thought here is not that the light had a quality of goodness in itself, but that in God’s mind the light was judged by him to be good." (A Handbook on Genesis) In the NT light and darkness are used figuratively as when Paul writes "Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?" (2 Cor. 6:14) NET NOTE on saw - The verb “saw” in this passage carries the meaning “reflected on,” “surveyed,” “concluded,” “noted.” It is a description of reflection of the mind—it is God’s opinion. Good is the Hebrew word טוֹב (tov) in this context signifies whatever enhances, promotes, produces, or is conducive for life. It is the light that God considers “good,” not the darkness. Whatever is conducive to life in God’s creation is good, for God himself is good, and that goodness is reflected in all of his works. And God separated (badal) the light (or) from the darkness (choshek) - God separated light from darkness but did not remove the darkness. This same verb (badal) is used in three other "separations" in Genesis 1 -- (1) separation of the waters (Ge 1:6, 7), (2) separation of the day from the night (Ge 1:14), (3) separation of light from darkness (Ge 1:18). It is interesting that separation of physical elements would later be used figuratively to describe the important principle of spiritual separation of God's people from the pagans. This pattern/principle will exist eternally as God's people will be eternally with Him in light in Heaven (Rev 22:5) and those who are not His children will be separated eternally in the darkness of Hell!

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MacArthur adds it was so served like "punctuation statement that indicates this was the permanent established pattern. When God first created the earth it was just a mass of elements completely engulfed in water. God doesn’t say “it was so” because that wasn’t its permanent shape." He adds that in "in verse 9 when God began to separate the waters above and the waters below and then the dry land appeared and the earth took its shape with land and water, that was the way it would permanently be … the statement is “it was so.” And so it was in verse 11 when vegetation was created on the earth, that was to be permanent and fixed and it still exists today. In verse 15 the moon, the sun, the stars were placed in the sky and it was so, it was fixed in that way. And here in verse 24 the animals were created and they’re still that way … they’re still that way. It was so, fixed, firm, permanent and has remained that way even till today. And they remain within the framework of their kind, their variation being restricted. There are some variations… some change, we know that. Genetics can do that, special breeding, but they still remain essentially the same kind of creature." (Creation Day 6, Part 1) MacArthur adds a comment alluding to Hebrew writer Umberto Cassuto (A Commentary on the Book of Genesis) that Cassuto "says repeatedly this little phrase (and it was so) indicates that it was so and remained so through all the life of the universe. It’s a way of saying something was fixed. And it militates against the idea of What is progressive creationism, that God made something that started some evolutionary process. He made it, He fixed it, it was firm, it was established (Creation Day 4) Genesis 1:8 God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. KJV Genesis 1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. ESV Genesis 1:8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. NET Genesis 1:8 God called the expanse "sky." There was evening, and there was morning, a second day. BGT Genesis 1:8 καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ στερέωμα οὐρανόν καὶ εἶδεν ὁ θεὸς ὅτι καλόν καὶ ἐγένετο ἑσπέρα καὶ ἐγένετο πρωί ἡμέρα δευτέρα NIV Genesis 1:8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning--the second day. NLT Genesis 1:8 God called the space "sky." And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day. YLT Genesis 1:8 And God calleth to the expanse 'Heavens;' and there is an evening, and there is a morning -- day second. LXE Genesis 1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven, and God saw that it was good, and there was evening and there was morning, the second day. CSB Genesis 1:8 God called the expanse "sky." Evening came and then morning: the second day. God: Ge 1:5,10 5:2 evening: Ge 1:5,13,19,23,31 Genesis 1 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Related Passage: 2 Peter 3:5+ For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, GOD NAMES THE EXPANSE HEAVEN God called the expanse (raqia) heaven (NET, NLT, CSB = sky) - The second of three passages using God called - day (Ge 1:5), heaven (Ge 1:8) and earth (Ge 1:10) And there was evening and there was morning, a second day (yom) - Evening and morning are the repeated summary formula (six times for 6 days) defined as a numerical day. (Ge 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31) NET NOTE on heaven - Though the Hebrew word can mean “heaven,” it refers in this context to “the sky.” QUESTION - What did God create on the second day of creation? ANSWER - On the second day of creation (Genesis 1:7–8), God created the sky, which is described in the Bible as an “expanse” (ESV), “vault” (NIV), or “firmament” (KJV). The Lord had already created water on the first day of creation, but then He separates “water from water” with the vault on the second day. Displaying His power, God spoke the sky into being: “And God said, ‘Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters’” (Genesis 1:6, ESV). The Hebrew word for “expanse” is raqia, which can refer to an “extended surface” or the “(apparently) visible arch of the sky” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance). In Genesis 1:6, the expanse that God created serves the purpose of dividing the water “under” the vault from the water “above” it. This seems to be an allusion to the water cycle: terrestrial (and subterranean) water exists below the sky, while water vapor and water in the form of clouds rise “above,” separated from the surface water by an expanse of air. Later, on the fourth day of creation, God places “lights in the vault of the sky” (Genesis 1:14). This is a simple description of how the sun, moon, and stars appear in the sky. The canopy theory holds that the Bible’s reference to waters “above” the vault indicates that at one time there existed a canopy of water enveloping the earth above the atmosphere. This water, whether in solid, liquid, or gaseous form, remained in place until the cataclysm of Noah’s day, at which point “the floodgates of the heavens were opened” (Genesis 7:11), and the canopy collapsed upon the earth. According to the canopy theory, the layer of water above the firmament provided warmth to the earth’s inhabitants, filtered out harmful radiation, and contributed to the longevity of humans before Noah’s flood. Regardless of one’s view of the waters above the expanse of sky, God’s power was on full display on the second day of creation. As on the other days of creation, the Lord commands things into existence, stating, “Let there be.” Every time we look up at the sky, we have a reminder of God’s vast wisdom and power.GotQuestions.org Related Resources: What is the second heaven? | GotQuestions.org What does it mean that Paul went to the third heaven? | GotQuestions.org Genesis 1:9 Then God said, "Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. Job 26:7,10 38:8-11 Ps 24:1,2 33:7 95:5 104:3,5-9 136:5,6 Pr 8:28,29 Ec 1:7 Jer 5:22 Jon 1:9 2Pe 3:5 Rev 10:6 Genesis 1 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Then God said - see note on this phrase 10x/10v "Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear" - Let be...gathered is in the jussive signifying a command. NET NOTE on let the waters...be gathered - In the beginning the water covered the whole earth; now the water was to be restricted to an area to form the ocean. The picture is one of the dry land as an island with the sea surrounding it. Again the sovereignty of God is revealed. Whereas the pagans saw the sea as a force to be reckoned with, God controls the boundaries of the sea. And in the judgment at the flood he will blur the boundaries so that chaos returns. tn When the waters are collected to one place, dry land emerges above the surface of the receding water. And it was so - See note on this short but significant phrase. Genesis 1:10 God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. God saw: Ge 1:4 De 32:4 Ps 104:31 Genesis 1 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Related Passages: Psalm 95:5 The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land. Proverbs 8:29 When He set for the sea its boundary So that the water would not transgress His command (NOTE AGAIN GOD'S WORD IS IN CONTROL OF CREATION!), When He marked out the foundations of the earth; Job 38:8-11 Or who enclosed the sea with doors When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb; 9 When I made a cloud its garment And thick darkness its swaddling band, 10 And I placed boundaries on it And set a bolt and doors, 11 And I said, ‘Thus far you shall come, but no farther; And here shall your proud waves stop’? COMMENT - As an aside the false teaching that the polar ice caps will melt and flood the land is absolutely a lie because God say He would never cover the earth with a flood (Ge 9:11). God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas - The third of three passages using God called - day (Ge 1:5), heaven (Ge 1:8) and earth (Ge 1:10) And God saw that it was good - Was good - Gen. 1:4; Gen. 1:10; Gen. 1:12; Gen. 1:18; Gen. 1:21; Gen. 1:25; (cf the sad use of "good" in Gen. 3:6) Genesis 1:11 Then God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them"; and it was so. Let the: Ge 2:5 Job 28:5 Ps 104:14-17 147:8 Mt 6:30 Heb 6:7 fruit: Ge 1:29 2:9,16 Ps 1:3 Jer 17:8 Mt 3:10 7:16-20 Mk 4:28 Lu 6:43,44 Jas 3:12 Genesis 1 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Then - Remember that "then" marks progression in a narrative. God said (see note on this phrase 10x/10v) - God spoke creation into existence! Believe it or not! "Let the earth sprout vegetation "Let...sprout is in the jussive signifying a command. Henry

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MacArthur- Vegetation is divided into two parts … plants and trees. Down to verse 29, God said, “Behold, I have given you … speaking to man … every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed it shall be food for you and for every beast.” So God divides the vegetation into two parts … plants and trees. And what is the difference? The difference is the plant has the seed in it, and the tree has the seed in its fruit. That is clearly indicated in verse 11. Plants yielding seed and fruit trees bearing fruit with seed in them. That’s the distinction. All the vegetation which itself contains the seed would come under the plants, all the vegetation which in its fruit contains the seed would come under the trees. As soon as the inanimate material was ready to sustain life, without delay life in its simplest form was created and intended to be the food for all of the higher life yet to be made. Now I want you to notice that first of all in describing the plants He says of them in verse 11, “Plants yielding seed.” He says it again in verse 12, “Plants yielding seed.” And again in verse 29, “Plants yielding seed.” He continues to repeat that feature to let us know, and this is so important, that the vegetation was capable of … what?… what?… reproduction. That’s the whole point. He made full-grown, fully-mature vegetation with seed in it that could be dispersed. One of the great, great wonders of the world is the science of seed dispersal. I watched an entire video on that just absolutely astonishing to see how God designed seed dispersal, not the least of which is accomplished by birds in your own yard, sometimes even attempted on your car and on your head. Pre-fertilized seed dispersal is very efficient. There are a number of other ways. One of the wonderful works of the wind is seed dispersal. The whole science of seed dispersal is just absolutely phenomenal. Plants were made then by God not as seeds, but as full-grown plants containing seeds that could then multiply. That’s the way the whole of creation was made, and I remind you of that again. It was made mature. When man was created he wasn’t created as an infant, had to grow. He was created as a full-grown man. Everything was created full-grown. (Creation Day 3) (Video on seed dispersal) Henry Morris on after their kind - It is significant that the phrase “after his kind” occurs ten times in the first chapter of Genesis. Whatever precisely is meant by the term “kind” (Hebrew min), it does indicate the limitations of variation. Each organism was to reproduce after its own kind, not after some other kind. (Genesis Record) MacArthur on after their kind - “After their kind.” Verse 12, “After their kind.” Once in the middle of the verse, toward the end of the verse, “After their kind.” May I encourage you a little bit? That phrase is repeated ten times in the first chapter of Genesis … ten times. The Hebrew word for “kind” is min, m-i-n. What it does is indicate the limitations of variation. A plant can only bring forth something of its own kind. A tree can only bring forth something of its own kind. It only has the capacity to function on the basis of the genetic code that is in it. Now whether in the Hebrew “kind” corresponds to our word “genus” or our word “species” or our word “family” or our word “fila,” or whatever you want to use. And I’m remembering words from my college class and have no idea what they mean. But whatever the Hebrew word min means, whatever it corresponds to in English, the one thing it does do is eliminate any possibility of an evolutionary process because whatever the plant is and whatever the tree is, it can only reproduce after its own kind. To say that all living things come from a common ancestry is refuted by the ten-times repeated phrase “after its kind … after its kind.” I used to illustrate this with college students by talking about amino acids. I mean, it gets so individual that you’re made up of amino acids and your body, no matter what you put in it will only reproduce more of you. In fact, if you put too much in it, it will reproduce more of you than you care to see. But amino acids are called the building blocks of life. Now you could decide that you were going to eat fried chicken the rest of your life. Twenty years from now you would not cluck. No combination of chicken amino acids and human amino acids will produce Big Bird. All you will ever produce is more of you no matter what goes in. That’s after their kind. (Creation Day 3) And it was so - See note on this short but significant phrase. MacArthur on it was so - it’s a technical phrase and it means it was made permanent. It means at creation there was a firm and fixed and established condition (See note) Genesis 1:12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. earth: Isa 61:11 Mk 4:28 herb: Isa 55:10,11 Mt 13:24-26 Lu 6:44 2Co 9:10 Ga 6:7 Genesis 1 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Related Passages: Isaiah 61:11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up, So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise To spring up before all the nations. (When? This is almost certainly a prophecy to be fulfilled first in the Millennium.) Mark 4:28+ “The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. THE EARTH OBEYS GOD'S COMMAND! The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them - God commanded and the earth responded. O, that we as His new creations in Christ should behave likewise, for we too are enabled by the creative power of His Spirit Who gives us the desire and the power to obey (Php 2:13NLT+). And yet we are not puppets or robots, we have to make a choice to "work out our salvation in fear and trembling." (Php 2:12+). See the "Paradoxical Principle of 100% Dependent and 100% Responsible" (100/100) Henry

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MacArthur - God saw that it was good. God has been saying this, by the way, all along. Verse 4 tells us that God saw the light was good. In verse 10 God saw that the dry land and the sea was good. Verse 12, the plants were good. Verse 18 the stellar bodies, that was good too. Verse 21, the creatures of the sea and the air, that was good. Verse 25 the land animals, that was good. And finally verse 31, after He made man, it was very good. Everything God made was good. (Creation Day 6, Part 1) Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Let us: Ge 3:22 11:7 Job 35:10 Ps 100:3 149:2 Isa 64:8 Joh 5:17 14:23 1Jn 5:7 in our: Ge 5:1 9:6 Ec 7:29 Ac 17:26,28,29 1Co 11:7 2Co 3:18 4:4 Eph 4:24 Col 1:15 3:10 Jas 3:9 have dominion: Ge 9:2-4 Job 5:23 Ps 8:4-8 104:20-24 Ec 7:29 Jer 27:6 Ac 17:20,28,29 1Co 11:7 2Co 3:18 Eph 4:24 Col 3:10 Heb 2:6-9 Jas 3:7,9 Genesis 1 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Related Passages: Genesis 5:1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. Genesis 9:2-4 “The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given. 3 “Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. 4 “Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. Psalm 8:6-8 You make him to rule (mashal) over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, 7 All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, 8 The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas. MAN LIKE GOD BUT NOT GOD Then God said, "Let Us make man (adam) in Our image (tselem; see note), according to Our likeness (demut) - Let Us make is in the jussive signifying a command. Many take the us to be God speaking of Himself (and speaks of plurality within unity) and thus hinting at the Trinity (cf Ge 3:22+, Ge 11:7), but should not be used as dogmatic proof of the Trinity. A better passage would be 2Cor 13:14+ where Paul describes "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all." Man the crown of creation is the Hebrew word adam; probably so called either from the red earth of which he was formed, or from the blush or flesh-tint of the human countenance: the name is intended to designate the species. The idea of "in" the image of God means "in essence as." Man refers not just to Adam but to mankind in general and this is substantiated by the fact that in Hebrew man is in the plural form and in Ge 1:27 God identifies both male and female as man. Bruce Waltke on man in God's image - "Most theologians have recognized that that [sic] we cannot interpret it [i.e., the phrase 'the image of God'] literally-that is, that man's physical being is in the image of God. Such an interpretation should be rejected for at least four reasons. In the first place, we are told elsewhere that God is a spirit (John 4:24+; Isa. 31:3) and that he is ubiquitous (1 Kgs. 8:27). In the second place, a literal interpretation would leave us with all sorts of bizarre questions. If man's physical being is in the image of God we would immediately wonder what, if any organs, God possesses. Does he have sexual organs, and if so, which? Does he have the form of a man, or of a woman, or both? The very absurdity that God is a sexual being renders this interpretation highly unlikely. Thirdly, it seems unlikely that man's dignity above the rest of the animals (Gen. 9:5 f.; Jas. 3:7-9) is due to his slight physiological differences from them. Is it credible that animals may be killed but that man may not be killed because his stature is slightly different? Finally, a literal interpretation seems not only contradictory to the rest of Scripture, and unlikely, but also inappropriate, Gardener aptly observed: 'But our anatomy and physiology is demanded by our terrestrial habitat, and quite inappropriate to the one who inhabits eternity.' For these reasons, theologians have concluded that the statement in Genesis 1:26-28 must be metaphorical of man's spiritual or immaterial nature." (from page 6 of "Reflections from the Old Testament on Abortion," JETS 19:1, 1978) Matthew

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MacArthur - Our image. This defined man's unique relation to God. Man is a living being capable of embodying God's communicable attributes (cf. Ge 9:6; Ro 8:29; Col 3:10; Jas 3:9). In his rational life, he was like God in that he could reason and had intellect, will, and emotion. In the moral sense, he was like God because he was good and sinless. (See context in MacArthur Study Bible) Henry Lazenby on image - "The image is found in the type of relationship that was designed to exist between male and female human beings, a relationship where the characteristics of each sex are valued and used to form a oneness in their identity and purpose. When God created human beings as male and female he formed them to exhibit a oneness in their relationship that would resemble the relationship of God and his heavenly court. "By ruling as one, male and female fulfill the purpose of God for which they were created. United as one humanity, male and female are one with God and his heavenly court. And it is this unity between male and female, and between humanity and God, that is destroyed in the Fall described in Genesis 3." (The Image of God: Masculine, Feminine, or Neuter?" JETS 30:1, 1987) Henry Morris on let us - God is, as it were, taking counsel here with Himself, not with angels, since man was to be made in the image of God, not of angels. "Our image," therefore, implies human likeness to the triune Godhead. Plants possess a body and animals possess a body and consciousness; man was not only to have a body (of the created "earth") and a consciousness (of the created "soul"), but man was also to possess a third created entity, the image of God, an eternal spirit capable of communion and fellowship with his Creator. (Borrow the The defender's study Bible) Thomas