Lesson Aim: To reflect upon the excellence of god’s creation when viewed as a whole.

Monday: Genesis 1:28-2:3, I Corinthians 15:45, I Timothy 2:13-14 & Jude 14
Tuesday: Genesis 3 & Romans 5:14-21
Wednesday: Psalm 127:3, Hebrews 13:4, Exodus 20:14 & Ephesians 5:3
Thursday: Proverbs 11:30, Daniel 12:3, Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, Acts 1:8 & Romans 10:14-15,17
Friday: Matthew 24:3-31, I Thessalonians 5:1-4,II Thessalonians 2:1-12, Revelation 19:11-21 & II Peter 3:10-14
Saturday: Psalm 8:4-9, Psalm 19:1-3, Hosea 2:18, Isaiah 11:6-9 & Romans 5:12.
Sunday: Exodus 20:8-11, Jeremiah 9:23-24, I Corinthians 1:29-31, Romans 11:33-36 & I Corinthians 2:14

LESSON OUTLINE

I. MAN’S DOMINANT ROLE IN THE NATURAL WORLD (Genesis 1:28-29)

A. Adam and Eve were the first humans.

1. Though Adam is the Hebrew term meaning "the species, mankind;" the term can also refer to a specific human.¹

2. The context of Genesis 1 and 2 makes clear that Adam and Eve, used as proper names, refer to specific individuals. Other Bible references verify such use of the terms. I Corinthians 15:45 says, "The first man Adam was made a living soul." That they were specific individuals is unmistakable in I Timothy 2:13-14. "For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." Jude called Enoch "the seventh from Adam." (Jude 14)

3. Some, particularly theistic evolutionists, contend that Adam and Eve were not specific individuals. They spiritualize the Genesis account of creation, interpreting its statements to be only symbolic. Thus, to them, Adam and Eve are only figures of the human race and not specific people.

Such a concept undermines the foundations of Christianity. If Adam was not a specific man, then no specific man sinned. Thus, the fall recorded in Genesis 3 was not specific. If these were only symbolic, then the whole concept of original sin and condemnation is only symbolic and not real. If there was no original sin and fall, then there was no need for Christ’s redemptive work. (Romans 5:14-21)

B. God’s first command to man. (Genesis 1:28)

1. God told Adam (a command which became incumbent upon the entire human race) to "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it." (Genesis 1:28)

The terms used by God in this command are full of the concept of increase. Man, beginning with Adam and Eve, was to fill and take charge of the earth. In the Hebrew, "replenish" is male meaning "to fill" or "have wholly."²

2. It is noteworthy that God’s first command to man was that he reproduce himself. "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward," Psalm 127:3. God does not forbid sex if practiced in harmony with His word. (Hebrews 13:4, Exodus 20:14, Ephesians 5:3) To the contrary, He commanded it.

The spiritual implications of this initial command are profound. The first responsibility of every believer is to reproduce himself spiritually by bringing others into the family of God. (Proverbs 11:30, Daniel 12:3, Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, Acts 1:8, Romans 10:14-15,17)

3. God’s initial command to man has not yet been fully obeyed. God’s command was given in full knowledge of earth’s ability to support a large population. Even at the present level of man’s technology, the earth could support a much larger population than it has; and technological advances are being rapidly made. Today’s alarm that the earth is becoming overpopulated is unfounded, and the efforts being made to control population are unjustified. The prospect of man destroying the earth is a far greater threat than overpopulation.³ Christ will return before man completely overpopulates or destroys the world. (Matthew 24:3-31, I Thessalonians 5:1-4, II Thessalonians 2:1-12, Revelation 19:11-21, II Peter 3:10-14)

C. Man’s dominion over all the earth.

1. God’s command clearly established man as chief steward over all the earth. God’s plan stands in stark contrast to the modern concept that man is merely a highly developed animal and essentially on an equal plane with animals. God’s command refutes the positions of the modern animal rights movement. (Psalm 8:4-8)

2. The terms "subdue" and "have dominion" are military terms meaning to first conquer, then rule. At first, this command, which seems to anticipate the curse, was not necessary.⁴

3. God’s command is a clear mandate for (1) science and (2) technology. Science is man’s disciplined study and understanding of phenomena. Technology is the implementation of such learning to develop resources. Thus, God commanded man to diligently study the earth with all its processes and intensely complex systems and then to utilize that knowledge for the benefit of earth’s inhabitants, both man and animal. In multiple fields such as engineering, agriculture, medicine, oceanography and meteorology, research and development, theory and application, study and practice are the routes God initially prescribed.⁵

II. THE GOODNESS OF GOD MANIFESTED IN HIS CREATION.

A. The most essential need of man and all earth’s creatures was food. (Genesis 1:29-30)

1. To sustain life, man and animals would need a renewable energy supply. For them, God made digestive and assimilation systems capable of converting food into useable energy. The magnitude of God’s ingenuity and greatness is reflected throughout the universe. (Psalm 19:1-3) Time and again His awesome power and grandeur is brought into clear focus as different facets of His creation are examined. Each organism has a need for food and a means for converting that food into useable energy. Yet, the variety of digestive and assimilation systems among different creatures is vast and spectacular.

2. Without food (an energy supply) itself, even the most efficient energy conversion system cannot function. Thus, God provided a perpetually available food supply throughout the earth. On day three of creation, He created plant life, a great variety of fruits, nuts, vegetables and herbs. All that man (and animals) would need to provide the nutrients, vitamins and other elements necessary to good health were available in abundance everywhere. Considering conditions prior to the Flood, the food supply was inexhaustible. There were no polar caps or deserts and temperatures and weather conditions were ideal for plant life to flourish year-round. Furthermore, the size and density of plant life exceeded anything in existence today by many times over.⁶

3. Prior to Adam’s Fall, the diet of man and animals consisted of vegetation. Genesis 1:29-30 make that fact very clear. The introduction of meat to the diet and of predation did not occur until after Adam’s Fall and the Curse of Genesis 3.

Carnivorous animals can survive on vegetation. Pre-flood conditions were optimum for life and they were very different from current conditions. Nutrient-rich water and plants caused creatures to flourish without meat in the diet. The predator food chain currently in existence is a result of the Curse.

This contention is verified by prophecies regarding the coming millennial reign of Christ upon the earth. During that era, peace and harmony will prevail; not only between man and animals, but also between animals. (Hosea 2:18, Isaiah 11:6-9)

B. God personally declared that His creation was "very good." (Genesis 1:31)

1. Every provision for man’s need and enjoyment had been provided. There was no disease, age, death, pollution or sorrows. Calamities did not exist. Floods, earthquakes, storms and fires never occurred. The "firmament" (water canopy) prevented such disasters and there was no enmity between any creatures. The Curse had not yet come. Everything was in perfect harmony.

2. God’s declaration that it was good is sufficient to refute any long geological age concept as related to the creation week. The idea of long ages producing today’s fossil deposits demands catastrophe and death. These came after the Curse and as a result of sin, which had not yet entered the scene. (Romans 5:12)

C. When God finished the creation of man, He rested. (Genesis 2:1-3)

1. By His example, God clearly established the principle of a weekly day of rest. The seventh day, which is Saturday, is called the sabbath. When God later gave his Law, including the Ten Commandments, He specified the keeping of that day as a day of rest. He used His own example of resting after six days of creative activity as the pattern to follow. (Exodus 20:8-11)

2. God did not rest as one who was weary. "He rested as one wellpleased with the instances of his own goodness and the manifestations of his own glory."⁷ Man’s keeping of a day of rest is not that he glory in his own efforts, but rather that he contemplate the goodness of God and glory in the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:23-24, I Corinthians 1:29-31)

D. Genesis 1 is a divine revelation.

1. This great chapter of the Bible records the origin of the universe. In concise form, it records the origin of the essential elements of the universe, the various categories of creation, the length of time involved in the task, the order God used in developing His creation, the relationships between various components, and so much more. Apart from a divine revelation of these facts, it would be impossible for us to know them. (Romans 11:33-36)

2. The processes of creation were not the same as those of today. Current processes are noted for conservation and disintegration. These are the first and second laws of Thermodynamics. Genesis 1 makes clear that creation was characterized by innovation (creativity) and integration (improvement). Since the laws governing creation were not the same as laws since creation, studying current processes could never shed light on creation and the true origin of things. ⁸

Thus, understanding origins, apart from the revelation of God regarding them, is impossible, a fact which explains the multitude of absurd conclusions embraced by so many in today’s world. Those who would know the truth must go to the only true resource book on the issue, the divinely revealed word of God, the Bible. (I Corinthians 2:14)

FOOTNOTES

1. Strong, James, Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, New York: Abingdon Press, 1958, page 8, reference 120.

2. Ibid., page 66, reference 4390.

3. Morris, Henry, The Genesis Record, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1976, pages 76-77.

4. Ibid., page 76.

5. Ibid., page 77.

6. Baugh, Carl, Panorama of Creation, Oklahoma City: The Southwest Radio Church, 1989, pages 57-59.

7. Henry, Matthew, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, London: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1706, Vol.1, Genesis 2.

SUMMARY

Adam and Eve were real people. Though the Hebrew word for Adam can be used to refer to mankind, it can also refer to specific individuals. That the Adam and Eve of Genesis 1-3 were specific individuals is clearly established by the context as well as by later Bible references.

Some people, particularly theistic evolutionists, contend that Adam and Eve were only symbolic characters. Such a position undermines the credibility of scripture and the plan of eternal redemption which is based on a real sin by a real person.

Theistic evolutionists are also refuted by God’s declaration that all He had made was "very good." When God, on day six, finished the work of creation, there was no death, no suffering, no pollution, no disease and nothing evil. Theistic evolution claims creation occurred over millions of years by evolutionary processes. In the process the fossil deposits were supposedly formed. Obviously, for that to have occurred, death, catastrophe and much destruction would have been necessary. The Bible contends that death and misery, which form fossils, came with the Curse, after creation was finished.

God’s first command to man was that he be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth. The idea is that of increase. Man was commanded to "fill" the earth. Reproduction would be essential to the fulfillment of that command. Sex in harmony with the principles set forth in the word of God is not forbidden. To the contrary, it was authored by God and is essential to the preservation of the human race. The command to physically multiply carries with it a profound spiritual message. In a spiritual sense, no believer has any assignment as important as reproducing himself in the lives of others. First and always, believers are to bring people into the family of God.

As to the command to physically reproduce, God knew the ability of the earth to support a large population, especially in the pre-flood era. At that time, the earth was protected by a water canopy (firmament) which eliminated polar caps, deserts, storms, floods and natural catastrophes. Temperate conditions allowed year-round plant growth. This condition also produced enormous proliferation of plant life, providing a limitless and renewable food supply. Men and animals were vegetarians until the Curse. Those who advocate population control based upon the contention that man will destroy himself by overpopulating the earth do so without justification. The earth will not be destroyed by man. Before such an event, Jesus Christ will personally return and set up His kingdom over which He will rule for 1000 years. After that, He will destroy the earth with fire.

God not only commanded man to reproduce and fill the earth, He also commanded him to "subdue" and "have dominion" over it. God literally made man the chief steward over the earth. Man is to conquer, then rule the world. He is to diligently study the universe with all its processes and intensely complex systems. He is then to utilize the knowledge he gains for the benefit of earth’s inhabitants, both man and animal. With this command, God was authorizing both science and technology, research and development, theory and application.

As God surveyed His completed creation, He declared that it was very good. All that was necessary for the welfare of man and animals had been provided, free of any evil. God had done a good job in His creative work. He had used processes unknown since creation and radically different from those in operation since creation. In creating, God used laws of innovation (creativity) and integration (improvement). Post-creation laws have operated upon the basis that matter cannot be destroyed and that apart from external intervention, it disintegrates with time.

QUESTIONS

1. Explain why Adam and Eve were specific individuals and not merely symbolic of the human race.

2. Explain the ramifications of understanding Adam and Eve to be merely symbols.

3. What was God’s first command to the human race?

4. Is there a legitimate danger that man will destroy himself by overpopulating the earth?

5. Discuss the spiritual ramifications of God’s first command to the human race.

6. Discuss God’s views regarding sex.

7. What is the greatest physical need of man and animals?

8. Discuss the fact that man and animals were vegetarians prior to the Curse.

9. What pre-Flood condition guaranteed an ample food supply for all earth’s creatures?

10. Address the issue of predation prior to the Curse.

11. Describe physical conditions on the earth prior to the Flood.

12. Discuss the difference in physical conditions on the earth before and after the Curse.

13. How did God establish man to be the dominant steward of the earth?

14. Explain the term "subdue."

15. Explain the phrase "have dominion."

16. Explain the difference between science and technology.

17. Explain the message taught by God in resting on the seventh day.

18. In what sense did God "rest"?

19. How did the laws and processes of God in creation differ from the laws and processes since creation?

20. Discuss the only possible way for man to know or understand anything regarding origins.