The Human Race: Its Creation, History, and Destiny the Creation of Man
By Rod Dreher
Rawlings School of Divinity
CLED 800: Biblical & Theological Foundations of Education
Genevieve Hamer
July 3, 2022
How did the human race begin? The Scriptures introduce man as a created being. In
Genesis 1:27 this truth is stated, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he
created him; male and female he created them.” The origin of man has long been the subject of
human speculation. But in spite of all that has been done scientifically and otherwise, no one
has ever come up with a better explanation than creation for the origin of man.
In recent centuries the theory of evolution has arisen, which attempts to explain all species
of life, whether plant or animal, as a product of a gradual improvement that develops over
many millions of years. The problem with evolution, however, is that it is a theory that has yet
to be proved. With all the advantages of modern science, it has never been possible to change
one species into another; a dog never becomes a cat; a plant never becomes a fish; and a tree
never becomes a cow. In other words, a tree remains a tree though it may vary in its structure
and leaf design and new kinds of trees can be formed, but the fact is that we have never been
able by any scientific process to change one species into another.
Evolution has no solution for the origin of life. Science never has been able to produce life
out of that which was not life. The Bible remains the simple and effective and clear explanation
of how man was created. Further, in the creation of man he was made in the image and
likeness of God (Gen. 1:27). No development in evolution could ever take an animal and
produce in it that which corresponds to the image of God.
The revelation that man is the object of God’s creation is not simply taught in one passage
but in many. In the first chapter of Genesis alone the fact of man’s creation is stated repeatedly.
In the sweeping statement of John 1:2-3, Jesus Christ as the Word was “with God in the
beginning. Through Him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been
made.” Colossians 1:16 is even more explicit, “For by him all things were created: things in
heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;
all things were created by him and for him.”
According to Hebrews 11:3, all things, not simply human beings, were made by God: “By
faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was
not made out of what was visible.” If one accepts the Bible as the Word of God in other
matters, one must necessarily accept the Bible when it indicates that God is the Creator and
originator of all that has been created. It is significant that even unbelievers who scoff at the
second coming of Christ have to conclude, “Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it
has since the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4), in other words, they must begin with
creation. There is no alternative explanation to the doctrine of creation that satisfies the
questions that are raised by the nature of our universe and the nature of man.
The Nature of Man
In the original creation as stated in Genesis 1:27, man was made in the image and likeness
of God. This means that he has the essential qualities of personality, which are intellect or
mind, sensibility or feeling, and will, that is, the ability to make moral choices. These qualities
do not exist in any creature other than man, but they make it possible for him to have
communion with God and also to be morally responsible for his actions.
The Scriptures further define man as composed of that which is material or immaterial.
Accordingly, man has a body and he has life. In considering the matter of the life of man, the
Scriptures record, “The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7). As man is
discussed in Scripture, it becomes evident that in addition to material and immaterial, the
immaterial part of man is considered under two major aspects-that of spirit and soul. When
man was created, according to Genesis 2:7, he “became a living being,” literally, man became
“a living soul” (KJV). Several hundred times in both the Old and New Testaments man is
declared to possess a soul.
The Bible also claims that human beings possess a spirit. In Hebrews 4:12 the Word of God
is said to penetrate human consciousness to the point that “it penetrates even to dividing soul
and spirit.” In general, the word “soul” seems to refer to the psychological aspect of man or his
natural experience of life. The word “spirit” seems rather to refer to his God-consciousness and
his ability to function in moral and spiritual realms. However, in the Bible these terms are
sometimes used to refer to the whole man, such as the words “body” or “soul” or “spirit.” For
instance, in Romans 12:1 believers are exhorted to offer their bodies as living sacrifices to God.
In referring to a believer’s body, Paul is referring to the whole person. Likewise, “soul”
sometimes refers to the whole person, and sometimes “spirit” refers to the whole person.
Other immaterial aspects of man are also mentioned in the Bible, such as mind, will,
conscience, and other references to aspects of human personality. While the body of a
Christian is considered sinful, it, nevertheless, is referred to in Scripture as the “temple of the
Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:19). The bodies of Christians should be kept under control and made to
submit to the human mind (1 Cor. 9:27). The bodies of Christians, which now are corrupt and
sinful, are going to be transformed, cleansed from sin, and made new like the resurrection body
of Christ, at the time of resurrection or rapture (Rom. 8:11, 17-18, 23; 1 Cor. 6:13-20; Phil. 3:20-
21). Though man in his present humanity is sinful and comes short of what God would have him
to be and do, Christians can look forward to the time when their bodies will be made perfect in
the presence of God.
