If you opened your Bible as you would any other book, you would find the book of Genesis. Genesis speaks of ancient things. It speaks of the beginning of time (and for a moment, before time even began). It speaks of the origin of all matter, and, helpful for our purposes, it speaks of mankind. Genesis tells us about “us” before things got complicated. Before sin, before the law of Moses and before paying your mortgage was the most important thing to worry about.
Genesis may be the book of the Bible that is most useful for the study of mankind. In it we learn, though briefly, how things were in a perfect state. We also learn what sorts of mandates God gives us in the broadest possible context. Here we get commands for how we ought to live aside from any greater context. We learn how to live as a human- not as an Israelite, not as a Christian, but simply as a person.
Genesis helps us look at mankind ontologically. How about that vocabulary word?
Ontology is the study of what makes a thing itself. What is man? Not a specific man, but every man. What do we all share? This perspective allows us to build a strong foundation for the rest of the work we will be doing. Starting with who we are, we can learn about what we have become. From there, what we must become will start to come into view.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
He did so as a perfect God, and hence, he made everything good. This means that the descriptions available to us in this text represent how God intended things to be. God calls everything He made “very good”; the earth, the sky, the plants, the animals, and mankind.
God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Here we have the first standard for man. Here are the obvious implications:
Mankind is in the image of God
Mankind is to be Fruitful
Mankind is to multiply
Mankind is to fill the earth
Mankind is to subdue the earth
Mankind is to rule over other living things.
Image of God Starting with the image of God, we land ourselves right into a hotly contested biblical concept. There are many interpretations of this phrase, but most of them end up pointing in a similar direction: The things God does, we should also do. As image bearers of God, we are capable of doing (or even being) many of the things God Himself does. This should not be taken lightly. The role of “image bearer” includes responsibilities. We display various attributes and functions of God, and can work towards His purposes. As we reflect God in who we are and what we do, things begin to work the way God intended them to. This is particularly significant after sin enters the world. Still, being the things that God is and doing the things that God does is a concept that needs to be expanded. First, there are many (probably most) things that we cannot even hope to emulate God on. Even the things that we can, we only can dimly. But that is still our job, albeit dimly, to reflect God as His image bearers. So, in what ways can we do that? Traditionally, the “Image of God” concept has been attributed to the spiritual aspect of mankind. When God made man he started with dust (physical matter) and breathed life into it (spirit). What are those aspects of mankind that rise to the spiritual level? Normally they are designated as Intellect, Emotions and Will Intellect Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. Mankind is unique in his ability to consider the world rationally, and even more uniquely, himself. Self-knowledge is a critical component of what it means to be human. We can also know God. We can learn about our surroundings, ourselves and our creator by looking around us and inside us. As those made in the image of God, we are expected to think. This might sound like a useless point to make, but the truth is, some people do this better than others. I do not mean that some people are smarter than others, but that some fully engage their minds to know God and to understand the world around them. This takes work. It requires minimizing activities that sap your intellect and engaging in activities that are more difficult. What sorts of activities don’t require your mind? Probably most things we do in front of a screen, I would imagine: TV, Video Games, Movies, Social Media, etc. We must moderate these activities if we are to be image bearers. Sadly, moderation is not something we modern Westerners are very good at. Of course, if you decrease your time in one area, you will have to increase it in another. So, what to do with all of this time? Things that require and stimulate your intellect. Consider reading- the Bible to start. Learn to work with your hands (more on that when we talk about being fruitful), have a conversation with another human (in person). All of these things are far superior and far more conducive to happiness than anything you might give up by way of entertainment. Emotions Like God, we can look at the world, use our reason to come to conclusions and then feel a certain way about those conclusions. Not too long after our passage in Genesis, God displays His emotions about the sin he sees in the world: Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. God is not a passive force. He is not a detached, emotionless being. He has feelings- I was going to say “like you and I”, but God’s feelings are not only truer than our own but also stronger. As those made in the image of God, we are expected to feel. Feeling emotions rightly, that is, the right feelings in the right amounts towards the right things, is very difficult to do. Though this task is made easier a bit by our minds. When we encounter truth (and really believe it to be true) we will naturally begin to feel emotions corresponding to what we know. Take a sport, for instance. Someone who is deeply invested as a fan in a sport can feel more strongly than someone who is just getting into it. The same holds true on the other side of the coin. As you begin to see just how bad something is- take, for example, sex trafficking, your emotions will be raised to levels that someone ignorant of that thing cannot attain to. Say your job is to help rescue women being trafficked, your knowledge of the specific situations, the details of the lives ruined, the very faces you can recall deepen your ability to feel. Of course, this is not always the case. Many people are hardened by frequent exposure to evil, this can be a help or a hindrance. Though emotions are tricky things to control. Will When we talk about “Intellect, Emotions and Will” the order is actually important. With our minds we can come to conclusions, with our emotions we can feel a certain way about those conclusions, but it ought not stop there. Our “wills” are what allow us to turn those thoughts and feelings into actions. The will allows us to act. The above passage about God grieving the sinfulness of mankind led to an action: punishing the sin with a flood. After the flood, Noah offers a sacrifice to God. After smelling the “pleasing aroma” God acts. He forms a covenant with mankind, promising to never again flood the world. This is the sort of thing beings with a will are capable of. They process the world around them, they feel deeply, and they act decisively. As those made in the image of God, we are expected to act. The question remains, though, how should we act? Be Fruitful The phrase “be fruitful” is also something that would be descriptive of God before any man could lay claim to it. The very first words of the entire Bible indicate that God is fruitful. He created all things, and even created things that can create more things (living, reproducing beings). God commands us to be fruitful, and is said to make others fruitful; even those who are not faithful to Him. The concept of being “fruitful and multiplying” is often linked with the proceeding command to “fill the earth”. It’s not unlike Hebrew literature to say the same thing in slightly different ways to emphasize a point. There is, though, a nuance to the phrase “be fruitful and multiply” that allows it to stand out. First, God issues this command in the same form elsewhere in Genesis. We see it issued to Noah after the flood, and again to Abraham and his descendants, sometimes as a command, other times as a promise. The command “be fruitful and multiply” clearly has a link to reproduction, and therefore to “fill the earth”. Adam is told to do it when the earth has a population of two. Noah is told the same when the population is only slightly larger. Abraham is commanded to be fruitful and multiply in the context of becoming a great nation. And this reproductive element is important to God’s plan, but the phrase also has a link to productivity. The first connection is obvious. Particularly in ancient times, you could have a bunch of kids (multiply), but they could only be sustained if you were also fruitful. Being fruitful is linked as much to “subdue the earth” as it is to “fill the earth”. Our job as human beings is to be productive. It’s no coincidence that the next mention of man’s purpose for existing is to “work and watch over” the garden of Eden. We also have to consider the use of the phrase as it occurs throughout the rest of the Bible. In Isaiah, the phrase “bearing fruit” is used in the context of righteousness, but that is the anomaly. In the New Testament, however, the reproductive element of being “fruitful” is completely stripped away. Here we have the concept of bearing fruit indicating some sort of action that is both pleasing to God and productive towards His ends. Subdue and Rule The word “subdue” is used in the context of the earth, while “rule” is used in the context of non-human life. Both show a level of authority. To subdue something, you must actively bring it under your control; here, the most obvious implication is farming. The earth is not naturally a very habitable place, though with skill and work, man can subdue it and create a circumstance tolerable (if not favorable) for his life. God did this same thing when he began the process of creation with nothing but “darkness covering [sic] the watery depths”. God took a harsh, uninhabitable void and created order and productivity. Here, our task to subdue the earth is a mere shadow of God’s creative and sustaining role. We are, however, given the privilege (and responsibility) to do the same where we can. Mankind’s rule over the animal kingdom is another parallel to God’s function. God displays authority in His relationship to Adam. He creates Adam, gives him commands and names him. This act of naming displays God’s position of authority over Adam. Interestingly, Adam soon after is tasked with naming all the animals (and soon after that, his wife). Like God, mankind has a dominion to oversee- this is his role as a human being. Community The final passage we must consider as we determine the nature and function of mankind is also in Genesis 2 and it is also spoken directly by God: Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” God tells us we ought not be alone. Now, on a cursory read, this passage is likely to be understood as “it is not good for males to be alone, I will make a female”, and that is a correct reading. How could Adam succeed in “filling the earth” on his own? This passage, however, has deeper implications than simply the relationship between males and females. It is true for everyone in the entire world that “it is not good for man to be alone”. Not only does the relationship between Adam and Eve solve the immediate need for companionship, but it creates the possibility for companionship of all sorts. As mankind fulfills the mandate to be “fruitful and multiply,” the scope of his relationships begins to broaden. From a man and woman, we now have parent-child relationships, sibling relationships, friendships, even enemies. Yes, it is not good for man to be alone, but it is not good in a much broader range than most read this passage to indicate. We are community creatures; it is not good for us to be alone. The Human Standard So, what have we learned? Mankind is to emulate God in as far as is possible. He is to think, he is to feel, he is to act. Mankind is to be productive; he is to multiply; he is to rule. Mankind is to live in community with his fellow man. Notice here that these most basic human responsibilities are not ethical mandates. Think about that, we so often think that the only standard God holds us to is a moral one. So long as we are not hurting anyone else, and maybe even doing some nice things for others, we feel that we have met all of our requirements. This is not so. This human standard is a prime component of not only our purpose on this earth but also of our happiness. So, how do you match up? The reason this concept is so imperative today is that for the first time in history, it is becoming very easy to fall short of this standard. In times past, if you were not intelligent, decisive, productive and in community with others, you would probably die. Mankind needed to have these qualities to survive. Today, however, it is entirely possible to live a secluded life with very little thought and no productivity at all. This can occur in many ways here in the modern West. Our technology tends to seclude rather than unite us (geographically, at least), and this happens on a spectrum. Whether we consider the absent-mindedness our phones cause when we are actually with other people, or the hours of seclusion YouTube, social media, video games and pornography facilitate. We are becoming less communal. As technology makes life easier, it also makes us lazier. Everyone is different, of course, but the amount of effort required to sustain a comfortable lifestyle has certainly gone down. This may not be a bad thing, but consider how we use this extra time. Are we producing anything of value, or simply entertaining ourselves? This may not have been necessary to say even 50 years ago, but it is vital now. We are failing to meet the very basic standards set for human beings at our very inception. And it gets worse, because God calls us to far more than simply exist as human beings. Even if we met this standard set in Genesis, we would be far from thriving. But these simple expectations are crucial to attain to when we are trying to be our best, most productive selves for the glory of God.
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